You can send messages directly from your computer to a mobile telephone providing that the contact has registered with Schoolcomms and has elected to receive messages by SMS text message. You can check whether a particular contact has linked to the school member by going to School members and groups, Manage school members, finding and highlighting the member and then clicking on Linked people. The screen will show you who has linked to that member and their contact preferences.

In order to use the SMS facility the school needs to purchase SMS credits before sending any messages. SMS credits can be provisioned from within Schoolcomms using the SMS credits button. See below.

To open the 'Compose an SMS message' screen:

• Click the 'Messaging' button in the tool bar on the left hand side of the screen.
• Click the 'Compose an SMS message' button in the left hand side tool bar.
• The screen will open at your most recent draft. If you wish to complete this draft, continue your message.
  
  
  
  

Using Templates

Alternatively use a template. The screen will open at your default template if you have no drafts.

• If you wish to use a different template, then click on the Template button.
  
  
  
  
• Select the template that you wish to use from the list and click on Use Template. The template will open and you can prepare your message.
• The first listed template is the default template.
• To change the default template, select the one you want and click on Set as default. The new choice will move to the top of the list and be the default.
• Click New to create a new template.
• Give the template a name and click Save and close to save it.
  
  
  
  
• Click Edit to amend an existing template.
• Use the toolbar or right click with your mouse to cut, copy and paste; also use it to insert a wildcard to personalize your messages.
• If you wish to start with a blank message use the template called Blank.

Composing your message:

• Open the 'Compose an SMS message' screen.
• Either continue with your draft, open an existing draft or select from your templates.
• Type or edit your message in the text box. The count of 'characters remaining' shows how many more characters can be fitted into your message (maximum 160 per message).
• Remember to allow enough spaces for names if you are using a wild card!

NB: Messages sent by SMS text message are not guaranteed to be secure once transmitted from our server to the recipient because someone else could read the message. Do not include private information in the message.

NB: If you require a response and you have not enabled SMS replies, you must include the contact telephone number in your message. e.g. 'Jane is absent from school this morning. Please ring 01234 5678910 to confirm the reason.'

Spell checking a message:

A spell check will automatically be carried out before you send an email but you can also choose to spell check your message at any point.

• Click the ‘Spell check’ button in the top tool bar.
• This spell check box will appear:
  
  
  
  
• The incorrect spelling will be shown in the ‘Not in Dictionary’ box.
• Click ‘Ignore’ if the word shown is actually correct, a name for example.
• Click ‘Ignore All’ if the word is likely to occur elsewhere in the email, for example if it is a name you have used several times.
• Click ‘Add’ if the word shown is actually correct and is a word you will frequently use in your messages.
• The word will be added to the Schoolcomms dictionary.
• The ‘Suggestions’ box will show possible options for correct spellings.
• To choose an option from the ‘Suggestions’ box, click on the correct word.
• It will become highlighted in dark blue and will show in the ‘Not in Dictionary’ box.
• Click ‘Change’ to change just this occurrence of the error.
• Click ‘Change All’ to correct all occurrences of this error
• If you click ‘Cancel’ you will stop the spell check and any remaining text in the email will not be spell checked.
• NB: Any attached files need to be checked for spelling separately in their native application.

Previewing a message:

You can preview a composed message at any time before you send it.

• Click the ‘Preview’ button in the top toolbar.
• Your message will be shown on screen
• Click Print to print the message.
• Click Close to return to the compose email message screen.

Selecting recipients:

• Open the 'Compose an SMS message' screen.
• Click the 'To parents of..' or 'To school member..' button depending on whether the message is to go to the individuals and/or their parent. This screen will appear:
  
  
  
• If your message is to be sent to a group: 
  •  Type the group name or part of the name into the 'Look for' box at the top of the screen.
  • Click 'Find now'.
  • Matching groups will be shown in the 'Select groups and members' box.
  • Click on the required group. It will be highlighted in dark blue.

• Your message can be sent to the students or their parents or both.
• Click 'To parent of' if you want to send the SMS message to the parents of the students in the chosen group.
• The names of the group members will be shown in the 'To parent of' box.
• Click 'To school member' if you want to send your SMS message to the students of your chosen group.
• The names of the group members will be shown in the 'To school members' box.
• If you select an adult school member, the name can only be placed in the 'To school member' box.
• If all members of a group have been selected, you can remove individual names from the recipient list by selecting them in the right hand box and clicking on 'Remove from list'.
• You can add and remove further groups or individuals from the recipient boxes using the 'Add' and 'Remove' buttons until you are happy with your selection.
• NB: By default, the 'Send to prime parents only' box will be ticked. If you want all linked parents to receive the message then untick the check box. If you want only the prime parents to receive the message, leave the box ticked.

• If your message is to be sent to an individual:
  • Type the individual's name into the 'Look for' box at the top of the screen.
  • Click 'Find now'.
  • Any matching names will be shown in the 'Select groups and members' box.
  • Click on the required member's name. It will become highlighted in dark blue.
  • Click the 'To parent of' button and/or the 'To school member' button
  • The member's name will be added to the 'To parent of' and/or 'To school member' boxes
  • If you select an adult school member, the name can only be placed in the ‘To school member’ box.
  • NB: By default, the 'Send to prime parents only' box will be ticked. If you want all linked parents to receive the message then untick the check box. If you want only the prime parents to receive the message leave the box ticked.
• Click OK to save your message distribution list.
• The recipients' names will be shown in the 'To parents of.' and/or 'To school members' boxes on the main 'Compose SMS message' screen.
  
  
  
  
• If you click 'Cancel' your message distribution list will not be saved.
• Note: If you only want to send your SMS message to the parents of the group members, any teacher/staff member names included in the group will added to the 'To school members' box.
• Note: You can alter the distribution list at any time before sending the message.

Shortcut! If you need to add several school members or groups to the distribution list use the shift or control keys so you can highlight them all at once. Then you only need to press the 'To school member' or 'To parents of' button once.

 

• To remove a school member's name from the message distribution list: 
  • Click the 'To parents of' or 'to school member' button on the 'Compose SMS message' screen. The 'Select message distribution list' screen will appear.
  • Find the name you want to remove in the 'To parents of' and/or 'To school member' boxes.
  • Click on the name. It will become highlighted in dark blue.
  • Click the 'Remove from list' button that is to the left of the box in which the name is highlighted.
  • Click OK to save the recipient list

Deleting a draft message:

• Click the 'Delete draft' button in the top toolbar.
• Schoolcomms will confirm that you wish to delete the draft message.
• Click 'Yes' if you want to delete the message.  Click 'No' if you do not want to delete the message. You will be returned to your message.

Saving a message:

• Click the 'Save draft' button. Your message will be saved.

Opening a draft message:

• To open an existing draft message, click the 'Open draft' button. Your draft messages will appear in the order in which they were last edited. The most recently edited draft message will appear at the top of the list. The drafts are identified by the date they were last edited and the first few words of the subject or message body.
  
  
  
  
• Select the draft message you wish to open and click 'Open'.
• Additionally, draft messages can be deleted by selecting them and clicking the 'Delete' button. Multiple drafts can be selected for deletion at once by holding down the 'Control' key whilst selecting the messages with the left mouse button
• To return to the 'Compose an SMS' screen without opening a draft, click 'Cancel'.

Sending a message:

• You can choose to send the message immediately or to send it later at a chosen time.
• To send the message now, click the ‘Send Now’ button in the top tool bar.
• Schoolcomms will confirm that you wish to send the message and automatically spell check it before it is sent.
• Schoolcomms will inform you if you do not have sufficient SMS credits to send the message to all recipients. You then need to purchase SMS credits before sending your message.
• To send a message at a chosen later time, click the ‘Send Later’ button.
• Enter the required dispatch date and time in the screen by using the drop down calendar or by selecting the entry and overtyping your choice. You can schedule the send for up to one month ahead. The time and date are for UK local time.
  
   
• Note that the message will be sent to those people on the recipient list who are linked at the time of dispatch, not at the time that you prepare the message. There may have been changes to the linked people over this period.
• Schoolcomms shows you the number of credits that the message would use with the currently linked people.
• The message will NOT be sent if at the time of dispatch the number of recipients has more than doubled. This is to prevent an unexpected use of the school’s SMS credits.
• The number of SMS credits taken from your account will be adjusted to the actual number of credits used when the message is sent.
• Schoolcomms will inform you if you do not have sufficient SMS credits to send the message to all recipients. You then need to purchase SMS credits before scheduling your message.
• The message will be sent at the time set. If you wish to cancel the message, go to ‘Sent Items’, highlight the message and click on ‘Cancel Scheduled’.
• For those on the recipient list that don’t have a mobile number see ‘Creating printed copies of the message’ below. For a scheduled message you can find the paper list from the ‘Sent Items’ screen.

• Click the 'SMS credits' button in the top toolbar.
  
   
• The box will display the number of credits available.
• If you wish to order more SMS credits click on the 'Order credits' button.


 
• Select the bundle size required from the drop down list. Click 'Next'.
  
  
• Review the details of your order. Tick to confirm that you agree to the licence agreement. Click 'Next'.
  
  
• View, Print or Save your order.
• Sign the order form and either post or fax it to the number on the form. Alternatively we will accept an email with PDF order attached, providing that the message is from a school address.
• Your SMS credits will be provisioned immediately. You will not be able to order more credits until your order has been received and invoiced.