The Message Center in jmc Office provides a comprehensive solution for communicating with your students and families through phone calls, text messages, and emails. If you happen to experience unanticipated results such as files not attaching, images not loading or users failing to receive messages, check out these troubleshooting tips to help you bridge your communication gaps!
Help! Our school's text messages are getting turned into a hyperlink.
Is your text message over 105 characters? If so, it will be automatically turned into a hyperlink to avoid breaking longer messages into several different text messages.
Helpful Tip: If the families in your district have cell phones capable of web browsing they will be redirected to a URL containing the text message if it's over 105 characters.
Why are my recipients unable to view attachments or hyperlinks I included in my email?
Are you using a common file type? jpeg, pdf, and png are universally accessible through most standard applications.
Is the file size of your attachment smaller than 20MB? At jmc we recommend keeping your attachment under 20MB for quick downloading capabilities.
Helpful Tip: The smaller the file size, the quicker the attachment will load for users.
Double and triple check your hyperlink for accuracy! Use the "Insert Link" button in the email message toolbar to shorten links included in the email and avoid typos.
Our school's custom logo is not appearing on long text messages.
Is the logo sized correctly? It should be no bigger than 190 pixels wide and 72 pixels high to avoid being stretched or not included.
Is your logo the correct file type and size? A jpeg or a png under 5MB will keep your long text messages looking sharp!
How can I tell if my text message or phone call has been sent and received?
While your messages are being sent view the Message Status page to get up-to-the-minute details of whether a text message or phone call has been "queued" or if it has been "sent".
View the delivery history of past messages by checking the Messaging Log for details including whether the call was answered or if the message was delivered.
Check out the External Communication Detail Log to display emails, calls and text messages sent including a detailed list of which recipients were contacted and which were not due to bounced emails or phone numbers that are no longer in service.
I sent a phone call! I sent a text message! Why haven't my families received it yet?
Is the family's contact information entered correctly on the Attendance > Contacts > Edit Contacts page? View the External Communication Detail Log to review email addresses and phone numbers closely for accuracy.
If the family's voicemail is full or they don't pickup on the first attempt the phone call is made the Message Center will try two additional times before determining the contact is unavailable.
Have users check SPAM email folders or blocked contacts on their cell phones to ensure your school's messages are allowed.
If a user has previously replied “STOP” to a text message generated by your school, they will need to opt back in by replying “START” to receive messages again.
Are your contacts set to receive messages for the appropriate messaging groups on the Attendance > Contacts > Edit Contacts page? Contacts will only receive messages if they are marked for the groups you are sending to.
I feel like my text messages and phone calls are taking a long time to be delivered!
The Message Center will make first attempt phone calls for all messages in the queue in the order they were sent and then try second and third attempt phone calls.
Helpful Tip: For example, school is closing early due to weather and you need to notify families immediately. jmc recommends letting that message work its way through first, second, and third attempts before adding another message to the queue to guarantee timely delivery.
The Message Center sends your text to the appropriate provider but the order and speed of text messages after that is determined by individual cell phone carriers.