Why Bulk Texting is a Must Have for Schools and Universities
As mobile continues to weave itself into every part of our lives SMS has continued along with the ride making communication incredibly fast and effective.
Schools and universities are now able to add more value by reaching parents and students instantly with news, updates and important information with bulk SMS messaging.
What is Bulk Texting?
Bulk SMS also referred to as Mass Texting allows a person to send a text message to one, hundreds or thousands of people instantly and is used by anyone who wants to guarantee their message is delivered quickly but also read and acted upon.
Most people (97%) will read their text message 4 minutes after they’ve received it compared to email which is typically 90 minutes if seen at all.
SMS is a step down (and some would say a more polite) from receiving an actual phone call making it a very direct communication channel.
In this article, I’m going to share the top 6 reasons why schools and universities can gain maximum benefit from bulk text messaging.
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Fast and Easy Setup
The thing our clients love about this system is that it is incredibly easy to set up.
All you do is take your contacts list and upload it to our system and you’re ready to start sending text messages.
Sign up for a Free Account where you can upload your contacts and we’ll load your account up with a few text messages so you can see how it all works.
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Everyone Reads Their Text Messages
With so many things fighting for our attention we’ve managed to create filters (both software and psychological) to help us sort, sift and filter through what messages we allow in instantly, which we hold off until later and those which we throw into the SPAM pile.
SMS messaging is one of the VERY few which grabs a person’s attention instantly.
While emails, push notifications, Facebook messenger alerts and the like can be put off until later receiving an SMS is completely different, we want to know who texted us.
This is reflected in the incredibly high open rates of SMS sitting at anywhere from 82-98%.
In short, if you absolutely need to get your information read, sending an SMS message should be your first option.
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Keep Parents in the Loop
When I was young my school teacher would hand me a notice and I would drop it into my school bag where it would then stay for weeks.
My parents were never in the loop and the school missed out on fundraising and other activities.
Instead just text parents directly with:
- A link to the latest newsletter
- Cancellations
- Transport updates
- Class trips and permission slips
- Fundraising events
- School fees
- A link to school reports
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Keep Your Teaching Staff Updated
A lot of our clients use SMS just as much for internal communications as much as customer communications.
If there is a fire drill or an urgent assembly that has been scheduled then sending a reminder text is perfect for making sure that teachers are in the know and can prepare their students.
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Emergency Situations Handled in a Timely Manner
At some point, there will be some form of emergency that will happen at school or on campus grounds and it is essential that you have the right communication channels ready to go.
For example, if a child is hurt then a quick text followed up by a phone call is an appropriate action.
On the other hand, if there is an emergency that poses a risk to everyone at school or on campus grounds then sending out a bulk SMS is the most efficient and reliable way to ensure everyone is updated with the best information.
