5 reasons for sending SMS in schools, community colleges and universities
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Universities, technical colleges, vocational schools, community colleges and general education schools all have a goal. They all want to impart knowledge while maintaining a good relationship with their students. Today, not only organizational talent is required to achieve this goal. Branding is also becoming increasingly important. The competition is growing constantly and upcoming generations expect clear, but also personal communication. We have put together five points to show you why SMS in particular are ideal for improving communication in schools.
1. Equality and Inclusion
In many types of schools, the composition of the groups of students is very diverse. In the school forms outside the general education system especially, there are also people of different age groups. Depending on the type of school, your students may also have different levels of education and be more or less proficient in using technology. Especially at universities there are students who spend a semester abroad and therefore cannot use certain messenger apps or, due to country restrictions of the app stores, cannot even download them.
All these people benefit equally from sending SMS messages, because the only prerequisite for participating in communication is a cell phone and access to a mobile network. This way, people of all ages, with different technical understanding and also with cheap cell phones are included. This should be a worthwhile goal for schools of all kinds.
2. SMS are read quickly
The situation is complicated. Most of us receive a lot of mails every day and only a few of them are addressed exclusively to us. Important messages tend to get lost in the masses. SMS, on the other hand, are received less frequently, which means that they are read not only much more often but also faster than e-mails. On average, more than 90% of all text messages are read within the first three minutes of receipt.
In addition, SMS also reach people who do not want to use e-mails for private communication. The younger generations in particular react much faster to a text message via SMS or messenger than to an e-mail. SMS are therefore particularly suitable for important messages.
3. The personal touch
SMS unite the greatest advantages of mobile communication. The fact that they are received directly on our cell phones, which have become an integral part of our lives, is not to be neglected. A smartphone is so much more than just a telephone. It helps us stay in touch with friends, keeps us informed on our favorite topics and keeps track of our appointments. If your message appears on the cell phone, it also appears in the life of the recipient.
Sending SMS in itself is a very personal way of making contact. The very format in which SMS messages are displayed on most devices today makes them similar to the messengers we use to keep in touch with friends and family. The way in which SMS are received and displayed already contributes to the fact that the messages are perceived as a more personal way of communication.
It is also easy to personalize even bulk SMS messages so that you address the recipients by their names. Even course names can be inserted by using user-defined fields. This personalization gives your recipients the impression that they are addressed individually, which strongly enables brand loyalty towards your educational institution. In addition, it is possible to specify a sender name so that your recipients immediately know who is contacting them.
4. Effective organization for internal and external processes
The organization of different groups is always connected with a lot of effort. By enabling the participants of your courses to communicate important short-term information, such as illness, you do not only offer added value to them. Since you can display incoming SMS messages via your own inbound number in one place, you always keep track of everything.
Since SMS can be received from any cell phone and can be read quickly, they are also ideal for organizational purposes at schools, both internal and external. Internally, you can, for example, coordinate teaching staff and communicate short-term changes. You can also give your employees the opportunity to call in sick via SMS, of course. Here you benefit, above all, from the fact that all those involved can be reached quickly.
Externally, you can send payment reminders, communicate important dates or send links to learning platforms or timetables. Here you benefit from the clear possibility of dividing recipients into groups, but also from the personal character of the SMS.
You can also set up emergency communication. With the help of mass SMS, you can reach thousands of people at short notice – without additional effort. If your SMS gateway provider supports the connection to workflow automation software, such as Zapier or Huggin, you can also automate the sending of SMS in such a way that an SMS is sent every time a certain event occurs.
5. Feedback
Customer satisfaction is not only important for large companies these days. Schools and universities of all kinds depend on their external perception being positive. Successful and satisfied graduates also contribute significantly to the good reputation of your institution. In order to maintain the high quality of your educational offers, you need to check this quality regularly. A survey among graduates can provide you with valuable information about what is appreciated about your courses and institution and where there is room for improvement.
In this case, too, it makes sense to send the survey via SMS, because it does not get lost between many other messages so quickly. You can send a link to your questionnaire or send the questions individually via SMS. In the latter case you need to book an inbound number to enable answers to your messages.
A reliable partner
As you can see, SMS offer considerable added value if you decide to use them in your school. With the right SMS gateway provider, there are many application possibilities that you can use to your advantage. Moreover, the personal character of SMS makes it a strong partner for your communication. The personal touch and the medium itself ensure that SMS are read very quickly and are perceived as important. Personalization enables you to take full advantage of this personal touch without a great deal of extra work for you.
No matter whether you want to use text messages for internal staff coordination or want to improve your offer by means of surveys: SMS are your reliable partner.
Best wishes
Source of header picture: iStock.com/AndreaObzerova