We’d like to keep you informed about new features, improvements, and smart updates to your crisis communication system. As you may have noticed, we’re really picking up the pace, and over the past few weeks we’ve been busy developing a new feature in Firstring: Action Items.
✅ Track action items in the CCT
FirstRing takes a lot of the workload off the crisis communication team, but not everything happens automatically. Some tasks still need to be handled manually. Examples include coordinating with spokespersons from other organizations, gathering additional information, or arranging lunch for the CCT.
That's why you can now track action items in FirstRing. With the action item list, you can record what still needs to be done, who will handle it, and when it needs to be completed.
You can assign each action item to a member of your team. If team members already have a FirstRing account, a dropdown menu with all their names will automatically appear. This makes it easy to assign an action to the right person. You can also add a deadline and check off actions once they’re completed.
This way, during a crisis, you can keep track of what has already been done, what still needs to be done, and who is working on what. That makes coordinating the crisis communication process a lot easier.
🧭 Key message
Under Web and Social Media Updates , we’ve now also Key message . This Key message serves as the basis for all communications during a crisis or incident.
For example, you can use the “ Key message ” as a starting point for website content and social media posts, and it’s obviously useful for the spokesperson. This ensures that communication remains clear, consistent, and well-coordinated, regardless of the channel through which the message is shared.
In addition, we have further improved the website content. It is now more comprehensive and includes more detailed information and clear subheadings, making the text more readily usable as a basis for publication.
⚙️ General improvements
We have also implemented a number of general improvements. For example, the geographic information has been further expanded and refined. When a crisis occurs at a specific location and impacts the surrounding area—such as in the case of a fire or a shooting—FirstRing retrieves relevant geographic information.
This is now done in greater detail. For example, whereas you used to see that there were healthcare or educational institutions in the vicinity, you now get more specific information about which institutions they are—including their names and addresses. This makes it easier to quickly get an overview of vulnerable or relevant locations in the vicinity of the incident.
We have also improved the public sentiment assessment . The analysis now includes more regional news outlets. This gives you a more complete picture of what is happening locally and regionally in connection with an incident.