TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

SchoolMessenger

Score2.1 out of 10

8 Reviews and Ratings

Get a Demo

What is SchoolMessenger?

SchoolMessenger is a school community software featuring secure email, social media monitoring, school website, and mobile app. In late 2023 it was acquired by PowerSchool, and is now a PowerSchool product.

Categories & Use Cases

Reviews

What users are saying about SchoolMessenger.
View all reviews

Take a Pass on SchoolMessenger - Consider Competitors First

Lisa Gonzales
Chief Business Officer in Information Technology at Mt Diablo Unified (1001-5000 employees employees)

Pros

  • It is widely used.

Cons

  • Customer service.
  • Knowing how to manage the data integration process.
  • Ethical behavior.

Most Important Features

  • Home to school communication.
  • Centralized messaging.

Return on Investment

  • Lost the confidence of families that we were protecting their data.
  • Refused to refund our funds after they released confidential information.
  • Required extensive resources to find another product.

Other Software Used

Google Surveys, Alchemer, formerly SurveyGizmo, Illuminate Data & Assessment (DnA)

Works as promised!

Incentivized
Terica BerganView profile
Data Services Coordinator in Information Technology at Berrien Springs Public Schools (501-1000 employees employees)

Pros

  • The reports are very detailed and easy to use. I can quickly show each school what student is missing or has inaccurate phone numbers.
  • The system itself is user-friendly. We don't have to leave our SIS system to send a message.
  • Their customer service is top-notch and very knowledgeable about their product.

Cons

  • There's nothing I dislike. This program is very straight forward to use.
  • It just works well.

Return on Investment

  • SchoolMessenger is an excellent tool that links the school admin with the parents directly, which avoids the risks of students not delivering the message.
  • Saves money and time not being held hostage by the US postal service.

West Unified Communications - All you need in one place

Incentivized
Scott TrautweinView profile
Director of Technology in Information Technology at Brush School District Re 2j (201-500 employees employees)

Pros

  • Does a great job of posting messages to multiple locations at once. We can send out a message that goes to email, SMS, phone call, Facebook, mobile app and website.
  • Very detailed and clear reports after the message is sent, showing who it was delivered to and who didn't receive it.
  • Interface is very user friendly. Little to no training is needed for basic users.

Cons

  • Cost is significant. Not unreasonable, to lower price would be great.
  • Support is very, very slow to respond. Unless you call in it takes several days to receive a response. I've had tickets open for over a week to resolve the issue.

Return on Investment

  • Kept all communications uniform across multiple mediums (Facebook, mobile app, email, phone) -- All messages are the same.
  • Cost was the same as our previous solution
  • Easier to use than previous solution

Alternatives Considered

shoutpoint

Other Software Used

Alexandria POS

School Website Design with Added Benefits

Incentivized
Verified User
Employee in Information Technology (201-500 employees employees)

Pros

  • The responsive technology is really good. Moving banners are smooth and viewing on a phone has a cleaner scrolling view.
  • Modern, sleek design, with more visual options.
  • The included broadcast feature helps us a lot with notifications.

Cons

  • Limited functionality. A lot is set through templates. This makes it difficult to really hone in and customize to your liking. You can change colors, etc. But really getting creative with website/webpage design isn't as advanced as some other programs.
  • The page editing (for example faculty member and department pages) is difficult to navigate. This would be a lot better if it was cleaned up and easier to navigate.
  • Setting up the website is difficult and time-consuming as well as the app part.

Return on Investment

  • Allowed visitors to navigate our website on mobile devices much easier, with less time.
  • Afforded us options to integrate broadcasts and notifications limited other tools used.
  • Updated our look to match a more modern, tech savvy atmosphere.

Alternatives Considered

Weebly, Wix and WordPress

Other Software Used

Schoology, Flipgrid, Frontline Professional Growth

Usability

Easy To Send Quick Notifications To Parents

Incentivized
Verified User
Employee (501-1000 employees employees)

Pros

  • Email access.
  • Attachments.
  • Notifications to parents regarding important information.

Cons

  • Page editing tools could be streamlined better.
  • Navigation could be more straightforward.
  • A short process to get up and running.

Return on Investment

  • Ease of access.
  • Quick access for families.
  • PowerSchool Integration.

Other Software Used

Flipgrid, Frontline Absence Management (formerly Aesop), Schoology

Usability