How to send a bulk SMS
Compose a message and take it through proof-read, approval, and release.
Use this guide when one message needs to reach a class, a filtered group, or a custom list. It follows the message from the first draft through review, release, and delivery checks. This guide describes the legacy SMS review queues. For a campaign created from Communications > New campaign, review and approve it from Messages, then choose its send time there.
Prerequisites
You need access to SMS > Send SMS. Your school also needs a Proof-reader, Approver, and Sender under SMS > Settings > Approvers.
One person can hold more than one review role, but the message still passes through every stage. See How SMS works in FEMS before your first send.
1. Choose the audience
Open SMS > Send SMS.
Choose Students or Employees. The audience controls which templates, variables, and recipient filters are available later.
2. Write and check the message
On Content:
- Add a subject your reviewers can recognize.
- Write the message or choose Use template.
- Add a marker offered for the selected audience, such as
{{student_name}}, when each recipient needs personalized text. - Check the character and segment counters. Long messages and Bangla text can use more than one billed SMS segment per recipient.
- If Schedule appears, leave it as Send immediately or choose a future date and time. Communications campaigns are scheduled from Messages after approval.
- Add Internal remarks when a reviewer needs context. Recipients do not see them.
See Sending an SMS for templates, variables, scheduling, and segment details.
3. Build the recipient list
On Recipients, choose one route:
- Use Build audience to filter students by campus, class, section, gender, or other available fields.
- Use Add individuals for specific students or employees.
- Use Import CSV for a prepared list. Download the template first and keep the file within the limits shown on screen.
Read the recipient count before continuing. Narrow the filters if the count is larger than the group you intend to contact.
4. Submit for review
On Review and send, check the message, audience, recipient count, priority, and schedule.
Select Submit for approval. This does not send the SMS. It moves the message to Awaiting proof-read.
If something is wrong, use Edit and correct it before submission.
5. Complete the review stages
Open SMS > Approvals. The message moves through three queues:
- The Proof-reader reads the full message and selects Mark proof-read.
- The Approver checks the audience, recipient count, message, and schedule, then selects Approve and advance.
- The Sender performs the final check.
At any stage, select Decline when the message needs a correction. Add a clear reason so the author knows what to fix. Editing the message sends it back through review from the beginning.
See Reviewing and approving messages for queue details and decline handling.
6. Release the message
The Sender stage is the action that reaches real phones and spends SMS credit. Check the final message and recipient count again.
Select Schedule and send, or the send-now action shown for an immediate message, only when the school has approved the final scope. A released message cannot be recalled.
7. Check delivery
Open SMS > My Messages and select the message.
Use the Recipients tab to compare Delivered, Failed, and Pending rows. Sent means FEMS handed the message to the provider. It does not mean every phone confirmed delivery.
See Tracking your messages for filters, delivery reports, and failed-recipient handling.
FAQ
Why does the message need three reviewers? Bulk messages reach many phones and can spend significant SMS credit. Each stage checks a different part of the decision before release.
Can an administrator skip the review stages? No. An administrator can hold every review role, but the message still moves through Proof-read, Approval, and Sender.
Can I change the message after approval? Yes, but changing its wording, audience, or recipients clears the earlier approvals and returns it to Proof-read. Changing only the schedule can keep the approvals.
Does Submit for approval send the SMS? No. Only the Sender-stage release reaches phones.
What does Partially delivered mean? Some phones confirmed delivery and others did not. Open the message's Recipients tab and filter to Failed.