The not-so-glamorous side of real estate
Realtors® are often put in the awkward position of being in potentially unsafe locations every single day. They are also frequently in cars and homes with clients they’ve never met before; this can unfortunately lead to very unsafe conditions.
While there are many safety apps on the market, some of these apps are not inconspicuous. They also take a few seconds to load, launch, and utilize. Regrettably, many of the people you would need protection from, already know about these apps, making them all the less effective.
SecretlySafe and effective
While no app should be relied upon as your only sense of protection and security, in an emergency, this app can get you help quickly and discretely.
SecretlySafe is an app that uses voice recognition, a 24/7 dispatch center, and your phone’s GPS to allow you to get immediate help in an emergency by simply saying four words.
SecretlySafe runs in the background and they state it will not affect your battery (this is one of the things I would like to test). You can work and listen to music as you normally would, but when you need it, simply say your four-word phrase, and an alert will be triggered.
The best part of SecretlySafe is that you can use ANY four-word phrase to trigger an alert.
So especially in the case of Realtors who often have their clients in very close proximity, no one will know the alert has been activated. For example, you could choose the phrase, “it’s my birthday today” and that might sound harmless to everyone else, but it will deploy your alert. Of course, you want to make this a phrase that isn’t often used, but even in the event of a “false alarm” SecretlySafe has you covered.
False alarms and serious emergencies
If you accidentally trigger a false alarm, SecretlySafe’s operators will contact you. You will then need to provide your 4 digit PIN to let them know it’s okay to cancel sending police to your location. You have complete control over what you share with SecretlySafe, but you also have the option to add a personalized message you want relayed to the police. You can also set it to automatically text two emergency contacts when an alert is triggered.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t talk, there’s a built-in panic button.
Simply hold your finger down for 5 seconds to instantly trigger an alert. While an alert is active, their operators will receive continuous, automatic updates on your GPS coordinates so they know exactly where to send police.
If speculation is proven
I have not yet been able to try the app as it is currently in closed beta, but if it operates as well as it sounds like it will, it could be a fantastic backup plan for men and women who feel unsafe. SecretlySafe is one of the first apps to not market solely to women; men are not naturally safe.
Both men and women, especially Realtors®, need to take as many additional safety precautions as they can to keep themselves safe in the field. Would you try this app?
#SecretlySafe
Jennifer Walpole is a Senior Staff Writer at The American Genius and holds a Master's degree in English from the University of Oklahoma. She is a science fiction fanatic and enjoys writing way more than she should. She dreams of being a screenwriter and seeing her work on the big screen in Hollywood one day.
