The first time a text message is sent to a student or employee from a unique Pool at your institution, a system-generated text messages is automatically appended to this first message. It provides the choices available to that recipient for future communication or unsubscribe (opt out) from further text messages.
The options are:
HELP: Get generic help on the messaging system;
STOP: Stop receiving communications via SMS from this list;
STOPALL: Stop receiving communications via SMS from all lists;
START (not listed): Resume receiving SMS from all lists after a STOP or STOPALL has been submitted; there is no "START" at the individual Pool level, a START means to unblock the institution as a whole.
This message is automatically re-sent every 6 months (system default) but this time-line can be customized for each institution.
This means that the recipient (student or employee) has opted out of this communication thread and all contact, via SMS from this Pool is automatically terminated.
If a member of that Pool continues to try and send text messages to the recipient that has opted out (from that Pool), the messages will fail, as shown:
All communication, from that Pool is suspended for this recipient. Notice that this student selected a STOP versus a STOPALL and is still eligible to receive communications via SMS from other Pools.
A STOPALL means the student or employee wishes to no longer receive any messages via SMS from the sending institution. The FAST tables are updated immediately and no further messages can be sent out. Here is a sample of a communication thread with an employee who has opted out of all SMS text messaging:
Students and employees who have previously opted out, can themselves opt back into receiving SMS messaging if they either still have the ongoing message thread on their phones.
This would allow them to send in a message of START which will automatically re-enable all text messaging from the institution. This is a global setting and will open that recipient up to receive text messages from all Pools. They are still welcome to opt out (using the STOP command) from individual threads or Pools.