This article introduces the 'Begin' phase of using Arbor's communication tools, detailing features like email, SMS, in-app messages, and letters. It outlines the setup process, communication types, and available training for schools to enhance their communication strategies.
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 our Partnership Team by emailing customersales@arbor-education.com
Features per package - table view
| 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 |
Features per package - list view
- Send and schedule email, SMS, in-app messages and letters - Included in Core (only if the Parent Portal/App is enabled as a feature separately, can In-Apps be sent on Core), Comms and Perform
- Log ad hoc meetings or phone calls - Included in Core, Comms and Perform
- Set up communication templates - Included in Core, Comms and Perform
- Custom communication templates and recipient lists - Included in Core, Comms and Perform
- Ask Arbor - Included in Core, Comms and Perform
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.
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?
| 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 |
Arbor supports four main methods of communication. Each serves a different purpose depending on the urgency of the message and your school's budget.
In-app messages
In-app messages are a cost-effective way to reach guardians. These are sent directly to the Arbor App or Parent Portal and are completely free to send. For these to be effective, guardians must have the Arbor App installed on their device (and have push notifications enabled to receive message notifications), and you must have enabled the Parent Potal/App.
Emails
Emails are also free to send and are ideal for longer updates or formal newsletters. They offer the most flexibility as you can include attachments and use Merge Fields to automatically personalise the content with specific student or guardian details.
SMS
For urgent updates that need to be seen immediately, you can use SMS. These messages are sent directly to the recipient’s mobile phone. Unlike emails or in-app messages, SMS messages incur a cost per credit and have a character limit. If a message exceeds the limit, it will use multiple credits.
Letters
Letters allow you to generate physical documents for printing. This is useful for formal notices or for contacting guardians who do not have digital access. Like emails, you can use Merge Fields to pull data from Arbor directly into the document, saving time on manual data entry.
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.
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