Prevent Alert Overload: How to Optimize Your Key Control Notifications

Every day, the average smartphone user gets anywhere from 46 to 146 app push notifications. On top of that, employees spend roughly 11 hours a week managing an average of 620 emails. It’s no surprise that digital fatigue is a growing problem.  

Setting up notifications in your key control system is crucial for preventing key misuse, but without thoughtful management, they add to the noise. Here’s how alert overload affects your productivity and what you can do about it:  

The Consequences of Alert Overload 

Decreased Productivity and Focus 

Too many notifications break concentration, causing “attention residue,” where your mind remains partially focused on a previous task as you move to the next one. That explains why you often find yourself multitasking, but switching between activities could make those tasks take 40% longer than focusing on one task at a time. 
  

Increased Mental Strain 

Over time, constant alerts increase your stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue. As a result, you work more slowly. Regular interruptions can also make you feel burned out and less satisfied with your job. 

Security Risks 

Key control system alerts are meant to prevent security incidents, but when there are too many of them, they can have the opposite effect. Overlooking even one alert could mean missing a security breach. 

Best Practices for Managing Key System Notifications 
 

Audit Your Current Alerts 

Before making changes, review your system’s active notifications and who receives them. Remove any redundant or unnecessary alerts. 

Get Stakeholder Input 

Ask users which notifications they find valuable versus disruptive. Their feedback can help you prioritize which alerts to keep, modify, or eliminate. 

Notify the Right People 

Make sure system alerts are only sent to people who need them by associating them with specific users or user roles. For example, team leaders can create alerts only for their direct reports so they’re not overwhelmed with irrelevant notifications. An IT manager can be notified if there’s a backup failure, while a maintenance technician could be alerted when a new work order is added. 
 

Use Escalated Alerts  

Escalated alerts reduce unnecessary interruptions while ensuring important issues don’t slip through the cracks. The system will first notify the person directly responsible for the issue, giving them time to fix simple mistakes like forgetting to close a drawer or return a key. If the problem isn’t resolved within a certain time frame, the alert is then escalated to a manager or system administrator. 

Customize Push Notifications  

If you’re using a mobile app with your key control system, select which push notifications you want to receive. For example, you might enable “Key Past Due” alerts but disable routine “Key Checked In” notifications that don’t require immediate action. 
 

Push Notification Settings in KeyTrak's Mobile App

Set Aside Designated Review Times 

Have key control reports emailed to you at intervals that fit your schedule (daily, weekly, etc.). Use email rules to move them to a separate folder so they don’t interrupt your workflow. Then set a designated time, such as the end of the day or week, to review the reports and address any issues. 
 

🔑 TIP: Email rules (also called filters) are settings in your email client that automatically organize incoming messages. Want to set one up? Here’s how to do it in Outlook and Gmail. 

Test and Refine 

After implementing changes to your notification settings, test the system for a few weeks, then gather feedback and make adjustments. Finding the right balance between security and notification management is an ongoing process. 

Managing your key control system notifications thoughtfully improves security without contributing to digital fatigue. By sending the right alerts to the right people at the right time, you can stay focused without missing critical events. The goal isn't to eliminate notifications entirely, but to make each one meaningful and actionable.