Akada lets you send text messages to your subscribed customers, students, staff, classes, and Groups — a quick, effective way to share important updates that people will see right away. You can easily send announcements like class cancellations or weather-related studio closings with just a few clicks.
How to Enable Text Messaging
Using the Akada menu on the left, scroll and click on Text.
Request a texting number — set your country, enter your studio's area code, and click the Request button.
Please fill in the required information and click 'Submit'.
This information is required by and will be submitted to our texting provider, Twilio, which will verify the accuracy of the information.
The business name must match your corporate income tax documents.
Twilio's verification can take up to 7 business days.
Once approved, Akada will enable the texting feature and notify you that it is ready to use.
Sending Text Messages
Using the Akada menu on the left, scroll and click on Text.
Click to expand the Compse section.
In the Message recipients section, click on the purple links to select your recipients.
Texts can be sent to accounts, parents (parent 1 and/or 2), students, classes, groups, and staff.
Click the box next to each name you want to include in the text.
To select all, click the box on the top left of the grid (left of the name column).
Click on the Selected link to view the recipients.
Type your message and click Send.
Tip: You can send text to an individual from the account or student screens.
Texting History
The texting history will display a list of all sent text messages, their date, sender, status, and body. The purple action menu located to the right of each message will let you view the recipients or resend the message.
Settings
Text messages in Akada are outgoing only. In the settings section, you can set an auto-reply message that your customers will receive if they reply to a text.
If you need to disable texting or change your number, you can do so by using the 'Release number' option. This cannot be undone.
Texting FAQs
Can I choose my own phone number?
No, you can choose the area code, but the number will be assigned to you.
How many characters can each SMS contain?
Each SMS message is limited to 160 characters. Messages longer than that may be split into multiple texts
How do I handle replies from parents or students?
Text messages are outgoing only. You can set up an auto-reply message in your text settings, instructing customers on how to reach you if they have questions. If you're interested in two-way communications, we suggest using the Messages feature of our Akada Studio and Akada Portal apps.
Will parents need to subscribe to receive texts?
Yes! They can subscribe by logging into Akada Portal and visiting the Account Settings screen from the main menu or by texting the word "start" to your number.