SMS Templates
SMS templates let you create reusable text messages for communicating with students and guardians via their mobile phones. Text messages are great for quick reminders, time-sensitive updates, and reaching people who may not check email regularly.
:::warning SMS is outbound only Conductly SMS is one-way. Recipients cannot text you back -- anyone who replies receives an automatic "This number is not monitored" message. If you need a response, ask families to call or email you, and include that contact information in your message. :::
Creating an SMS Template
- Navigate to Settings → Emails & SMS.
- Scroll to the SMS templates section and click Add SMS template.
- Fill in the template details:
- Name -- A descriptive name for internal reference (e.g., "Lesson Reminder" or "Schedule Change Notice").
- Body -- The text message content. Keep it concise -- SMS messages work best when they are short and to the point.
- Save the template.
SMS messages are most effective when they are under 160 characters. Longer messages may be split into multiple texts, which can be confusing for recipients.
Template Merge Fields
Just like email templates, SMS templates support merge fields that personalize each message:
| Merge Field | Description |
|---|---|
{student_name} | The full name of the student |
{recipient_name} | The full name of the message recipient |
{recipient_first_name} | The first name of the recipient |
{organization_name} | Your school's name |
Example template:
Hi
{recipient_first_name}, this is{organization_name}. Just a reminder that{student_name}'s lesson is tomorrow. See you then!
What the recipient sees:
Hi Sarah, this is Maple Street Music Academy. Just a reminder that Emma's lesson is tomorrow. See you then!
Editing an SMS Template
- Go to Settings → Emails & SMS.
- Click on the template you want to edit.
- Update the name or body as needed.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Sending SMS Messages
You can send text messages from a student's detail page or from a group:
- Open a student's profile (or a group's detail page) and choose Send SMS.
- Choose a saved template or compose a new message. The composer shows a 160-character counter and how many message segments your text will use.
- Review the message and click Send. Like emails, sent texts show an Undo toast so you can cancel before the sending delay runs out.
SMS messages are sent to the phone number on file. Make sure contact phone numbers are up to date for reliable delivery.
Opt-Outs
Conductly keeps opted-out contacts out of every texting flow instead of quietly dropping the message at send time.
A student or guardian opts out by replying STOP to any text (they can reply START to opt back in), or by answering "No" to the Communication Preferences question on a registration form, which opts out both the student and their guardian.
Once someone has opted out:
- Send SMS is greyed out on their student or guardian detail page, and hovering it explains who opted out. On a student's page, this checks whoever the text would actually reach -- the guardian's phone, if that's where texts to that student go.
- In a group, opted-out members are marked Texts off in the member list and left out of the group's text recipients. They stay in the group for email, roster exports, and member counts -- only texting skips them.
- If everyone you selected has opted out, you'll see a clear error instead of a false "sent" confirmation.
An opt-out can only be lifted by the family replying START, or by an admin re-enabling the SMS toggle on their record. Submitting another registration form does not opt them back in.
Automatic Lesson Reminder Texts (System Template)
Conductly can also text families automatically before a lesson, using the Lesson reminder (SMS) system template. Unlike the templates above, you don't send this one manually -- you turn it on and set its timing from Reminder Settings (Settings > Reminders), which has its own Email and Text toggle for the advance and same-day reminders. To edit the wording, click Edit text message on that page.
The system template supports the same merge fields as your own templates, plus these lesson-specific ones:
| Merge Field | Description |
|---|---|
{lesson_list} | Every lesson covered by this reminder, one per line (e.g., "tomorrow: Ava - Piano Lesson at 4:00 PM") |
{lesson_category} | The lesson category (e.g., "Piano Lesson") |
{lesson_date} | The date of the lesson |
{lesson_start_time} | The start time |
{lesson_end_time} | The end time |
{lesson_duration} | The lesson length in minutes |
If a family has more than one lesson due in the same reminder (for example, two enrolled kids), Conductly sends one text listing all of them using {lesson_list}, instead of a separate text per lesson. This only works if your template body includes {lesson_list} -- the default wording does. If you've customized the template and removed {lesson_list}, families go back to getting one text per lesson.
Conductly also sends automatic text payment reminders for past-due invoices, configured the same way on Reminder Settings. Its wording is fixed and not editable as a template.
Lesson Reminders via Your Own SMS Template
You can also create your own SMS template for lesson reminders you send manually, separate from the automatic one above:
Hi
{recipient_first_name}! Reminder:{student_name}has a lesson coming up. See you soon! -{organization_name}
This is useful for a one-off nudge outside the regular schedule -- for example, reminding a family about a rescheduled lesson.
Best Practices
- Keep it short. Text messages should be brief and actionable. Save longer communications for email.
- Include your school name. Recipients may not recognize your phone number, so always include
{organization_name}so they know who the message is from. - Use merge fields. Personalized messages feel more thoughtful and are less likely to be ignored.
- Be mindful of timing. Avoid sending text messages very early in the morning or late at night.
- Respect preferences. Some families may prefer email over text. Pay attention to communication preferences when possible.
- Don't ask for a text reply. SMS is outbound only, so phrase messages so no reply is needed -- or point families to your phone number or email instead.