In this guide, we will cover the following processes;

• Sending an SMS or Email
• Bcc to Staff
• How to Schedule a Message
• How to use Bromcom AI to generate SMS or Email
• How to see an Overview of Sent Messages

Access: The minimum permissions required to access Send SMS/Email can be found in the Framework module from within Config > Setup > Roles & Permissions.

See also:

• How to Create a Message Template (SMS or Email)
• How to Create a Watchlist
• How to Schedule Report via Email
• How to View Sent Messages and Emails.
• How to Purchase SMS Credits

Sending an SMS or Email

To do this from the left Menu go to Students and select one or more Students.

Once you have selected the Students, click the Actions button and select the Send SMS/Email option.

This will open the Send SMS and Emails page where you will need to complete the relevant information;

• Message Type – Select SMS, Email – Plain Text or Email – HTML
• Recipient – Select Contact, Student or Staff (Emails only)
• Templates – If a Message Template has been created in advance, select the relevant template from the dropdown list. A preview of the template will appear in the Message Box
• Message – Type the Message you wish to send
• Dynamic Fields – Select the relevant fields to personalise the Message such as Student Fullname or Student Tutor Group
• Upload CSV – Provides temporary Dynamic Fields

Please note, when selecting SMS as your Message Type one SMS credit will be used for every 160 characters in the message. For example, if you are sending a message of 320 characters to 2 contacts that would cost 4 SMS credits. The number of Characters and Credits used for your SMS message can be seen just below the message preview window.

When selecting to send your message via Email you have 2 options Email – Plain Text and Email – HTML. There are some important differences between the two options:

• Email – Plain Text – This option allows you to send the message as a Push Notification to any parents using the MCAS App (Note:If you are using the Bromcom SMTP service any messages sent as a Push Notification will not cost E-Mail Credits). The formatting options are limited and whilst you can include Attachments you will not be able to include Hyperlinks. If you are using MCAS and would like to send hyperlinks to Parents, consider using Announcements instead (See How to Configure and Add Announcements for MyChildAtSchool for more information).
• Email – HTML – This option gives you more formatting options and allows you to include Hyperlinks and Custom Content using HTML (Note: Bromcom Support are not able to offer assistance in how to include custom content using HTML.) However, you will not have the option to send the message as a Push Notification through the MCAS App meaning that if you are using the Bromcom SMTP service then each e-mail will cost an E-Mail Credit.

Clicking the Upload CSV button gives the option to add Temporary Dynamic Fields for use in one-off Messages allowing Student/Staff/Contact items to be used without the need of storing them within the system.

Note: the Uploaded CSV File must have the Admission Number or the UPN as the first column.

When a CSV file is uploaded a second dropdown list Temporary Data Items is displayed, use this list to select your temporary Dynamic Fields from your Uploaded CSV FIle.

Note: The CSV file must have the UPN or Admission Number for Students or the Staff Code for Staff.

Now continue with the Tick box options.

• Send push notifications for mobile app users – This will send the Message as a Push Notification to users who have the MCAS App installed and Push Notifications enabled on their phone
• Notify by Mobile – Select to send the message to a Mobile, then select the Notification Priority
• Notify by Landline – Select to send the message to a Landline , then select the Notification Priority
• Consolidate multiple messages – If there are multiple Students that belong to the same Contact, the Contact will only receive one Message rather than one Message per Student
• Send Parental Responsibility contacts only – This will make it so that only Contacts who are marked as having Parental Responsibility of a Student will be eligible to receive the Message
• Only include mobiles marked to receive text messages – Will only send to these mobiles
• Copy sent/received messages to student communication log – This will keep a copy of the Sent/Received Messages on the relevant Student’s records
• Produce Quick Letters for contacts who do not have an email address – This will let you produce a Quick Letter if the Contact cannot be reached via Email
• All Priorities or 1, 2, 3 etc – All Priorities means all Contacts of all Contact Priorities are eligible to receive the message. Ticking Priorities 1, 2 or 3 is only available if you untick All Priorities and means that only Contacts of the Contact Priority that you select will be eligible to receive the message

Note: When sending an SMS Message, you need to ensure that the Contact has a Mobile number on their Contact Information and that Use this mobile for text messages is ticked.

This is done by editing the Contact Information from the Student’s record and editing the Phone Number.

Note: The Priority shown in this area is the Priority of the Phone Number, not the Contact.

The Contact Priority can also be viewed in the Linked Students panel of the Contacts Information.

Now that your Message has been compiled and all of the relevant tick boxes have been selected, click the Recipients button to check who will receive the Message before you send.

Tick or Untick as required or go back and update the information from the Student Contacts if you think it is incorrect.

When complete, click the Send button.

The Send SMS/Email option can also be used to send Messages to both Staff and Groups by selecting the option from the Actions button whilst on the Staff or Groups pages.

When selecting to send an Email from the Students list page, you will be able to select Staff from the Recipient dropdown. When you select Staff as the Recipient, a +Staff option will appear at the bottom which is used to add additional Staff Members to the Recipient list.

For BCC Members of Staff – see BCC to Staff in the next section in this guide

The From email defines the email that the recipient will Reply To.

The email address the email is Sent from is defined in Config > Communication > Configurations.

Note: If Messages fail due to a lack of credit, you will need to re-run the process as there is currently no Resend option.

Bcc to Staff

Please note for Students > Student Details > Communication > Communication Log panel, and for Modules > Communication > Overview page will not display the BCC Staff recipients. This will be looked at in a future release.

Go to Groups > Groups list > Actions > Send SMS/Email.

Users have the option to bcc (blind copy) Staff in to emails to parents. Within the Send SMS and Emails popup, a checkbox BCC Members of Staff is only applicable to Message Types: Email – Plain Text, and Email – HTML.

When the checkbox is ticked, users can select one or more members of staff from the new Staff dropdown whose work emails will be BCC’d

• Note: If sending an email to 100 students, the staff member who is BCC’d will only receive one email.
• Note: The Staff members will not be visible in the Recipients list.

Modules > Communication > Overview

The Overview page:

• Will NOT count the emails BBC’d to Staff.
• Will NOT charge credits for emails BCC’d to Staff.

Config > Setup > Roles and Permissions > Communication

The BCC Members of Staff option will have to be enabled from the Communication module for the appropriate roles.

How to Schedule a Message

To Schedule a Message, click on Schedule rather than Recipients or Send while on the Send SMS and Emails page.

To see previously Scheduled Messages click on Tasks.

From the Schedule dropdown, choose either Once, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Termly or Yearly.

Next, complete the dropdown choices dependant on the Schedule choice you need.

For example, a Weekly Schedule in chosen on Academic Weeks Only, every Monday at 10:00.

Once you are happy with the Schedule options, click Save.

To view Scheduled Messages, click on the Task button.

This will then show you any Scheduled Messages or Emails that are currently active.

How to use Bromcom AI to generate SMS or email

Dependant on your roles and permissions to can use Bromcom AI to generate SMS or email.

From Students select the Students and as normal from the Actions drop down choose Send SMS/Email. You will then see Bromcom AI Generate Content? in the top right corner.

Click on the Bromcom AI Generate Content?

Then type into the ‘in a few words’ text box what you would like to say.

Then you can design the Length, Tone and Language of the SMS or Email by clicking on the choices. In this example we have chosen a Short length with a Friendly Tone in English.

For the Language click the +More to see and add more Languages.

Then click Generate Content.

The chatbot will work on the content then it will appear in the text box.

Then you can choose to go Back, Regenerate Response or Insert to Insert the generated message.

Now you are back in the usual Send SM and Emails pop up and you can continue sending your communication as normal.

How to see an overview of Sent Messages

To see Sent Messages, from the left Menu go to Modules > Communications > Overview.

Select from the options within the SMS Today box to view the details in the Information section below.

Select from the options within the Emails & Push Notifications box to view the details in the Information section below.