Using Text to Make Residence Life Communication Easier
Most college students are “traditional” students—recent high school graduates between 18 and 24 years old. These students typically carry their phones everywhere they go. So, it’s only natural that texting is the best way to get in touch with them.
Res Life directors can keep students safe and informed by adopting a user-friendly SMS messaging solution.
How Res Life Can Communicate Better Using SMS
Here are the most impactful ways Res Life leaders can use SMS solutions to improve campus communication.
1. Get College Students More Involved
A well-coordinated SMS strategy can help you inform students of ways to get more involved with the school, which is essential for driving successful outcomes.
Some examples include:
- Upcoming campus events: Text students a calendar with everything Res Life has planned for the semester, from floor parties to educational events.
- Academic resources: Tutoring and mentorship programs help students succeed in their classes and enable them to build deeper connections with their peers and instructors, which is essential for pushing them to do their best.
- Wellness resources: Provide a list of all on-campus physical and mental health services, such as the campus counseling office and health center. Make sure you include instructions for reaching them so students know what to do if they need help.
- Student activities: When students arrive on campus at the beginning of the term, let them know what clubs and volunteer opportunities are available so they can feel confident that there is a place for them.
- Res hall staff: Resident assistants and Res Life directors can use your SMS solution to introduce themselves to their students before the term starts and begin building a rapport early.
Enrolling students in your mailing list as soon as possible is helpful for building that sense of community.
2. Provide Important Housing Updates
You can use SMS to communicate important information about updates to Res Life rules and processes, including:
- Room assignments: Let students know their housing assignment right away to give them time to prepare. If they have any questions or would like to request a housing change, they can respond to the message to connect with a Res Life employee.
- Roommate pairings: Tell students who opted for random roommate assignments who they’ll be living with so they can connect and coordinate before the term starts.
- Housing rules: Send students a copy of the residence hall rules, especially if the school makes changes between academic terms.
3. Keep Students Updated
A well-orchestrated text blast can save students and faculty valuable time and frustration by keeping everyone up to date on what’s happening on campus.
Text blasts are incredibly efficient for distributing information and let you notify everyone on your contact list simultaneously. For example, a text blast to all the students enrolled in your SMS list can help them stay informed of interruptions to their daily schedules like:
- Power outages.
- Natural disasters.
- Building maintenance status updates.
- Emergency drill announcements.
- Event postponements and cancellations.
- Inclement weather forecasts.
- Building closures or construction.
Make sure these texts are concise and accurate, with clear instructions for what recipients should do in the meantime. Send follow-up text blasts as the situation evolves to make sure everyone knows what’s going on and when.
Tips for Res Life Directors: How to Use SMS Well
Any tech tool is far from a magic bullet. While adopting a new SMS solution is a big step toward enhancing Res Life communications, there are still some things you need to do to make sure the school gets a return on its investment.
Here are some helpful Residence Life tips for effective SMS text messaging:
- Integrate with RMS: An SMS solution that integrates with your residential management system (RMS) creates a unified database for all your student information, enabling you to personalize messaging.
- Time your texts: Although young people receive and respond to hundreds of smartphone notifications each day, too many messages from one source can cause them to lose interest and ignore your texts. Schedule your texts in advance and space them out to avoid overwhelming your students.
- Get student consent: According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), you must get students’ consent before enrolling them in your mailing list. A solution with a text-to-join feature allows students to opt in on their own terms by texting a specific keyword to your department’s dedicated phone number.
- Allow students to opt out: If a student doesn’t want to receive messages from Res Life, they don’t have to—and the department is responsible for making sure they know their options. Make sure you inform your students of their right to unsubscribe from your mailing list and provide clear steps to do so.
You also want to choose a solution that works with your school’s existing infrastructure and requirements.
How SMS Solutions From Red Oxygen Can Help
If your college or university needs an easily scalable and user-friendly SMS solution, Red Oxygen has a variety of solutions to meet your institution’s unique requirements. We have more than 20 years of experience in business SMS, so you can count on us to help you design the solution you need to enhance communication without hassle.
Our streamlined SMS solutions seamlessly integrate with your existing tech tools to create a single source of truth for your entire student housing system. Some of our technology’s key features include:
- Opt-out options: If a student doesn’t want to hear from you anymore, all they have to do is respond with an opt-out keyword like “unsubscribe” or “stop.” This simple process keeps your school compliant with TCPA and other communications regulations.
- Two-way texting: Easily gather student feedback or answer their questions with a solution that keeps the conversation going.
- 24/7 global support: Whenever and wherever you need help, our support team is here for you. Simply open a chat or submit a ticket to get started.
- 10dlc registration management: Our compliance experts will handle your school’s 10dlc registration, so you can keep all students in the loop without risk.
- Text scheduling: Ensure your texts go out only when you need them to. Our solutions let you draft messages in advance and queue them up for automatic sending so you can stay on top of your core Res Life tasks.
- Template library: Save time and effort drafting messages with our customizable templates for students, faculty and staff. All you have to do is copy the message, rewrite the appropriate fields and hit send—or schedule your message to go out later.
Improve Your Res Life Communication With SMS Solutions From Red Oxygen
Our scalable, user-friendly SMS solutions can make it easy to keep your students involved and informed.
Check out our blog for more Res Life SMS ideas, and contact us today to start your free Red Oxygen demo!
