Corporate Partners

There is no doubt about the importance of corporate partners in a large scale disaster. Corporations bring resources to the market which prevent loss of life and reduce suffering in the aftermath. The hurricane season of 2017 highlighted this relationship between corporations, the Government and the people.

Reputations and customer loyalty of both profit and non-profit corporations can easily be made or lost during a time of crisis. The response during the recent disasters in Houston, Puerto Rico, Keys and others was exceptional. Understanding where, when and how to respond in a disaster increases efficiency, public perception and extends the reach of available funds.

“Lowes stayed open to the last minute during Hurricane Irma. The store had extra employees and everyone was pleasant and helpful when they had personal things to do to get ready.”

Non-Profits

Whether the Red Cross, a local church or a business donating food, non-profits can be more efficient and have a greater impact by using the publically available app and website. Visualizing the areas in need and the type of requests from those areas, significantly improves the ability to get assistance to the people. The flexibility of being able to add locations or aid stations to the map on the fly and get “the word” out to people in the area provides significant efficiencies. Response times can be reduced even with the absence of information during times of chaos.

On a large scale, organization such as the Red Cross can study past events in relation to logistics planning. The process is relatively similar to that which the government would go through. Understanding quantities, types and movement of supplies is the difference between an effective response and an inefficient one.

Data collected related to non-profits

Requests for water, food and clothing
Location of request in real-time
Quantity of requests in relation to location of supplies available
Transportation limitations such as flooded roads, snow blocked passages or down power lines
Situational awareness in relation to government response

For Profit Corporate Partners

There is nothing wrong with getting paid for products and services surrounding a disaster. Companies require revenue to be viable during times of extreme events. Corporate donations and generosity is funded through viable revenues and allocated as feasible in relation to responsibilities to company employees and shareholders.

There are significant financial, customer loyalty and brand awareness opportunities available from a well coordinated engagement with the citizens impacted. Corporate knowledge and experience has traditionally been used to pre-stage items such as plywood and generators. In long-haul events extending past a few weeks, ongoing data can assist in getting your company ahead of the competition. Monitoring real-time SitReps and requests for help can improve the ability to shift supplies between stores or regions to meet customer demand.

Online Shopping

Fulfilling customer needs at the local store provides immediate gratification and strong band loyalty. Customers who must leave a store are often going to a competitors location or will shop online knowing delivery is available in a few days. Additionally, the revenue opportunity is lost but so is the value of a positive customer engagement. Customers actually leave a store feeling as if their local provider did not come through. Maybe next time the customer just goes to the other store or shops online as their first choice.

Aftermath offers several opportunities to connect with customers. Store managers can add their location to the map and update the status of supplies and communicate with people in the area. Products can essentially be sold prior to delivery and more scheduled for delivery. This process has been seen repeatedly during hurricanes where plywood, generators, chainsaws and water are sold before they get off the truck.

Advertising on the website and in the app will be offered. Laser focused ads can be created based on the data collected. As needs shifts so can the advertising ensuring your company is always seen as the premier solution provider.