SMS Use Case: Schools
Now more than ever, people with financial responsibility are looking for ways to reduce outgoings whilst maximising income. The trouble is how to do this in a way that doesn’t compromise the quality of service, and in this respect, schools are not exempt.
Although the majority are government funded, and we may think employees of educational institutions aren’t feeling the pinch, they too are feeling the pressure from above to cut costs. Many of which have been coming to us at Fastsms looking for solutions to get the most out of their communications – the following is a brief outline of just some of the ways schools are now using SMS to save money, time and ultimately improve the way they go about communications in their institutions.
Our schools customers have reported that their outgoing phone calls have been reduced by up to 40% since adopting SMS and their communications with staff, parents and students has never been better, here’s how…
Administrators – saving money for their institution
Those in positions of administration, more than any other in educational institutions have to look at their school as a business, it is the only way it can function in a way that creates the funds and opportunities for the students to get the education they deserve.
Recent Studies have shown that calls to find absentee children and calls to find supply teachers at short notice account for up to 40% of a schools telephone bill (Lancashire County Council). Those working in receptions and offices have found that through SMS they can disseminate key information quickly, simply and effectively. Here are just some of the ways the FASTSMS system can be used to this effect…
> Absentees: send a text to the parents of absent students individually or to those of all that were absent at morning registration
> Illnesses: alert parents instantly if a child falls ill at school even if they are unable to answer their phone
> Supply Staff: contact supply teachers instantly to check their availability without having to chase each one up individually
> Urgent Notices: broadcast important information to staff, parents and students instantly such as severe weather warnings
These are tried and tested ways that schools are using SMS right now, but it’s not just about saving money when running a school, you are placed in a position of trust and responsibility – trust that pupils are getting everything they deserve, and a responsibility to keep parents informed of goings on with the school in general as well as specifically to their child. The following are just some of the ways teachers have been able to improve their communications with students and parents alike, creating new channels of discussion and the means to motivate pupils to do their part in their education…
Teachers – getting the most out of their students
Teachers are often the only point of contact students have in their school, and are therefore in a unique position to monitor progress on a daily basis. Parents often have to wait for the one off of parents evening and end of year reports to find out how their child is performing and are often shocked, one way or the other and want to know why this is the first they have heard of it! In recent times schools have tried email to keep parents up to date, but with this being dependent on the parent not only having a PC, but checking their email regularly, SMS has quickly become the favoured medium.
In general texts are read and responded to a lot more quickly than emails and with now over 80% of adults owning mobile phones they are the ideal mode of communication where there is a sense of immediacy involved. In an educational environment communication is key, by incorporating SMS into their practices teachers have seen students arrive more promptly to lessons, a reduction in unauthorised absences and seen parents take a more active role in their children’s education.
> Truancy & Lateness Reports: alert the necessary individual if a student is absent from or is persistently late to any lesson
> Detentions: advise parents and remind students if they have a detention to attend outside of school hours
> Performance Reporting: inform parents not only of bad, but of good performances in classes
> Reminders: remind students about training, clubs, rehearsals – or if there has been a cancellation
To learn more about how SMS can benefit you and your school or Fastsms in general feel free to call us on 0800 954 5305 email helpdesk@fastsms.co.uk or visit https://fastsms.co.uk.
Related Articles
The FASTSMS Jargon Bustong A-X
5 steps to effective call deflection
Top Three Things Retailers Should Do to Keep Customers on Their SMS Opt-In List
You've run a successful SMS opt-in campaign for your retail store. Now that you have your list, do you have a plan to keep them from opting out? Wait, you mean there's more to this than just sending out coupon codes? There is if you want to keep your customers from opting out.
How Wayne Dyer Inspired SMS Messaging
If you’re tuned into the self-help industry at all, you know who Wayne Dyer was. He spent decades writing transformational books to help people improve their lives and find happiness. He died summer 2015 at his home in Maui at the age of 75. It’s probably an understatement to say he inspired millions of people. So when I came across an article about a publisher using SMS messaging to let people know about a new book discussing his legacy I wasn’t too surprised. Not at first anyway.
7 Great Ideas for Your Christmas SMS Marketing Campaign – Infographic
8 Ways Veterinary Practices Can Use SMS Within Their Business
Although SMS services are usually associated with retail marketing campaigns, you can also use these communication tools across many other industries. SMS text messaging can be used to provide a perfect veterinary patient/clinic communication tool, and because of this it is becoming increasingly popular within the specialist animal care sector.
Mobile Marketing Campaign: Subscription Manager
5 Tips to Stay Ahead for Your Bank Holiday SMS Marketing
SMS Messaging for Uncertain Economic Times
If there’s one thing most of us can agree on, it’s that our economic future is uncertain. The world economy reacted to the Brexit vote with unstable and falling stock markets. And no one knows exactly what the Leave vote means for the UK. But there are other uncertainties too. How can SMS help your business in these uncertain times, not just now but in the future.
A Demonstration on How Not to Build Your SMS List
Over the last month or so I've signed up for quite a lot of webinars. I'm always trying to learn more about technology, marketing, best practices – you get the idea. So I've been excited to see many organisations offering SMS reminders for webinars. But there is one experience I had with an SMS reminder for a webinar that I simply had to share.