Emailing and Texting Students FAQs
When I send an email to text to multiple students at once, will they know that it was a mass message? Can they see the names, emails, or phone numbers of the other students?
No. The email and text look like they were only sent to that one student. The student does not see other student names or emails.
If the student responds to the email or text message, will it respond to all other students that were sent that same message?
No. Even though you sent the message to more than one student at once from the platform, the message that is delivered is only sent to that one student. That means that the student can respond, and the reply only goes to the sender, not any of the other students.
When I mass email two or more students, do all recipients see who is included in the email, like a CC: function?
When sending mass e-mails through Navigate, recipients are not able to see other students included on the message. It functions as a BCC (blind carbon copy) in Navigate, thereby preserving student confidentiality.
What email address does my email come from?
The platform sends and receive messages from your HCC Gmail account. For example, an advisor sends an email to students through the Navigate platform. The email’s From field will display the subdomain (advisor@navigate.hcc.edu), not the advisor’s actual email (advisor@hcc.edu). If a student responds to the message, the message will display from the student’s subdomain (student@navigate.hcc.edu), not the student’s actual email (student@hcc.edu). All messages are still captured in both the Navigate platform and the user's HCC Gmail account, as long as the first outgoing message is from Navigate Staff.
What phone number does the text come from?
Automated text messages (e.g. appointment reminders or cancellation notices) and texts sent to more than 99 students will be sent from the platform’s short code, 915-52. Text messages sent to less than 100 students come from a list of pooled numbers.
Can students opt out of text messaging?
Yes, to some extent. They can reply STOP to any text received from a short code and it will change their setting in Navigate to no longer send them text messages from the short code. Text messages users attempt to send to this student will be routed to their email instead. They cannot opt-out of messages sent from a 10-digit phone number.
Does the STOP opt-out only apply to messages from short codes, or to all text messages?
It only applies to messages from the short code. Honoring the STOP command from 10-digit phone numbers per our SMS pooling technology is not something we support. While we do honor the STOP command for 5-digit short codes e.g. 915-22, that is due to the way carriers classify short codes differently from long codes and the existing restrictions they place on these numbers for marketing purposes.
When a student replies STOP to no longer get texts, how can a student reverse this in order to get texts again if they change their mind?
If students want to receive SMS/text messages from Navigate after opting out, they will need to text START to the same number (915-22) they sent the unsubscribe command to. Students cannot opt out of texts from pooled numbers.
What happens if the student texts a response to a staff member?
The staff member gets an email in the platform and in the institution’s HCC email system.
Does staff receive any texts or emails on their personal cell phone?
No.
What information is retained in Navigate if I delete an email for, e.g. having PHI or other protected data? Do I need to contact my Strategic Leader about backups?
When a conversation is deleted in Navigate, the content of the message itself is removed from our database. While some metadata is retained by our third-party email provider, none of this metadata will identify the student.