Send SMS#
SMS messages can be sent to one or more recipients using this page. The process has been split into 4 steps.
Tip
Recipients must have an account within the system in order to be selected as a recipient.
Caution
Recipients must have a mobile number in order to be contacted via SMS message.
Caution
Each message uses a number of credits based on the size of the message, see :ref:smsMessageCredits for more information.
Step 1 - Creating a Message#
You can create a message by either selecting a message template to be used or by entering a message manually.
Manual Message#
To create a manual message you simply need to select the “Enter Message Manually…” option in the message template drop-down and type the desired message into the message content textbox.
Tip
The manual message option is selected by default when sending a message.
Templated Message#
You can send a message from a pre-defined template by selecting the templates name from the drop-down list. The messages template will then be loaded into the message content textbox for you to view.
Tip
Changing the message content after selecting the template will revert your selection to a manual message (since the content is no longer that contained within the template).
Step 2 - Sending to Group Recipients#
Sending to group recipients provides an easy way for you to send to multiple users without having to select each recipient. To choose a group to send a message to simply select the group or groups from the group drop-downs shown on screen.
When a group is selected you’ll then be shown a section allowing you to select types of recipient to send to. A user group can contain users of many different roles, this allows the system to know which users you want to contact from those groups.
Simply select the user roles you want to contact from the drop-down. If the contact role is selected you will be shown an additional drop-down that you must select from, this drop-down contains the contact priorities that are available. Select the ones you wish to communicate with.
Tip
You can search for the group within the drop down by typing the name of the group into the textbox at the top of the drop-down.
Step 3 - Sending to Individual Recipients#
Sending to individual recipients provides an easy way to select individual recipients so that you can send to anyone you may need to. To get started you need to select the user roles that you would like to contact from the drop down list.
Each selected role will bring up a section for those recipients to be selected. If the “Contact” role is selected you will need to select the contact priorities that you wish to send the message to before the list of users will be displayed.
Tip
You can search for an item within the drop-down by typing the text of the item into the textbox at the top of the drop-down.
Step 4 - Confirm & Send#
This is the final step and is designed to provide you a final chance to see the message you are about to send and confirm that it is correct.
If one of the required fields has not been completed you will see a message informing you of this and will be unable to send the message until these fields are complete.
Tip
You must select at least one recipient for the message to be sent to, meaning that you must select an option from within either step 2 or step 3. You can select from both steps but only one is required.
You will be shown a summary of the message that is about to be sent including, the text of the message, the number of groups and the estimated number of additional recipients.
Caution
In order to provide you with the best possible experience the messages to be sent are simply added to a queue. This allows you to get on with other tasks without having to wait for the messages to be sent. You can check back on the status of the batch and it’s messages at any time by navigating to the Message Batches area.
Tip
Once the message is submitted the credits it uses will be calculated and the school charged for the credits used, see SMS Message Credits for more information.