Best Practices & Tips

Modern Campus Message allows teams to better support and connect with students and others at the university. Use this page to learn what to do (and not do) in order to help both students and staff have a great experience.

Want to jump to a certain topic? Use the links in the table of contents.

  Table of Contents

 Preparing for a Campaign

Getting ready to start a texting campaign? Check out these tips to help you prepare.

  • If you are just getting started with Message, take some time to test things out and gain experience by creating a contact list with some of your staff then messaging one another. Make it fun!
  • Create a "knowledge base" document with answers to the questions you anticipate may come up in conversations. This can help counselors provide more accurate and timely responses. Consider including in your knowledge base a contact list and additional resources that counselors can refer students to if they are asked a question outside their area of expertise.
  • Schedule a team huddle to prepare for the campaign and ensure everyone is on the same page. As part of the meeting, consider discussing the following:
    • Campaign details (e.g., purpose of the campaign, when messages will be sent, team responsibilities, etc.)
    • How to correctly respond to questions that may come up in conversations and where the team can access the campaign's knowledge base.
    • How to appropriatelly respond to non-friendly replies in a kind way.
    • How a counselor should respond if they don't know the answer to a question.
    • SMS Messaging Etiquette (see the Messaging section below for details, but if nothing else, discuss the importance of being cheerful, polite, and responding to messages in a timely manner).

 Messaging

Proper messaging etiquette goes a long way in providing great customer service to students and others. We've rounded up the following tips to help you when sending and responding to messages through Message.

  • Be cheerful and polite - try to put a smile on the student's face.
  • If someone responds agrily, focus on de-escalating the situation, practicing empathy, and showing you care.
  • Keep messages short, preferably under 300 characters. Messages that are brief and to the point have the best response rates.
  • Avoid complex jargon and use simple language.
  • Use proper spelling and avoid typos.
  • Write messages/responses that mimic the way you speak to avoid sounding robotic (e.g., "Ah, yes, I understand now. This page should help you out...." vs. "Admissions information can be found at ....").
  • Use canned responses mindfully to avoid sounding robotic.
  • When responding to replies, describe your actions (e.g., if you need a minute to look up an answer, let the student know instead of leaving them hanging).
  • Wrap up conversations with a positive note by thanking the student for their time or wishing them a good day.
  The First Message

Starting a new campaign? A strong intro message should accomplish three goals:

  1. It should introduce the organization/individual that is reaching out (e.g., "This is Sean, from USU...").
  2. It should clearly indicate the reason for establishing this new connection.
  3. If appropriate, provide contacts with the knowledge that they can opt out of receiving messages at any time.

 Timing

In addition to messaging etiquette, good timing is important when communicating through SMS messaging. Consider the tips below to help when scheduling and responding to messages.

Scheduling Messages

  • Consider when may be the best day and time for your audience to receive text messages so that you get the highest enagement rates and fewer opt-outs. For example, weekdays between 11:00 am - 2:00 pm is often ideal for full-time college students, while after 5:00 pm may work better for professional students or parents.
  • When sending message campaigns, schedule them to be sent in the future and not right away, even if it's just 10 minutes into the future. This will allow you to make adjustments later, if needed.
  • Double check the time messages are scheduled to be sent, including verifying if "am" or "pm" is selected.

Responding to Messages

Avoid making students wait and never leave a question unanswered. Consider the following:

  • Have staff available to answer responses at the time a message is sent. Most responses come within the first 90 minutes, though you'll likely see some trickle in after 5:00 pm as well. Keep in mind that while it is often polite to respond to an email within a day or two, it is more common for texts to get a response within a couple hours, if not a few minutes.
  • Have staff check Message regularly each day for a few days after a message is sent and periodically after that. Students will sometimes text in a question weeks after a campaign was started.
  • If you haven't already, setup notifications in Message to let you know when you have new messages.

 Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips that may help you as you serve students through Message:

  • Message phone numbers are assigned per program, not per group. If a student opts out of one group, they will be opted out of the entire program. All groups in a program should collaborate closely to prevent students from opting out of their program.
  • Expect some non-friendly replies and help staff know how to appropriately respond to these replies in a kind way. Most people will respond more kindly after realizing a real person is on the other end.
  • Expect a wrong number or two. If you get a wrong number, mark the contact's phone number as invalid in Message and report the wrong number in Monocle (see Handling Wrong Numbers).
  • Find ways to "wow" or surprise those you're texting. Perhaps it's performing a step for, or on behalf of a student to make things simpler for them, or going above and beyond to get a student in contact with someone who can answer a question outside your area of expertise. Or maybe it's surprising a student with a coupon for a free scoop of Aggie Ice Cream! Adding that "wow" factor can really brighten a person's day, and they'll likely share the positive experience they had with others.