Begin - Introduction to Communications in Arbor

Gwyn Mabo

January 31, 2024 16:00

Begin, Build, Boost

You're at Begin, the first step in your school's journey to getting the most out of communications in Arbor!

You can find all three steps of your journey here: Getting started with Arbor communications
More information on these journeys: Making the most out of Arbor with Begin, Build, Boost

Timestamps:

00:00 - Check your school details
03:30 - Permitted Senders Setup
06:00 - Templates
09:00 - Sending Mail Merge emails
13:30 - Communication Drafts and Sent Messages
14:20 - Letters and Layouts
22:50 - SMS Credits and SMS Settings
26:30 - Sending Mail Merge SMS
28:20 - In-app message Settings
31:20 - Sending Mail Merge In-app messages
32:30 - Labels
37:00 - Notices
40:00 - Communications Log

What features are included in my package?

We have loads of different features that you can use to communicate with students, guardians and staff. To find out how to upgrade your package, get in touch with your Account Manager.

Feature	Core	Comms	Perform	Other requirements
Send and schedule email, SMS, in-app messages and letters	✓	✓	✓	See communication types below
Log ad hoc meetings or phone calls	✓	✓	✓
Set up communication templates	✓	✓	✓
Custom communication templates and recipient lists	✓	✓	✓
Ask Arbor	✓	✓	✓	Have Switched on Ask Arbor

What are the different communication types?

We know schools need to be able to communicate with staff, guardians and students, so there are a number of communication types available through Arbor depending on your needs.

Email

Arbor acts as an email management platform, allowing you to both send and receive emails.

Staff members (depending on their permissions and access) can send emails to staff, students and/or guardians.
Recipients (staff, guardians and students) would receive the email in their email host e.g. Outlook, as there isn't a dedicated personal 'inbox' for people to access in Arbor.
Any recipient can reply to the email, and this reply will either show in the sender's email host inbox or in Arbor depending on your settings: What happens when someone replies to an email?
You need to have routed your inbox into Arbor to have emails sent to your school appear in Arbor: Rerouting the school's emails into Arbor

SMS

Top Tip: Just like on a phone contract, SMS or texts cost a certain amount to send. You must have purchased credits to send SMS - the larger the credit bundle, the cheaper each credit becomes.

Similar to email, Arbor acts as an SMS sending platform, allowing you to both send and receive texts.

Staff members (depending on their permissions and access) can send SMS to staff, students and/or guardians.
Recipients (staff, guardians and students) would receive the SMS to their mobile phone.
Staff, students or guardians can reply to SMS sent out and these will show in the Communications Log. New SMS that are not replies will not show in the Communications Log.

In-app message

These are messages that primary guardians can read through the Parent Portal and Parent App, so you'll need to switch this on for guardians to be able to read them.

Top Tip: If you've not yet switched on the Parent Portal and Parent App, why not check out our Begin, Build, Boost journey!

Letter

You can generate letters in Arbor, to then print out and manually hand out.

What are the differences between SMS, Email, letters and in-app messages?

	Email	SMS	Letter	In-app message
Prerequisites	None	You must have purchased credits.	None	Switch on the Parent Portal and Parent App as guardians can only read them through there.
Price	Free	Not free - Price dependant on the bundle purchased	Free to generate, printing cost will depend on your settings	Free
Pre-set editable templates	Yes	Yes	No	No
Set up new templates	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notification of replies	No	Yes - via notification	No	Yes - via email or notification
Send from	Yourself, other staff or the school, depending on your settings	Yourself	Yourself	Yourself
Send to	Staff, students or guardians	Staff, students or guardians	Staff, students or guardians	Primary guardians only
Distribute through Arbor	Yes	Yes	No - print and send these	Yes
View sent/read receipts	Sent	Sent	No	Sent and read
Send links	Yes	No - only text (may convert URLs to clickable links)	No	Yes
Send attachments	Yes	No	No	No
Send formatted text	Yes	No	Yes	No

Other things you can log

You can also:

Log Ad Hoc meetings
Log Phone calls
Generate printable labels for students or for exam candidates

How do we get started?

To get set up, click the button below to jump to the next step in your journey.

Build - Set up ready to send Communications

Do you offer training?

Our Customer Education specialists can offer in-depth support on how to use the areas covered in Begin Build Boost, and beyond for other areas of Arbor. Depending on the area, there are Foundation sessions, more in-depth consultations or a bespoke session.

To discuss what would best suit your school's needs, please contact your Account Manager.