Community-Sourced Risk Systems: Evidence-Based Best Practices

In a recent issue of the journal Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery (PACM), researchers published findings that included best practices for the use of community-sourced risk systems as well as evidence of their effectiveness in mitigating risk.

First, let's address an obvious question: what's a community-sourced risk system? As the authors of the study explain:

So in simple terms, a community-based risk system like LiveSafe from Vector Solutions is a platform that members of an organization (such as a business or school) can use to easily and quickly communicate about, investigate, respond to, and mitigate hazards and risks. Community-based risk systems like LiveSafe allow for the following types of risk-based communication:

1. Broadcasts, or emergency mass notifications, from the organization to inform employees of the active threat, such as in the case of an active shooter
2. Tips and similar reports from rank-and-file employees to the organization, such as when one employee has noticed a coworker making violent threats and wants to inform a designated contact in the organization
3. Back-and-forth, two-way communications between an employee and the system administrators
4. Anonymous reporting and communication so employees will feel more comfortable sharing valuable information without fearing reprisal

We at Vector Solutions and LiveSafe are excited about this study for two primary reasons:

1. It provides real evidence of the benefits of community-sourced mobile risk communication platforms for threat identification and mitigation
2. It provides specific, actionable, evidence-based best practices for the use of community-sourced risk communication platforms like LiveSafe that our customers can put into action

We've included a few of the best practices discovered in the study and research below.

Broadcast Messages Help Build Community Engagement

Make frequent use of your ability to broadcast messages to your community, whether it be about active safety and security concerns or more general organizational updates and reminders. This will acquaint users with your community-sourced risk communication platform, build trust and engagement, and provide opportunities for workers to learn to use the tool and respond with their own timely tips.

There is a Correlation Between Response Time and Number of Tips

It appears there's a correlation between responding to tips and the number of tips you get. Put simply, if you respond to a higher percentage of tips, people will send more tips.

Here's how the report authors put it:

Low-Severity/High-Frequency Tips Build Trust

Community-sourced risk communication is helpful for both high-severity and low-severity issues. But the study showed that organizations can build trust for the platform and the use with high-severity, low-issues issues. As the authors put it:

Anonymity Helps

Want more tips? Make sure your community-sourced risk communication platform allows for anonymous reporting.

As the study explains:

And, as the study also points out, pair anonymity with responsiveness, and you'll really see an increase in tip reporting.

Make Use of the "Other"

If you force square pegs into round holes, you wind up with square holes. This is made clear by the use of reporting "tip types." When submitting a report, users are prompted to choose a tip type, or report category. Common tip types include "Accident/Traffic/Parking," "Noise Disturbance," and "Drugs/Alcohol." Many organizations also include an "Other" option for tips that may not fall within these categories.

One important finding from this research is that offering this "Other" category is incredibly valuable. As the study explains:

Additionally, according to the authors:

And:

Evidence-Based Best Practices

This study provided many key insights into the role and effectiveness of community-sourced risk systems. Of particular note was the following:

• Anonymous reporting capabilities improve tip submission rates
• Responding to tips is critical for ongoing community reporting
• Regular Broadcast messages build trust
• Tip type offerings affect reporting

With these findings in mind, your organization can optimize your use of community-sourced risk systems and improve safety and security in your community. Or, if you do not yet have a community-sourced risk system, this study provides insight into the value it can provide.

If you are ready to learn more about how community-sourced risk systems can bolster your prevention and incident response, consider the Vector LiveSafe platform.

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