Sending SMS text messages

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Last updated: Dec 14, 2021 by Richard Kennedy (Unlicensed)
4 min read

The Short Message Service (SMS) allows text messages to be sent and received by mobile devices. Synergetic generates an email that is sent to an email to SMS gateway which converts it to an SMS text message.

You can send SMS text messages from any of the windows within Synergetic that includes a grid that displays community members. For example, you can send an SMS from the Relations tab.

To send SMS text messages:

  1. Navigate to any of the windows within Synergetic that includes a grid with the community member displayed.
    In this example, we have navigated to the Relations tab in Community Maintenance.
     
  2. Right click.
    The menu is displayed for the grid.
      
  3. Either select:
    • SMS Record... to just send an SMS to one community member (the one you have selected in the grid)
    • SMS All Records... to send an SMS to all the community members in the grid.
    The Send SMS(s) window is displayed.
     
  4. Type the SMS message in the Message field.
  5. Update other fields, as required.
  6. Click .
    The Email Authentication window is displayed.
  7. Update settings as required
  8. Click .
    The following dialog window is displayed.
  9. Click .
    The SMS is sent to the recipients via the servers that have been configured. 

Send SMS(s) window key fields and buttons
Address/Subject/Type area
Fields

Field

Description

To

Recipients of the SMS. This is either a:

  • single recipient's name and mobile phone number
  • <Multiple Recipients>, if there are several people who are being sent the SMS.

Classification

Select the classification of the SMS(s):

  • Absence events notification
  • Appraisal
  • Attendance email
  • Debtor document
  • External
  • External test result.

ID Field to Use

If several ID fields are available, select which Synergetic ID field to use as the recipient.

For example, if emailing from the Relations tab of Current Student Maintenance, you can select to email either the student or their relations.

Note: This field is only displayed if there are multiple fields from which IDs could be selected.

Enable field merging

Select to display the Merge fields area. Double click a merge field to add it at the cursor's current position. Synergetic will populate the SMS with data at the time of sending the email.

Send to parents

Select to send the email to the parents of the listed recipients. See Sending emails from a grid.

Note: When this field is selected the parent records will be marked with a "+" in the Merge fields area.

Activation of this field is managed using the Email: ShowSendToParentFlag configuration setting. See Email: ShowSendToParentsFlag configuration setting.

Note: When parents with multiple students are sent an email without merge fields (see below) they will only receive a single email.

Select signature

Select a signature to insert into the SMS. To add, edit or delete signatures. See Maintaining email signatures.

Use template

Select a template to use for the SMS. To add, edit or delete templates. See Maintaining email templates.

Message

Text message to be sent to the recipient or recipients.

Tip: Right click the message area to cut, copy or paste text.

Note: Some mail servers automatically append disclaimers or policies on outbound emails, including SMSes. To prevent this, set the terminator in the SMS Configuration. See Using the Email / SMS Configuration window in the System maintenance manual.

Truncate SMS at XXX chars

Select to limit the length of the SMS message to the number of characters specified. See SMS:CharacterCount configuration setting in the System maintenance manual.

SMS Count

Number of characters that can be entered in the Message field before a SMS message is created. The number of SMS messages is shown in parentheses.

Note: This count is an estimate only. Merge field substitutions will affect the actual character count for the SMS.

Buttons

Button

Description

Edit the people who will receive the SMS.

If there are multiple recipients, you can:

  • add a member of the Synergetic community to the list
  • add a staff member
  • delete anyone listed.


    Tip: Select Hide Empty Mobile Phone Number(s) to only show people who have a mobile phone set up. See the field descriptions below.

    Note: If you are sending an SMS to one person only, the Find Name on Community window is displayed. Search for the community member you want to SMS and click .

Add, edit or delete email signatures. See Maintaining email signatures.

Add, edit or delete email templates. See Maintaining email templates.

Send the SMS to the recipients.


Recipient List window key fields and buttons

Tip: Click on a column heading to sort records in ascending order. Click again to reverse the sort order.

Fields

Field

Description

Hide Empty Mobile Phone Number(s)

Select to hide names that do not have a mobile phone number set up.

In the example used above, Mr Cane no longer appears when this field is selected.


Grid area fields

Field

Description

ID

Synergetic ID of the community member.

Mobile

Name of the community member and their mobile phone number, if it is available.

Synergetic uses the community member's default mobile phone unless contacting parents of students or future students, which may have been explicitly set to use the occupation or home phone numbers.

In the following example, the Default Mobile Phone is Personal so the Mobile field on the Phone tab is used.

In the following example, the Default Mobile Phone is Occupation so the Mobile field on the Occupation tab is used.


See:

Buttons

Button

Description

Add one or more community members to the list of recipients.

To add one or more community members:

  1. Click .
    The Find Name on Community window is displayed.
  2. Search for the community member.
  3. Select the record to be added.
  4. Click .
  5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each person to be added.
    Note: Select the Any field to expand the search to include surname, previous surname, maiden name and override legal surname

Add a parent of the selected student entry to the recipient list.

To add a parent:

  1. Click button.
    The Find Name on Community window is displayed.
  2. Search for the parent.
  3. Select the record to be added.
  4. Click .
  5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to add all parental contacts.
    Note: Select the Any field to expand the search to include surname, previous surname, maiden name and override legal surname

Add one or more staff members to the list of recipients.
To add one or more staff members:

  1. Click .
    The Staff Search window is displayed.
  2. Search for the staff member.
  3. Select the record to be added.
  4. Click .
  5. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each person to be added.

Delete the person from the recipient list.
The following dialog is displayed.

Click to delete the person from the list.

Close the window. The selected recipients are used.