This guide shares three best practices orientation teams can use in CampusESP to boost attendance, keep students informed, and answer questions 24/7 — without adding work for a busy team.
1. Send Orientation Session Reminders via Email and Text Message
A registration is only a win if the student shows up. Pairing an email reminder with a text reminder makes it far more likely students see the date, time, and location of their session — especially in the summer, when many aren't checking email.
Use dual-channel reminders to:
Reduce no-shows and last-minute session changes.
Share must-know logistics (check-in location, parking, what to bring) right before students need them.
Reinforce reminders for students who rarely open email.
How to set up email reminders
Go to Content → Emails and create a new email.
When selecting your audience, choose Event Session Purchase and select the session you’d like to target.
When designing your email, include the session date, time, check-in location, and a link back to their registration in the platform.
How to set up text reminders
Navigate to Content → Text Messages and create a one-time text message.
When selecting your audience, choose Event Session Purchase and select the session you’d like to target.
Design and schedule the text to send shortly before the session (e.g., the day before, in the afternoon).
Keep it short and actionable: date, time, where to check in, and one short link.
💡 Pro Tip: Stagger your channels. Send the detailed email a few days out, then follow up with a short text the day before. Each message gets read, and neither feels redundant.
Example text: Hi! Orientation is tomorrow, June 12. Check-in opens at 8:30 AM at the Student Union. See your full schedule at [short link].
2. Send All Emails as a Text Message
Every orientation email you send — checklist nudges, registration deadlines, housing and placement test reminders — should have a text message companion. CampusESP's AI can convert an email into a text in one click, so this best practice takes minutes.
Turning emails into texts helps you:
Reach students who never open their email, without rewriting content from scratch.
Keep the message consistent across channels.
Drive students back to the platform, where the full details live.
How to convert an email into a text
Navigate to Content → Emails and create or open your email.
Once your email is designed, click Turn into Text Message at the top of the email builder. AI converts your email into a draft text message.
Review the draft. Trim it to the single most important action and include one short link to the platform or the related checklist item.
Confirm the audience matches your email's audience, then schedule the text.
NOTE: Text messages have an upper limit of 1,600 characters. Going over this limit will cause errors and the text will not be sent. Aim for much shorter — a few sentences is ideal.
💡 Pro Tip: Schedule the text a few hours after the email, or the next day. The email delivers the details; the text is the nudge that gets students to act.
Example:
Email: "Your Orientation Checklist: 3 Steps to Complete Before June 1" with full instructions for each step.
Text: Reminder: You have 3 checklist items due before June 1, including placement testing. Knock them out at
[short link].
3. Set Up Drip Texts That Invite Students to Ask the AI Assistant
New students have questions at all hours, and many won't log in to the platform to ask them. A short series of drip texts invites students to simply reply with their question — the AI Text Responder answers instantly by text, using your AI Assistant's existing training sources and prompts. Each text also reminds students the same AI Assistant is available anytime in the platform.
Use AI-powered drip texts to:
Give students instant answers on nights and weekends, outside staff hours.
Lower the barrier to asking for help: no login required to text a question.
Learn what students are worried about, so you can improve content and orientation sessions.
How to set up drip texts
Choose the community that starts the series, such as students who registered for orientation or newly admitted students.
Navigate to Content → Text Messages and create a new text message.
For Text Message Type, select drip, then use Set Up Drip Text Message to choose how many days after joining the community the text sends.
Write a text that ends with a clear call to action: reply with a question, or ask the AI Assistant in the platform.
At the bottom of the configuration page, confirm AI responses are on in the AI Assistant responses section. Use Advanced settings to add message-specific instructions if needed.
In the If AI Assistant can't respond section, choose Let admins respond (and select a Subscriber list) or Send an automatic reply, so no student reply goes unanswered.
Repeat to build the full series.
Sample drip series
Days after joining | Focus | Example text |
1 | Welcome + introduce the AI Assistant | Welcome to |
7 | Checklist progress | Stuck on a checklist item? Text us your question, or ask the AI Assistant in your platform: |
14 | Common questions (housing, placement tests, parking) | Wondering what to bring to orientation or where to park? Just reply with your question — we're here 24/7. |
21 | Final prep before orientation | Orientation is almost here! Any last questions? Reply to this text or chat with the AI Assistant in the platform: |
Jump into the conversation when needed: Visit Text Conversations to see replies the AI is handling. When a conversation needs a personal touch, send a response yourself — AI responses for that conversation pause for 48 hours or until you send that student another text.
💡 Pro Tip: Review Admin → AI → Chat History each week. Text conversations are marked with an SMS indicator. Recurring questions are a sign to add a checklist item, update a learning module unit, or add training sources to your AI Assistant.
NOTE: If you're sending a sensitive message, you can pause AI responses for all text replies from the top of the Text Messages page, or turn them off for an individual text.
Need help? If you have questions about setting up reminders, text messages, or your AI Text Responder, contact Support at support@campusesp.com. Our team is happy to help.