An Garda Siochana require Text Alert groups to complete a one-page TA1 form, which basically lets your district station know who they should contact when they are sending out alerts. We tell you exactly what to include on the TA1 and we provide a print-friendly version on our website. We make this task as simple as possible. All you will need to do is print the document, sign it, and return it to your district Garda Station.

Text Alert works differently across all Garda district stations. The general rule of thumb is to expect an alert to be issued every 2-3 weeks. We provide a feature where if you feel you are getting too many Garda alerts then it is possible to filter them through our website. This means they will only be delivered to your committee and you can decide from there if they should be forwarded on or not. This measure ensures your SMS credit costs are kept to a minimum.

The default setting for each group is to issue alerts 24 hours a day. The system is 100% automated so it makes sense to allow alerts to be issued at any time. However, we allow you to choose a global "latest time" setting and we will not issue any alerts for you past that time. We also allow you to set the latest time at a subscriber level. Some subscribers may want alerts 24:7 while others may only want them up to 10pm - this is easy to set up within our website.

We are more than happy to help with any queries you have during office hours, 9am-5pm Monday-Friday. Most groups have a dedicated account manager who can be contacted by mobile or email at any time. Group contacts will be assigned their account manager after they commit to the service after the 30-day trial. However, we believe the service is straightforward to operate and once a group is up and running there is rarely a need to contact us. Everything can be carried out in a self-service manner through the website at any time.

Groups can use two methods for issuing alerts themselves: SMS text message or through this website. We provide groups with the mobile number they need to use to send in alerts. We have some permission settings so that only a phone number linked to an existing account can be used to issue alerts. It is an easy to process to issue alerts by text message. Like a radio or TV show, the message must start with a keyword (in our case your group code) and is followed by your alert message. We use an 087 number for receiving alerts and it takes 0-2 minutes to process incoming messages. If your incoming messages contain an error (e.g. no code reference) then we will text you back advising to retry.

You can pay using four methods:

• Pay online with a credit/debit card through this website (preferred method)
• Pay over the phone with a credit/debit card
• Pay offline by cheque/PO/draft - we can send on payment details when required
• IBAN Bank Transfer - we can send on payment details when required

We are fully aware that the majority of groups will pay offline by cheque as they do not have card facilities available. We are happy to take payment using any method but online payments are quickest to process and your account is always updated instantly.