Group text communications for parents and Primary leaders

[olsond]

Our Primary activity leaders find texting to be the best method for communicating with parents about Primary activities. We first created a Member List in Tools that includes all the parents and leaders. Then we tapped on "Send text message to list" to create the initial SMS text group (which includes both iPhone and android users). The issue we are having is that if a leader is released or a parent requests to be removed from the group (which has happened with some less-active families), we can easily delete them from the Member List but then have to start a whole new text group because people can't be removed from or leave a conversation in an SMS text group. Also, then there are multiple text groups that cause everyone confusion. My question is, does the Church utilize another platform for these types of communications that would alleviate these headaches? Or what else have you all tried that works? Emails do not seem to be as effective. Any thoughts?

[russellhltn]

I think the only thing the church has is Circles in the Gospel Living app.

I'm not sure if they have a Primary circle.

[ambldsorg]

Also, then there are multiple text groups that cause everyone confusion.

Is this perhaps a natural effect of using limited technology that wasn't designed to handle multiple groups easily?

I participate in dozens of diverse groups that communicate via email and have never once been confused by it. Each mailing list has it's own unique address which can be identified by filters to place those messages into separate "folders" which allows organization, both in the email client and in the mind.

If managing group texts is a challenge, then have you considered to put in a feature request to those who provide the group text interface to make it better?

My question is, does the Church utilize another platform for these types of communications that would alleviate these headaches?

I'm aware of three tools for communication provided by the the Church: Circles, LCR Send a Message, and Calendar. Of course there are also verbal communications and printed announcements.

There is no perfect "solution" to this problem. If you use Circles, you will lose the ability to communicate with those who don't use "smart" phones. Likewise if you use something like GroupMe you exclude those without cell phone numbers (because while GroupMe will send emails it won't allow signup without SMS). If you use email you lose instant notification (though, honestly, I don't know why this is a problem, cannot these "smart" phones be configured to notify you instantly when you receive emails from certain senders?). If you need many-to-many communication, you could use mailing lists or other similar technology for this as this organizes emails under a single address that can be managed. You could use LCR Send a Message for one way communication like announcements.

Also, depending on the kind of communication, let me suggest using the Church Calendar system. I've only just realized it's capabilities, but it looks promising. If you put events on the Calendar then you can let parents know to check the Calendar for up-to-date information and even subscribe to notifications so that they get a reminder the day of the event.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/calendar/month

As for email being inefficient, I'm not sure why that is. Why is it so inefficient? It's quite surprising that "smart" phones don't make using email just as convenient as using SMS. Seems like a deficiency in "smart" phones or perhaps a deficiency in email providers?

Finally, why does communication need to be so instant? If leaders are communicating important information for the primary parents to know, why wait until the last minute to communicate this? Was not the information to be so communicated known in advance which would allow for a more enduring mode of communication (e.g. a printed announcement that can be put on the refrigerator) or an email?

[russellhltn]

To add to the list of limitations, Circles requires church membership. It can't reach investigators.

In the case of Youth and Primary, there may be limitations on parent participation. It may require that the member be listed as a parent on the child's record and the parent and child are in the same household. That may prevent those with complicated relationships from participating.

SMS usually has limits by the cell service provider on how many can be included on a text.

Calendar requires church membership in the ward/stake in question. (Or at least an out-of-unit membership record). Again, it's not available to non-members. All members have access to all non-private calendars, so "complicated relationships" isn't an issue.

One nice feature of Calendar is it offers the users the ability to sync selected calendars to their device. So all events are there in their personal calendar. It's also in Member Tools.

Regardless of what's used, I would suggest going beyond simple time/date. Add some text to motivate people to come. From what I've observed with singles activities, if people come expecting a good time, they usually do. But if they come out of grudging obligation, you've got an uphill battle.

[BrianEdwards]

Our local Spanish-language congregations seem to only use WhatsApp for communication (texting in many of their home countries is essentially non-existent). Benefits include no limit on number of participants, and easy management (individuals can remove themselves, and owners can add/remove people, all within the same WhatsApp group). Obvious draw-back is it's yet another app to try and convince everyone to load and learn to use.

My perspective is that for almost all cases, there's not going to be an ideal solution that covers everyone's needs. But asking questions like yours is definitely helpful, since others might have a solution that's a better fit for your circumstances.