By Leigh D’Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Dig Dates and D’Angelo Press.
To improve communication and stop the spread of misinformation, New Orleans tech companies are offering their software for free for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.
In just two days, more than 50 companies across the country signed up for New Orleans-based rasa.io’s free offer. Organizations are using the Smart Newsletter service to provide their customers, employees, and industry partners updated, relevant, and useful information during the public health crisis.
“We know everyone is stressed and doesn’t have much time right now,” said rasa.io CEO Amith Nagarajan, “but people at the same time need to stay connected. This tool will help organizations share valuable information that’s most relevant to their community from trustworthy sources.”
The rasa.io team is offering free, unlimited access to their Smart Newsletter technology to anyone who wants to send out a COVID-19 related newsletter, no matter the size of the email distribution list and how often they want to send the letter. More than 1,000 organizations have signed up to use rasa.io to send regular newsletters, so rasa.io is using its worldwide footprint to help reach more people with reliable COVID-19 content.
To help with internal communications while working from home, New Orleans-based Align Technologies is also offering one of its most popular product features for free. Align’s Huddle Tools connect teams to each other and to workflow management, with specific features to help employees stay engaged even if they’re unable to attend a meeting as they adjust to working from home with families. Align’s president and CEO Doug Walner says it’s all about increasing productivity.
“At this time of unprecedented disruption, consistent team communication is more critical than ever,” said Walner. “We hope this helps aid the response efforts for businesses as they work to weather these economic times.”
Align and rasa.io join a growing list of tech companies nationwide offering products for free during the pandemic. Offers from other companies include:
- PropFuel is offering its platform for free to any organization interested in capturing member sentiment around the coronavirus.
- Pawprint is offering digital access to your pet’s medical records free of charge to help prepare for emergencies if your veterinarian’s office is closed. Use code PREPARE.
- Airtable is offering their professional spreadsheet and database plans available for free—with no time limit—to any non-political humanitarian groups working on COVID-19 relief efforts. The company says a free version will soon be made available for all students as well.