Fee reminders previously went by SMS. Two schools trialled WhatsApp delivery for a full term first, which changed two things in the design.
- Opt-out is per category. A parent can stop general announcements and still receive messages about their own child.
- Bulk announcements need a second approval before they send.
- Failed deliveries are listed for the office to correct, rather than counted silently.
Every message is logged against the pupil record with its delivery status. Schools on ASOFT ERP can enable it from the messaging settings; the number has to be registered before the first send, which takes a few days.