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
SMS Marketing: 10 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Marketing Strategy
In order to gain success with SMS marketing, certain strategies need to be put in place. Here are a few top tips on what not to do when marketing your business through SMS messaging.
5 Reasons You Want to Use SMS Messaging in Your Business
Are you looking to grow your business? Get more customers? Have larger profits? Of course you are. Isn't every business looking to improve, grow and generate more sales? More and more businesses are realising how SMS messaging can help them do all those things. But it's nice to have some facts to back up what most people seem to assume is true.
SMS Messaging for Personal Injury Solicitors
Since the withdrawal of legal aid for personal injury claims in 2000, a lot has changed in the legal claims industry. Not only are the funding options for claims completely different, the marketplace has also become increasingly competitive, making it harder and harder for companies to stand out from the crowd. With most claimants now settling for fixed scale payments in order to reach a quicker resolution, customer service is quickly becoming the biggest differentiating factor in today’s market. Read on to learn how SMS Messaging can help personal injury specialists win customers time and again and increase their market penetration.
SMS Marketing for Garden Centres
The Top Two Ways Restaurants and Takeaways Can Use SMS Messaging to Drive Sales
There are many, many different ways SMS messaging can be used for marketing and sales. But if you could only use it just a little, here are the two we recommend for restaurants and takeaways to help increase sales. If you put these two SMS messaging ideas to work for your restaurant you just may be surprised how quickly your list grows, and how fast your sales improve.
Fastsms Email to SMS Brochure
Don’t Believe The Myth of The “Cashless Shopper”
Sometimes bloggers or journalists get a bit carried away. They see some data or fact, and run off to declare there’s a trend you need to know about. The latest one I’ve seen is all about how to reach the generation of “cashless shoppers”. The argument goes that you need to use SMS messaging to reach customers because they are all shopping online – where you obviously can’t pay in cash.
Boost Webinar Attendance with SMS Messaging
Webinars have become a standard form of lead generation marketing. The numbers vary by study, but generally agree that over 60% of marketers use webinars. One thing that's true for all of them is: not everyone that registers will attend. On average about 40-50% of registrants will actually show up. How can SMS help?
8 Reasons to Use SMS in Your Service Based Business
When the glass ceiling on your annual turnover and profits is governed by the number of hours you have to trade, it's even more important to ensure your marketing strategies are as fruitful and affordable as possible. SMS marketing appears, at first blush, to require a lot in the way of technology, budget and management, but it's incredibly successful for small businesses in service industries - even the ones with small budgets and limited resources...
