Many school communicators dream of a day when reaching their community is…simple. Emails would flow seamlessly, teachers would effortlessly share updates with parents, and administrators could instantly reach every family in an emergency. And all complaints would somehow miraculously end up in the trash...The school community would feel connected and informed. And relieved.

The reality is that outdated communication systems are costing schools a lot more than time, money, and sanity. They're losing trust, slowing workflows, and creating stress.

The world is moving fast, but older processes and systems are holding so many districts back, creating a divide that impacts nearly every aspect of school life. From tiny frustrations to serious safety concerns, the price of doing nothing is costly.

• Think about the cost of maintaining multiple databases, each requiring separate logins and manual syncs.
   
• Parents miss important updates, teachers struggle to connect with families, and administrators face obstacles in reaching the entire school community.
   
• Consider the time wasted switching between emergency communication platforms and the potential for errors when information is scattered across different systems.
   
• Most importantly, think about the impact on your school's reputation when communication breakdowns lead to missed messages, frustrated parents, and distrust within your community.

Investing in a modern, integrated school communications platform is a way to reclaim valuable time, strengthen relationships, and know every message reaches its intended audience every time, whether it’s district-wide announcements, school-specific updates, or even classroom communications. 

Is risking trust and time worth it?

The Cost of: Time

Juggling Multiple Platforms

How many different systems do you use to communicate with your school community? You might have one system for email, another for text messages, and another for emergency alerts. If your school needs to send an urgent alert about a weather-related closure, using separate systems for email, text messages, and voice calls means admins have to create and send the same message multiple times. Switching between these platforms gobbles up valuable time.

Manual Processes

Do you still rely on manual processes to upload contact lists for routine communications? Maybe you have staff members who spend time each week sending out attendance notifications or reminding parents about upcoming events. Those repetitive tasks take valuable time that could be automated.

Think about the time it takes to manually send out reminders about the upcoming school orientation schedule. With a mass notification system, you could automate this process and free up staff time for other tasks.

Delayed Information

In a crisis, every second counts. Switching platforms to a school alert system and manually uploading lists can slow down communications and threaten your ability to respond quickly to emergencies.

For example, if your school relies on manually uploading a contact list and emailing parents about a lockdown, valuable time is lost as staff members work their way down a list.

With just a few clicks, a mass notification system can improve your crisis communications and send instant alerts to the entire school community so everyone receives the updates immediately.

Keep Reading: 8 Steps to Develop a Strong School Crisis Communications Plan

The Cost of: Stress

Communication Breakdowns

When messages slip through the cracks, it creates stress for everyone involved. Parents may feel uninformed and disconnected, while staff struggle to keep up with the demands of multiple communication channels. A parent who consistently misses important emails about school events because they get lost in their inbox is rightfully frustrated and disengaged from your school community.

Increased Workload

Managing a patchwork of different communication tools adds to the already heavy workload of school staff, and that leads to burnout. Think of the burden placed on those who manage multiple communication platforms, field calls from parents, and handle a variety of other time-sensitive admin tasks.

A recent report found that 78% of public school teachers have thought about quitting in recent years, claiming a lack of support from administration and excessive workloads, among other pressures. Who can blame them?

The Cost of: Disconnected Systems

Integration Challenges

Email systems, like Mailchimp and Constant Contact, don't integrate with your school's student information system (SIS) or website. Manually exporting parent contact information and importing it into your communication platform only creates extra work and increases the risk of errors.

Limited Functionality

These systems may lack important features like automated messaging, analytics, or the ability to target specific groups within your school community, like grade divisions or buildings.

If your system doesn't allow you to segment your audience, you might end up sending irrelevant messages to parents, who will tune out sooner or later. And who can blame them after receiving irrelevant messages over and over again?

Missed Opportunities

Think of what you could accomplish if you could easily send out branded, mobile-friendly, personalized messages to parents about their child's progress or upcoming events tailored to their interests.

Without a centralized communication platform, you miss opportunities to build stronger relationships with families and improve community engagement.

The Benefits of Effective Communication in Schools

As we’ve seen, an outdated system creates roadblocks, but an integrated mass notification system for your school can pave the way for smoother, more effective communication and stronger relationships with your school community. Here's how:

Improved Efficiency

• Automation: Free up time for more important responsibilities by automating repetitive tasks like attendance notifications, event reminders, and scheduling mass notifications.
   
• Streamlined Workflows: Centralize all communication channels into one platform, so there's no need to switch between different systems.
   
• Integration with Existing Systems: Seamlessly integrate with your SIS so your lists stay accurate.

The team at Burnsville-Eagan-Savage 191 School District is saving time by using email workflows to send newsletters and emails to parents and staff. "When I look at how I'm using my time,” said communications coordinator Matt Steichen, "I don't need to rebuild them from scratch."

"The emails are intuitive to build and easy to add text or photos. I needed virtually no training, so now I can dedicate more time to writing, day-to-day events, and other projects.”

Better Communication Strategies

• Multi-Channel Reach: Connect with families instantly across multiple channels, including email, text messages, mobile app, and voice calls, so no one misses critical information.
   
• Targeted Messaging: Segment your audience to deliver personalized and relevant messages to specific groups, like grade levels, classrooms, and teams.
   
• Two-Way Communication: Open up two-way communication between school and home so parents to easily ask questions, provide feedback, and stay involved in their child's education.

"I can't even begin to tell you the time that I've saved now that we have Finalsite. Like, holy moly!" shared Mery Helen Downey of Rapides Parish School Board, who is using Finalsite for its web, mobile app, and chat solutions.

Instead of a fragmented system, Finalsite now provides a single source of truth. As Mary Helen put it, "Since everything was so splintered, the mobile app gives us that place to house everything and provides that two-way communication. It became that one-stop for parents to see what's going on with their kids—and not just news, calendar, and menus—but direct communication with their child’s teacher.”

Increased Engagement

• Personalized Communications: Build stronger relationships with families by sending personalized messages about student progress, upcoming events, and school news.
   
• Mobile-Friendly Interface: Reach parents where they are with a mobile-friendly platform that allows them to access information and communicate with your school from their smartphones or tablets.
   
• Instant School Alerts: Respond quickly and effectively to emergencies with notifications that reach the entire school community within seconds.

Data-Driven Decision Making

• Detailed Analytics: Gain insights into your communications with detailed analytics and reporting that track message delivery, open rates, and engagement levels.

Key Takeaway

Investing in a modern mass notification system is an investment in efficiency, effectiveness, and peace of mind. You can reclaim valuable time, reduce stress, and create a more connected and informed school community, and those benefits are priceless.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. At Finalsite, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.