Texting (SMS) in Slate

Texting in Slate

This article outlines basic configuration of SMS messaging in Slate and includes best practices for sending and receiving messages. If you have not yet configured Inbox, Slate Voice, or the Compliance Dashboard, reference the following Knowledge Base articles to ensure your instance is properly configured to send and receive SMS messages:

Slate Voice Overview: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/docs/slate-voice-overview

Text Messaging (SMS) Overview: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/docs/text-messaging-sms-overview

Inbox Setup: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/docs/compliance-dashboard

Compliance Dashboard: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/docs/compliance-dashboard

Configuration Keys
SMS outreach in Slate should begin with the proper configuration. First, ensure your institution has purchased sufficient message credits and provisioned at least one sender phone number. It’s also critical to set up the SMS Inbox properly: incoming message replies appear both on the relevant person record and in the centralized Inbox view—text messages are not threaded, so the Inbox configuration ensures conversations are tracked efficiently Additionally, verify that your Compliance Dashboard has been completed and all parts submitted and approved in order to maintain deliverability.

Best Practices

Great SMS campaigns balance frequency and responsiveness. Over-texting (daily or weekly messages unrelated to specifics about the applicant) risks opt-outs and fatigue. Consider all the ways you intend to text prospects. Using a test record, map out the potential SMS communication plan that a student would receive at all points in the funnel. Remember, if a student responds with an opt-out keyword (e.g. STOP) their cellphone carrier will block the number from receiving any more messages. Once opted-out, students must actively opt back in from their own phone. Remember, students are inundated with text messages from a variety of sources. Keep your messages short, direct, and transactional so that a student can easily understand how to respond.

Just like emails or content on Slate pages, you can personalize SMS messages with variable content such as the students’ name, entry term, or intended program. Utilize the information that you have available in Slate to provide a more personalized experience to the recipient. Reminder messages are a great way to do this. For event registrations, configure a SMS message reminder to be sent a certain number of hours before the event, including details such as registration time, check in location, or online videoconferencing link if applicable. SMS messages can also contain links. When sending a message with a link, consider the call to action carefully and ensure that the student can complete the action at the provided link without assistance. Always send a test message to ensure the link appears as expected and does not send over multiple text messages, which can occur if the body of the message is over the character count. It’s best practice to send test messages to numbers on different carriers to ensure a consistent experience or troubleshoot any issues that arise before the actual message is sent. If you are using a service like bit.ly or linktree, conduct extensive testing to ensure your messages are not being blocked by the carrier. Given the rise in spam text messaging containing fraudulent links, cellphone carriers are implementing stricter security around messages with links.

If you’re sending message to large groups of students, plan your timing carefully. Slate throttles message sends, so high-volume recipient lists can take longer to deliver. Build in plenty of time for your message to deliver rather than sending it at the exact point in time you want it to land. Check your credits on a regular basis to ensure you don’t run out! Slate credits can be purchased at any time through the Slate Credits page, but they do take up to an hour to appear in your account. Stay on top of your credit balance so you always have sufficient funds available.

When receiving and responding to messages in Slate, ensure that you are responding in a timely manner. Notify staff when a message is sent so that they can monitor for responses. Prompt response builds trust and encourages the student to interact with your institution again should they need help in the future.