With a dedicated app, you remove a lot of these barriers, and ensure that all users of the app receive the message. The probability of undelivered messages becomes higher if you factor in things like wrong numbers and the fact that some carriers actually block or filter “A2P” messages (messages that go from mass texting applications to individuals). Receiving an SMS message requires a network signal – if a parent doesn’t have signal, they could miss the message. Not only are SMS messages character limited, it can be technologically limited too.
Depending on the platform, you can also attach images, videos or send links much more easily.
Mass text messaging apps free#
With app-based messaging, these limitations are removed, and you’re free to send as lengthy a message as you like. So if you scale this up across the entire parent base, it starts to mount up. Text messaging for schools can mean a cost of up to 6p per message, it’s been difficult up to now to communicate anything meaningful whilst trying to keep it within the character limit. That means that all communication to parents in this medium must be brief and concise. To put it into perspective, the previous two sentences clocked in at 198 characters. When you’re trying to send important messages to parents, that’s a small amount of space to squeeze in information.
You’re probably aware that traditional SMS messaging is limited to 160 characters. But as technology has moved on, messaging via mobile phone has seriously upped its capabilities. By leveraging app-based communication within your school, you can reach higher levels of parent engagement by “going to them where they live”.Īs mentioned above, until the advent of the mobile messaging app, the benefits of a text messaging system were pretty clear. Some of them may not use text messaging at all. They’re accustomed to using messaging apps. Those are pretty staggering statistics, and in the context of your school or trust, it’s undeniable – parents are using apps. The rise of the mobile app in 2008 brought in a flurry of dedicated messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.Īs of 2015, 30 billion messages were being sent over WhatsApp per day, a 50% increase on the approximately 20 billion text messages sent.įast forward to the first Covid lockdown March 2020, and there was an immediate 40% increase in usage. We’re sure we don’t need to tell you that technology has moved on a bit since 1992. But what if instead of getting the job done, you could drive real, meaningful two-way engagement? Let’s make the case for the app. Why you ask? Text messaging for schools has been serving them pretty well up to this point. That being said, there is a new and better way for schools to communicate more effectively with parents, guardians, students and even other schools: and that’s the app. So, SMS is popular technology and we understand the benefits, especially when it comes to mass communication.
Mass text messaging apps software#
You don’t need to be “free” at the same time, as you do with phone calls, and with the advent of software allowing to send automated, mass text messages to a large group of people, it’s a lot less time consuming for the person trying to communicate the message too. The first SMS text message was sent on the 3rd December, 1992 by Neil Papworth, a test engineer for Sema Group in the UK.įinnish network Radiolinja became the first to offer a commercial SMS service in 1994, and although the technology experienced slow growth to begin with, by 2007, it was the most widely used mobile data service, frequently used by 74% of mobile phone users worldwide.ĭespite the obvious social impact of text messaging, SMS has also been employed for a variety of uses, from emergency services to reporting security concerns.įor many reasons, a text messaging service is an incredibly convenient, quick and easy way to communicate with someone. Whether for a school closure or an upcoming sports day, many educational establishments have relied on a text messaging service to get a quick, succinct message out to parents or carers of the entire pupil base. For years, it’s been common for schools to utilise mass text messaging/SMS as their primary communication channel for parents.