New multi-supplier framework agreement makes Jisc’s Janet txt service more easily available to the education sector 

Jisc is making it easier and more cost-effective for educational institutions to communicate with students, staff and parents via instant messaging.   

Schools, colleges and universities can improve engagement with stakeholders by using Jisc’s Janet txt service, a low-cost, bulk text messaging service, which is now available under a new multi-supplier framework agreement.

Jessica Wu, head of services for cloud solutions at Jisc, said:

“During the pandemic we really saw how the Janet txt service supported users. The beginning of lockdown saw an uptake of the service grow more than three-fold over the previous year as it became the preferred way for colleges and universities to communicate. This new framework agreement will offer a wider choice of services and suppliers, be more responsive to user requirements, and make it even easier for the education sector to access the benefits of Janet txt.”

The popular short messaging service is now available to users via Voodoo SMS as top-ranked supplier and PageOne and Reach Interactive as framework suppliers. Institutions can either award the contract directly to the top-ranked supplier or run a mini-competition against their specific requirements with all three suppliers.  

Janet txt was created specifically to cater for the requirements of the UK education community. With instant delivery and high open rates, the service enables users to maximise the effectiveness of their communications.  

Messages can be easily created, managed and distributed at any time to groups or individuals. Content can be prepared from templates and pre-scheduled for delivery, and potential recipients may be grouped for bulk delivery of messages.   

Janet txt also facilitates two-way communications: organisations can push out information and solicit responses when required, such as opt-in to information bulletins, simple polling or requests for further information.

The service is highly accessible and customisable. It supports non-text-based delivery (email and text-to-voice options), multilingual formats and international delivery, and can also be integrated with virtual learning environments (VLEs) such as Moodle.  

In addition, Janet txt is safe, secure and ethical: as well as full GDPR compliance, it complies with best practice related to the handling of data for minors or vulnerable adults, and operating staff have undergone disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks. 

Jessica Wu added:

“This new multi-supplier framework agreement will save time and costs for institutions which want easier access to the more advanced features of Janet txt. There is no joining charge for Jisc members, and usage charges depend on the choice of supplier and features.”