Frequently Asked Questions

Q) How is AMG Alerts different from other messaging systems?
A) We are 100% web-based, and setup is turn-key. Your fully functional system may be set up in a matter of hours.

Notification covers Web, E-mail, Text, and Voice modes, and includes message disposition reporting on Text and Voice.

In addition, in order to provide our clients with the best product at the lowest price, we offer a unique combination of fixed and variable cost, with a low annual fee that includes a reasonable number of free alerts, and incremental alert pricing for alerts above and beyond that allotment. We find that wide-ranging messaging ability is needed by many organizations as insurance for relatively rare events. So why not keep the ongoing price low and allow our client to determine how the system is used, and, ultimately, the cost for using it?

In addition, AMG Alerts has tools available so that the Subscriber s (your potential recipients) may input - and maintain - their own information, greatly enhancing the ease of setup and use. We also have text-to-speech voice, which makes messaging more accessible to those with disabilities or simply prefer more traditional methods to electronic. And of course, it does not require a separate, cumbersome, "recording" process. Voice alerts go out seamlessly with the other modes.

Perhaps most importantly, AMG Alerts is a private system. Our member organizations have all the contact data in their own database, they know who is getting alerts, especially with our unique disposition reporting capabilities. They do not need to depend on "the TV station" to dispense time-sensitive information and/or hope that their consituents will pick up the information through whatever grapevine has been created. In addition, they can directly address each participant. They have access to the contact data for other emergency purposes, and they can request updates through our system based on the age of the information.

Q) What's the idea behind the three versions?
A) Our customers have different needs and budgetary limitations. The Standard version is the gold standard because it includes all the most important features. But institutions who do not need Voice notification, and do not have as critical a need for closed-loop messaging and can forego disposition reporting, can save money by using the Lite version. It is a popular choice for customers who will be using the system for less critical issues and thus may put out more messages and want to keep their messaging costs low (get more messaging within the free allocation). The Subscriber-Paid version is extremely flexible. The Subscribers (your recipients) may sign up for free or low-cost e-mail notifications, or for slightly more expensive text, e-mail, and voice messaging. The institution pays nothing.

A simple comparison is shown below:

Q) What is the pricing for the system?
A) There is an annual membership fee depending on the number of Subscribers you have. ALL accounts get a dollar value allowance of messaging based on your needs. The net annual price for the system ranges from $350 to $5,000 for most of our customers. If the entire allowance is exhausted, the system keeps working for you - there are simply nominal charges depending on the quantity and type of messaging used. You have complete control of expenditures against your alerts allowance because you can determine the mode and the segmentation for the alerts, and there are tools available to assist you in doing this. There is also a Lite version of AMG Alerts with a reduced feature set that has a lower annual fee and notably less expensive text alerting cost. The Lite version does not include Voice alert capability.

Q) Is my information private?
A) Yes. For ten years, AMG Teleran has been in the business of securing sensitive customer data, and has done so for hundreds of users. For more information, please review our simple Privacy Policy. It will tell you what you need to know about our operation and our principles.

Q) How do I get my Subscribers' information into the system?
A) The recommended method is to simply publish a link to your supplied portal so that people can sign up themselves! They will receive a Welcome e-mail with a user key that they can use anytime to update their contact profiles. The data will be self-maintaining. Of course, you can add information in traditional ways as well, such as a file upload or through the interface.

Q) How do I maintain my Subscriber (user) base within AMG Alerts?
A) The Subscribers will take care of that if you use one of the supplied web portals. Therefore, the data is generally self-maintaining, which is the beauty of a system like AMG Alerts! Alternatively, the application gives you the tools you need to search by name and category, and add or edit Subscriber information as needed. In addition, there are tools to launch “Update Request” e-mails to the Subscriber base, either on a case-by-case basis, or in bulk based on the last update dates for Subscriber records.

Q) What reporting is available?
A) The beauty of a closed-loop, private system like AMG Alerts is that you know who you are targeting because you know who is in the database. But we even go a step further and offer you disposition reporting in near real-time so you know who RECEIVED your alert! This means that we have a report that will, for example, tell you which numbers have received your text alert and which have encountered a problem. Our system flags those users on the report, showing their name with a link so that you may immediately visit their record and correct the issue, even if it is as simple as launching an Update Request to that user via e-mail so they can click a link and confirm their information.

Q) Who in my organization may have access to the system?
A) There is one primary Administrator, and that information is defined at setup. This user has access to several optional system settings after the simple setup process. Among these rights is the definition of additional Administrators. These additional users have lower permission levels and may either: a) launch alerts and administer the Subscriber base, or b) administer the Subscriber base only.

Q) For many decades, we have had a "phone tree." What we are looking for is a way to automate this process so the calls go out faster. Does your system do that?
A) While we don't get this question much from businesses, we often do from schools. The short answer is that yes, AMG Alerts will certainly send voice messages to home phones by the hundreds or thousands in a matter of minutes. But simply calling home phones is a very poor choice for communicating URGENT messages. Our system allows our member organizations to contact each of your Subscribers in the mode (voice, text, or e-mail) that they have indicated is the best way, or in ALL modes if the situation demands it. The concept of calling to home phone numbers was born many decades ago when people weren't even dreaming of the world that exists today, with the available voice and data options. Parents are quick to look for solutions like text messaging, but schools are often slow to adopt these alternatives. Another way the world has changed is that emergency messaging from schools often now extends beyond calling homes at 5:00am about a "snow day". The capability for timely communication that actually reaches the recipient, at any time of day -- particularly during the day -- is becoming a requirement.

Q) Can AMG Alerts be used by Member Organizations for non-emergency/non-time-sensitive information broadcasting?
A) If the Subscriber consents to being contacted via the selected mode(s) about other issues, sure! Our terms and conditions do state that AMG Alerts must be used in an "opt-in" fashion as described and never for marketing purposes. Otherwise, the use is up to the Member Organizations and their Subscribers.

Q) When I send an alert via AMG Alerts, am I guaranteed to reach every Subscriber?
A) We cannot guarantee that you will reach everyone, but given that you can put a great deal of contact information in the system, and there are several launch modes available, AMG Alerts is one of the most effective contact means available. In addition to selected modes such as Email, Voice, or Text, there is a "Preferred" launch mode, wherein you launch to each Subscriber based on what is agreed to be the best mode (landline, text, or e-mail, usually directly selected by the Subscriber), and an "All" launch mode where it is possible to reach out to all contact numbers and addresses available in each mode. There are tools in the Launch Control area that allow you to see potential Reach by launch mode, which is simply dependent on the amount of information in your Subscriber database. And of course you have access to reporting that shows you the disposition for your messages, so you KNOW who you are reaching!

Q) What is the pricing for the system?
A) There is an annual membership fee depending on the number of Subscribers you have. ALL accounts get a dollar value allowance of messaging based on your needs. The net annual price for the system ranges from $350 to $5,000 for most of our customer. If the entire allowance is exhausted, the system keeps working for you - there are simply nominal charges depending on the quantity and type of messaging used. You have complete control of expenditures against your alerts allowance because you can determine the mode and the segmentation for the alerts, and there are tools available to assist you in doing this. There is also a Lite version of AMG Alerts with a reduced feature set that has a lower annual fee and notably less expensive text alerting cost. The Lite version does not include Voice alert capability.

Q) Why do I need Voice capability?
A) You don't. But your recipients DO. Not everybody has text capability, and sometimes you will want to launch notifications to landline phones if you want maximum reach. We have first-hand data that tells us that even a fair percentage of college students - those among us most likelty to live on wireless phones - PREFER voice notifications above e-mail and text. How do we know? It's simple. Our customers put out our portals and we see the preferences of their subscribers.

Q) Can a Subscriber change their information anytime they wish or only when there is an update request?
A) Once a Subscriber is in the system, they will have their own User Key. After they get an Update Request or an alert via e-mail , they will be able to use that key, a simple Web URL that they can save in their Favorites, to update their Subscriber profile anytime they wish. (Your administrator has the ability to disallow such remote updates at any time). Additionally, an Administrator can have the system issue a key via e-mail upon entry of a new Subscriber via published link(s).

Q) What is in a Subscriber profile?
A) Only the information needed to launch alerts and maintain the data: The Subscriber’s name, and numbers for land-line and mobile phone, text phone (if different from mobile) and e-mail address. The Subscriber also chooses whether they want Voice alerts set to their mobile or landline phone, and also their "Preferred" mode – Text, E-mail, or Voice. Subscriber category information is available to the Administrator. Optionally, there are additional information fields that can be defined by the administrator to assist in making alerts more selective. For example, while a Category of Subscriber may be "Assembly Plant Employees", the Administrator may define an additional information field called "Shift" so that, for example, alerts to Assembly Plant Employees may be further filtered by Shift. Or a school system may have a field to define the actual facility.

Q) How do I get started?
A) You can sign up right on our site and establish an account immediately! Just visit our "Get Started" page. Or contact us for a demo, and we can even walk you through the account setup.

Q) What other materials are available?
A) After login, you will have access to various manuals and guides. However, we are happy to furnish those prior to your signing up. We can even provide an example of how a web-based rollout might read and be implemented. Additionally, school administrators are encouraged to check out our popular white paper entitled "Calling All Campuses: Getting Started with Mass Notification"