Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I Opt-Out (remove myself) from receiving alerts?
A: Please log into your account to opt-out of alerts. You may opt-out of email alerts only, SMS alerts only, or the entire service. If you cannot log into your account, you can simply reply to any text message from us with the word "STOP" and only the word "STOP".

Q: What is a selective mass communication system?
A: A platform to deliver a message to an entire audience by all means necessary; therefore creating comprehensive coverage to increase the odds that a particular subscriber received the message in a timely manner. Subscribers that opt-in for the message can select the device(s) they want to be contacted by. Resellers can select the devices or services available for the subscribers to choose from.

Q: What is a notification?
A: A notification is defined as a form of communication that delivers descriptive information about news or an event, unlike a bell or siren that communicates little information.

Q: What exactly is Omnilert?
A: Omnilert is a patent pending mass communication system that allows designated administrators to send time-sensitive messages to the mobile phones, email, and/or pagers of their subscribers. In the event of an emergency, subscribers can get notified immediately of the situation, wherever they are.

Q: Do I need to install software and/or hardware in order to run Omnilert?
A: NO. Omnilert is a 100% web-based software system, so you do not need any additional software or hardware. All you need is a web browser with an Internet connection and you are up and running! You can look at Omnilert as a Public Safety "Utility"- always on and ready for action.

Q: Will any party receive unsolicited messages ("SPAM") on their mobile phones?
A: NO. Omnilert enforces a ZERO SPAM policy which clearly prohibits unsolicited messages, and Omnilert does not sell the contact information of our subscribers to third party marketers.

Q: Will this system send SMS messages to all cell phone carriers? If so, how does that work?
A: Yes. The Omnilert gateway sends the SMS text messages to the wireless carriers via a standard protocol. Omnilert is a cross-carrier service. See a list of wireless carriers supported here.

Q: How many email accounts and cell phone numbers are allowed per user?
A: Each "user" is defined as one username. Each username is allowed up to two mobile devices (ie. cell phone and pager) and two personal email addresses. Plus, the S.E.E.D. feature covers EVERY email address in your organization's email server without counting towards your user limit.

Q: Does your system work on Macs? We are a Mac shop and our server is a Linux box. We don't use Windows PC computers at all.
A: Yes, Omnilert is all web-based, so any computer (PC, Mac, Linux, smart phone, BlackBerry, etc.) with a web browser can control the system.

Q: Does your system allow database uploads of recipients phone numbers?
A: No - For a number of reasons. First, we don't want to interfere with Telemarketing or SPAM laws. If someone receives an unwanted message that was sent from our system, the recipient could call us a txt spammer. This would lead to lawsuits and blacklisting from the wireless carriers. Then, no one would get text messages. Because cell phones and other mobile devices are the personal property of your recipients, we do not allow data to be imported into Omnilert. Participants must OPT-IN to Amerilert.

Second, you probably want authentic users and not users who enter false numbers like 123-456-7890. Third, it's hard to uncover accidental data until it's too late. If someone misreads a number, mistakenly types a wrong number, or changes numbers or providers, how will you know? Our past experience has shown that customer-supplied lists can be 60% inaccurate.

Fourth, our Validation step ensures the user's phone will accept text messages. We have seen instances during the Validation step where users discover their service plan or phone is not text ready. A database dump would not uncover this.

Q: Does your system integrate with LDAP or Active Directory?
A: No - We have designed Omnilert to act as a failover communications tool, so if your organization experiences a power failure, virus, or network overload due to high volume in a crisis situation, you can still send a company-wide instant alert using a BlackBerry, Treo, or any smartphone with a web browser. Many cell phone towers have power backups, so you can still get the word out quickly even if your campus network is down.

IF Omnilert was plugged into your LDAP server and required authentication before sending a message, then Omnilert would not work during your emergency situation and no messages would be sent.

Assuming that everything is okay onsite, consider 18,000 queries a minute hitting your LDAP server on top of normal traffic. True story: One customer used Omnilert to alert their IT staff that their LDAP server was down.

To maintain authenticated users, put the User Signup Form behind your intranet. Then insert a custom SmartCode Extension into your web page which will cause the User Signup Form to have an unchangeable pre-populated username from your company's "Net ID" and not the standard empty Username field.

Alternatively, you can make it a requirement that recipients use their employee ID, student ID, or work email account as their Omnilert username.

If you need additional help, you may request support or contact us.