User Management: How do I get buy-in from other users/departments to use Message more?

Like any campus-wide strategy, buy-in is key, but, change can be hard. Message was designed intentionally from the start to serve students throughout the entire student life-cycle from well before the student even applies to long after they graduate. So, when encouraging other departments to use this powerful tool, take comfort knowing that it was indeed designed to benefit each department on campus. 

Every department needs effective communication with students. When experiencing objections to texting, it's often best to reframe the conversation from an overall student success perspective. A typical objection could be, "I am not very good with technology or texting and I'd rather stick to email," but this frame of reference puts the staff's needs ahead of the student's, and more often than not, the staff will already be well aware that students typically do not read emails regularly, if at all, and yet are glued to their phones. 

Additionally, knowing a bit about the reluctant department's mission and key goals is a great way to "put yourself in their shoes." How would you use Message most effectively if you had to achieve success in that department? 

Finally, your own testimony and success stories are a great way to provide evidence that is nearly impossible to dispute. We often hear customers tell us, "I don't know what I did before Message," or "Texting through the Message platform has become the primary mode for communication and is now mission-critical." Think back on those most rewarding outcomes, as well. Nothing spells success like a student's thank you message for all you have done for them to achieve success.

To recap:

1. Take a student-centric approach about meeting the students where they are and where they are most accessible.

2. Put yourself in the shoes of someone you're looking to impress with Message and use what you know about the platform show them areas for fast and key results.

3. Finally, tell a story. People love success stories and educators and student partners are no exception. Give them a vision of what could be and why it will impact the student's life in positive ways.