The introduction of Connect Rocket’s mobile apps brought many benefits but none as powerful as Channels. Channels provide a group chat feature that is built around Connect Rocket groups and their underlying contacts. Each channel can be ‘enabled’ or ‘disabled’ by an Administrator based on the needs of an organization, so you can have a small number of channels with limited access or you can open channels up to the organization as a whole - your choice.

Once enabled, a channel allows contacts to freely exchange messages, images and files with other group members. As there is no limit to the number of channels that can be created, imagination is the only limiting factor when it comes to how best to deploy the tool. Users also have the power to customize notification sounds, so no matter how many channels you have access to, you’ll find the perfect notification set up for your needs.

All exchanges occurring within channels happen on the Connect Rocket platform, which serves to move communication off private devices and into a centralized repository. This structure helps protect customers from third-party liability risk in the event of an audit or lawsuit. Channel history can also be queried for the purpose of reporting.

Channels can be accessed via both Apple and Android apps, relying on push notifications to instantly alert users to new messages, regardless of whether a group has 4 members or 400. Channels can also be accessed by Administrators in the Teams’ web application, which can be helpful when used in an EOC or Incident Command setting. Each channel can be opened in its own browser tab, allowing oversight of multiple channels simultaneously during operations and in-browser notifications ensure nothing critical is missed.

So whether your needs are simple or complex, there’s a way to leverage channels in your day-to-day operations or emergency response coordination.