SMS Text Notifications will be decommissioned for pages starting Oct. 1
SMS (text paging to a cellphone) has been used around Corewell Health East for years as an option to receive pages to a team members cellphone. This option will be decommissioned starting Oct. 1.
What’s changing? Why?
Recently, there has been a rise in the number of reports regarding missed pages and service disruptions regarding SMS text paging to team members cell phones. These disruptions include:
- Cellular carriers occasionally flag Corewell Health messages as spam, causing the messages to be blocked.
- Our mobile communications team has no method available to monitor pages blocked by the cellular carriers.
- Our mobile communications team does not become aware of these issues until a team member notifies the team of the missed pages.
- Restoration of service has extended beyond reasonable service level expectations and remains uncertain according to the cellular carriers.
The disruptions above have led our Mobile Communications team to make the decision to move all current SMS users to either Mobile Heartbeat or AMS Connect.
What are the benefits?
Moving our current SMS users to Mobile Heartbeat or AMS Connect will ensure:
- A unified communication channel for team members across Corewell Health.
- A reliable way to receive pages to a team member's cellphone.
Who’s Impacted
Corewell Health East team members who are currently using SMS text paging to cellphones.
When will the decommission of SMS text paging occur?
Starting Oct. 1, team members will begin transitioning from SMS text paging to either Mobile Heartbeat or AMS Connect. Due to the number of team members impacted, this transition will happen in waves.
Next Steps
- Be on the lookout for communication from our Mobile Communications team on what to expect with the transition, instructions on team members' preferred paging method, and your transition timeline.
Resources
Questions?
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Mobile Communications team.