First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury. Skills of what is now known as first aid have been recorded throughout history. The bandaging of battle wounds is shown on Classical Greek pottery from c. 500 BC but it wasn’t until 1870 when Prussian military surgeon Friedrich von Esmarch introduced formalized first aid to the military, and first coined the term “erste hilfe” – translating from German into the English ‘first aid’.
The primary goal of first aid is to prevent death or serious injury from worsening and it is a skill the basics of which too few people around the world actually know anything about. First aid training rarely appears in any way, shape or form on a school curriculum. In some countries, regulation dictates (for example) the bare minimum of people that have to be first aid trained in an office of a particular size. Beyond that though and a handful of jobs where such training is a ‘must’, few people thing to themselves “Oh, first aid training, knowing how to help my friends and loved ones when really in need is so important and I am going to pay for that myself”. There is good news though. The demand for first aid training is on the up.
Increasing regulation globally means more people are having to be put through first aid training. Now many regulations are viewed as being onerous, organisations having to jump through numerous hoops, facing huge bureaucracy just to be able to do what they have always done but in first aid training the recipient ends up with a skill that can quite literally be life changing. Its genuine value cannot be overstated.
We applaud all of you out there with the job of helping people in real need and we know the training business is never easy as you are ALWAYS dealing with one of the hardest variables known to any business – people.
Look around and it’s all too easy to see people who are rushed off their feet, with a feeling there simply are not enough hours in the day. People are stressed and all organisations absolutely have to appreciate that it is time that is the most valuable thing their average customer, user or team member values. So, make every interaction with people count.
If you are in the business of providing people with lifesaving knowledge, interact with them using mobile digital channels that they are already familiar with. And you will never go far wrong if you reach for SMS text messaging.
Email absolutely has a place in practically every type of organization’s mobile engagement mix but it’s not something that grabs attention. Just think of the often hundreds of unread emails languishing in the multiple email accounts of so many people you might know very well. You’d be doing rather will if 25% of the people you sent an email to actually read it so instead roll with something that although might be getting on for 30 years old, just gets on quietly and does a great job.
Look around and there are dozens of companies that will roll out the fact that the read rate for SMS is above 90% – often hovering around the 98% mark. It’s a little-known fact but there are now more active users of SMS than email. Over 5 billion people in the world able to both receive and send text messages. No fancy smartphone is required. No internet connection. And in areas where mobile network coverage is lacking, you’re way more likely to get an SMS through to somebody than anything else.
Whether you want to be sure your delegates are really going to be at the training you have spent a lot of time preparing for, following up with people yet to pay, wanting to receive feedback about your courses or practically anything else, then SMS is for you. It is just so comfortable and always there for the masses. It is accepted. Isn’t that what every product or service REALLY wants to achieve?
We know there are a lot of business messaging companies out there and we know you have a real choice. With well over a decade of business messaging experience under our belts, we know exactly what it takes to make messaging easy for you.
Our mobile messaging solution is cost effective, easy to use and allows organizations of all shapes and sizes to get on with doing what they do best – treating customers with exceptional care, as individuals.
Our team are techies at heart but we do all the heavy lifting for you and know exactly what you need to be able to integrate our solutions as rapidly and easily as possible. We can guide you every step of the way with easy instructions and professional support. It really isn’t difficult.
