CASE STUDY: McCann Erickson How McCann ... - Send Word Now

CASE STUDY: McCann Erickson
How McCann Erickson Used Send Word Now to Communicate with
Employees During Hurricane Sandy
McCann Erickson, the world’s largest advertising agency network, is a part of McCann Worldgroup, a
preeminent global marketing communications company with offices and clients in over 100 countries. At
the organization’s corporate headquarters in midtown Manhattan, Debbie Fried, VP Manager of Business
Communication and Continuity, is responsible for making sure that all agency staffers are kept up to date
during emergency situations. So when Hurricane Sandy swept through New York City in October of 2012,
Fried used Send Word Now’s automated messaging platform to send out critical messages before, during
and after the storm.
Send Word Now in Action
Once the news of Sandy’s impending arrival
reached the McCann offices at 622 3rd Avenue,
Fried set to work notifying employees about the
company’s response plan. She let them know that
the storm was expected to be powerful, and that
they should keep an eye out for critical alerts
to be sent via Send Word Now. Fried explains,
“Because the organization only uses Send Word
Now during emergencies, employees know to pay
attention.”
On Sunday, October 28, 2012, as Hurricane Sandy
was headed up the East Coast, Fried used Send
Word Now’s alerting platform to send out her
first storm-related alert to McCann and McCann
Worldgroup company employees in the building.
The message, which was transmitted to work and
personal e-mail accounts as well as to land line
and cellular phones, indicated the anticipated
severity of the storm and let recipients know that
the office would be closed the next day.
“We let our employees know that they should be
prepared to work from home, that they should
check in with their supervisors, and that they
should stay safe once the storm hit,” says Fried.
Over the course of the next week, Fried organized
numerous conference calls with the agency’s
leadership to determine messaging and used Send
Word Now on a daily basis to let employees know
how the company was responding to the storm.
Although the office was closed until the following
Monday, employees were allowed to come into the
building after October 31st.
“Many of our employees live in lower Manhattan
and lost power during the storm. For them, having
access to the office, which had internet and hot
water, was critical,” Fried notes. “By communicating
our plans ahead of time, we also allowed all
of our employees to make proper alternative
arrangements for transportation and child care.”
After the Storm
McCann was able to open its offices again on
Monday, November 5, and Fried and her team
received positive feedback for their skillful handling
of communication during the storm.
“One of the biggest compliments that our
leadership got after the storm was that they
communicated well,” says Fried. “All of our
employees were happy that they didn’t just receive
an e-mail. They had a choice of how to receive the
messages we sent them.”
“As a user of the service, I had no problem
logging on and sending the messages,” she
adds. “Additionally, when needed to reach out to
individuals during special circumstances, having
access to employee contact data on the fly using
the Send Word Now mobile application was
www.sendwordnow.com | North America: (800) 388-4796 International: +44 203 318 3862 | sales@sendwordnow.com

incredibly helpful.”
Why Send Word Now
For Debbie Fried, the best part about the Send
Word Now notification system is “the fact that
it does what it says it does.” She explains, “The
system is easy to use. And once you send a
message it goes out to all recipients, via multiple
modalities, in just a matter of seconds.”
“For large organizations operating during a crisis,
the type of instantaneous alerting that Send Word
Now provides is incredibly useful. I look forward
to using even more of the system’s features in the
future.”
The Send Word Now Advantage
For businesses operating under
the demands of today’s global
markets, the need for effective and
reliable communication solutions
has never been greater. By tailoring
its services to the needs of its
customers worldwide, Send Word
Now consistently provides innovative
notification solutions that outmatch its
competitors’ offerings.
“And once you send a
message it goes out to
all recipients, via multiple
modalities, in just a matter of
seconds.”
-Debbie Fried
VP Manager of Business
Communication and
Continuity
for after-action reporting and
follow-up. Designed to reach
anyone, anywhere, anytime, with
any device over any type of
connection, Send Word Now’s
mass notification system is
capable of transmitting hundreds
of thousands of voice and text
messages in minutes.
With its smartphone integration, international
capabilities, and unique features, Send Word Now’s
customizable platform is the go-to choice for
companies with a diverse or international employee
base. And on top of its robust software features,
Send Word Now offers best-in-class customer
support services that just can’t be beat.
Send Word Now is the leading provider of ondemand
alerting and response services for both
routine and emergency communication. The easyto-use,
web-based emergency notification service
is used by government agencies, municipalities,
universities, non-profit organizations and
businesses, includingmany Fortune 500 companies,
to ensure fast, effective, two-way communication in
real-time. Send Word Now’s Alert Tracer® provides
a full audit trail of messages sent and received
www.sendwordnow.com | North America: (800) 388-4796 International: +44 203 318 3862 | sales@sendwordnow.com