How Colleges and Schools Are Utilizing SMS Texting Solutions Like TrueDialog
With the global popularity of text messaging increasing, businesses have started to rely on it as a means for notifications. In recent years, schools have started to use SMS texting as a means of communication due to technological changes and rapid growth in online education. Texting has become the most cost-effective and fast solution for educators and students alike.
Benefits of Schools Using SMS Texting
How does texting benefit schools? After all, there are many ways for teachers, parents, students, and administration to stay in contact today. Consider the following benefits:
Texting reaches people where they are, allowing for a level of ease that emails and snail mail don’t provide. Most smartphone users check their phones dozens of times per day, and recipients can easily respond if someone has a question or concern.
Schools regularly need to alert students of deadlines or important dates. Mass text message notifications allow for increased engagement. This may include event reminders, scholarship opportunities, reminders for admission deadlines, counselor check-ins, and new student orientation alerts. A mass text may include information for a specific group or to the entire student body, depending on the need. Advanced texting platforms allow users to include personalized information such as the student’s name or appointment time.
2-way text conversations allow for a more direct line of contact for students and teachers in case of questions or concerns. This can create a better relationship between the two and improve overall class performance and participation. This could also benefit prospective students who have questions about admissions, deadlines, and scholarships.
Colleges also benefit from the analytics made available. When using a high-end SMS platform, it is possible to view data including open rate, amount of time before opening, link click rate, and so on. Schools can see who is reading the message and measure responses. From crisis notifications to fundraising opportunities and many other uses, texting provides a positive impact on many different areas within a school and help keep students in the loop at all times.
Why Texting is the Most Cost Effective and Quickest Option for Schools:
Students rely heavily on their phones to access emails, assignments, schedules, and more. Life has become increasingly more accessible through smartphones. As a result, texting has become an ideal tool for universities to increase retention by sending out important notifications and reminders, and keep students up to date with the latest information.
In addition, many texting platforms allow for 2-way conversations if students have questions. Implementing an SMS texting tool can help improve retention, awareness, and student enrollment.
SMS texting can accommodate virtually any department or goal. If a school is wanting to improve attendance and awareness of on campus events, sending out promotional reminders can help. Sending out reminders for job fairs can set students up for success by connecting them with job and internship opportunities. Text reminders are also an ideal way to build a sense of community on campus.
Texting Keeps Students, Parents, and Schools Connected During Times of Crisis
If there is one thing that the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has taught educators is that it is vital to be able to communicate with parents, students, other teachers, and administrators. SMS Texting is the best way to maintain communication in a time of crisis because its fast and effective in sending out a mass alert. Mass text alerts can reach recipients quickly and effectively. School systems and universities that have a trusted means of reaching people during a crisis can reduce panic and keep a sense of normalcy in place in effort to ensure safety. Texting is quickly becoming the preferred way for schools to communicate internally and with students and parents.
TrueDialog is a Leader in SMS Solutions for Schools and Higher Education
While social or one-on-one texting is manageable, trying to figure out the ins and outs of texting for a major organization like a university or school system can be overwhelming.
TrueDialog allows for mass notifications that can translate responses into personalized text conversations. What this means is that teachers or administrators can connect with a large group of parents and students, but still get replies and follow up on each of these directly. Staff can text using easy-to-use apps on mobile devices or online from a computer.
The company has over ten years of experience in providing SMS texting solutions to universities and K-12 schools. The service offers direct carrier connections and an uptime rate of over 99.9% plus dozens of features to make sending and receiving texts easier for everyone. Additionally, messages sent or received through TrueDialog are securely stored so the administration can access them at any time.
TrueDialog’s Education Texting Solution creates powerful communication opportunities for every department including career, alumni, on campus events, student retention, and admissions.