Automated Caller FAQs

During the last week of school in December 2008, the fickle weather gave us many opportunities to use our automated calling service (called SchoolMessenger). While overall very successful, we’ve received some questions. Here are some answers:

Q: Why are you calling so early on snow days?

A: We struggle over the optimal time to make the calls. If we call too early, we are waking people up. If we call too late, it doesn’t notify parents who leave early for work or give as much time for parents to arrange for child care. Unfortunately, we will never be able to find a time that makes EVERYONE happy.  We’ve tried to find the best time possible.

Q: I didn’t get a call. Why?

A: It may be that your school doesn’t have your current phone number on record. You can call your school and verify that they have the correct phone number on file.

Q: I got a call but didn’t hear a message or only heard part of a message. Why?

A: This one is a bit trickier to answer because there could be several reasons. When the automated caller dials a number, it waits for the line to be picked up and then listens for a response. It either expects to hear a live person say “hello” or it expects to hear a machine (voicemail/answering machine) give a greeting and then play a “beep”. After the “hello” or the “beep”, the automated calling system begins to play the district’s message. The problems can occur when the automated calling system encounters something unexpected. These can include:

• Extra noise or static on the line
• Background sounds
• Not saying “hello”, not saying “hello” loud enough, or saying “hello” too soon
• Extra pauses or sounds in a voicemail greeting
• "No solicitation" features
• Ringback tones features

If you have any questions, please let us know and we’ll be glad to help. Also, if we receive more questions, we'll update this FAQ so check back.