Case Study: Gilbert, AZ achieves rapid adoption of emergency SMS alerts — 10K subscribers in 2 weeks — with EZ Texting

How the Gilbert, AZ, Government Rapidly Adopted SMS Alerts During the COVID-19 Crisis

Gilbert, Arizona — the state's sixth-largest municipality with about 250,000 residents — needed a reliable way to deliver clear health and safety information during the COVID-19 crisis. Data and Technology Analyst Derek Konofalski quickly signed the town up for EZ Texting’s free emergency alert service to ensure timely, readable communications.

They launched a text-to-join keyword ("GILBERT"), sent confirmation and ongoing COVID-19 updates, and promoted signups via social media, the town website, and local ads. Within roughly two weeks the opt-in list grew to nearly 10,000 subscribers, and residents responded positively to the new, accessible channel for critical information.

Gilbert

Derek Konofalski

Data and Technology Analyst