In the past few years, we have seen millions of stories pass through Kipsu. Everything from anniversaries to birthdays to proposals. And although these moments offer a glimpse at some great guests experiences, not all the conversation in Kipsu are quiet as joyous. Due to the nature of Kipsu and how it connects teams with their guests and customers in a truly personal way, Kipsu also facilitates conversation at some unexpected and intense moments. We want take a moment to highlight a few stories across different industries that demonstrate the incredible ways teams have leveraged Kipsu in times of emergency such as public safety threats, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. We are proud that our technology assisted our outstanding partners in communication during emergency situations and believe it’s valuable to share their stories.

Public Safety

Earlier this year, one of our transit partners informed us of an unsettling situation for one passenger in particular where Kipsu played a role in reporting and addressing the situation. A visually-impaired passenger was riding a public train when he smelled cigarette smoke. Without being able to see exactly who had the cigarette and unsure it was safe to personally confront the culprit, the passenger suddenly remembered hearing about the train’s texting service to report suspicious activity. Through his personal accessibility-enabled phone, the passenger was able to text into the system to report the smoke. Within a few stops, the authorities were there to resolve the situation. As the passenger later wrote in a review, “...It was good to know the texting service worked as well as it did! It is always a good thing when we can work together to keep our transit system safe and comfortable for all!”

Kipsu has also helped teams around the global respond to public safety situations that have a much broader impact. In one instance, a Kipsu partner experienced an armed suspect onsite, brandishing a weapon and threatening other guests. As the police arrived to the scene, the man’s behavior grew increasingly threatening, eventually escalating into an active shooter situation. Not only was the situation originally reported through Kipsu, but the onsite staff members also leveraged the silent nature of texting to provide updates on the situation to everyone in the system. The system was also used to collect description information and the location of the suspect to pass along to the police before they arrived.

Medical Emergencies

With many hotel partners around the globe, Kipsu teams often become the first point of contact from those far away from home. At a hotel in Washington, a guest was having a medical issue and was unable to speak or make a phone call. Luckily, the guest quickly decided to inform the staff via text of the situation and asking for help. After receiving the message down at the front desk, the hotel staff acted immediately and called 911 for assistance. Within a few moments of the initial scare, the paramedics had arrived and were able to attend to the guest. Due to the staff’s efficient and effective use of Kipsu, the guest was able to get the medical care they needed.

Natural Disasters

In 2017, the U.S. experienced several frightening natural disasters, many of which impacted one or more of Kipsu’s hotel partners. In one such example, Kipsu was employed at a hotel that was engulfed in the flames of a Canadian wildfire. Although the hotel team had been vigilant and had successfully evacuated all of their guests and team members, many of the guests’ belonging were left behind in the interest of safety and expediency. With the hotel empty and phone lines out of commission, the hotel reached out to Kipsu support, and together the teams crafted an automated message in response to any incoming guest messages that it was unsafe to return to the hotel and to direct guests to a website that offered updates and resources for those impacted by the fire.

Similarly, Kipsu partners with numerous hotels in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and the other affected areas of Hurricane Irma and Harvey, which slashed through most of the southern United States. To help guests navigate the storm’s intense winds and rains, many of these hotels employed Kipsu to provide storm updates and real-time evacuation statuses. As Kipsu connects staff to guest’s mobile devices, hotel teams were able reach out proactively to provide essential safety information even when phone lines were down or guests were offsite.

These are just a few on many stories our partners have shared with us here at Kipsu about times they used our text messaging service as a form of communication during emergency situations. Although we’d never wish these experiences on anyone, Kipsu is proud to work with the teams who played such a vital role in the positive outcomes of these stories and to have been able to assist them in even the smallest way.

‍