Majority of adults use text messaging to access important information.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA – FACTS Management Company, the technology leader in private school financial services, has added text notifications to its lineup of mobile phone solutions. For the rapidly growing number of adults who use their phones to browse the Internet and access important information, text notifications are an important new plus for schools to offer their families.
Many families enrolled in a FACTS Tuition Management plan elect to pay tuition and fees through automatic electronic payments. Those families greatly appreciate receiving a reminder a few days before their next automatic payment is due, which is why nearly all families who use the Tuition Management system have selected to receive email reminder notifications. Now families can also receive text message reminders on their mobile phones.
Text Messaging Boom
Text messaging is now the most widely used data application in the world. Almost 90 percent of U.S adults own a mobile phone (“Cell Internet Use 2012”, Pew Internet and American Life Project, published June 26, 2012), and almost 70 percent of them use text messaging (“SMS Usage Remains Strong in the U.S., Forrester, published June 19, 2012). More than 6 billion SMS text messages are sent in the U.S. every day, which calculates to 19 text messages per day for every man, woman and child in the United States. “Increasingly, FACTS is seeing a higher adoption, of hundreds of families each month, opting in to receive their payment reminders via text,” said Bill Skidmore, FACTS’ Director of Product Management. “Both email or text payment reminders are offered to families,” further explained Skidmore.
The FACTS Tuition Management system, its user-friendly online services and its mobile solutions put FACTS and the schools it serves on the cutting edge of modern technological functionality and convenience. FACTS Management Company, a division of Nelnet, Inc., is the nation’s leading provider of tuition management and other financial services to more than one million families at nearly 6,500 private schools. FACTS is the industry leader in developing innovative technologies for private and faith-based school tuition management and payment processing.
Mobile Solutions Offer Options
FACTS wants to help schools keep up with the modern lifestyles of the families they serve. Providing mobile phone functionalities is a big part of making that happen. It is more common than ever for people to browse the Internet using their mobile phones and tablet computers and to access information through text notifications pushed to their phones. More than 20 percent of all Web traffic now occurs through mobile devices.
For many families, accessing information with their mobile phones is more than just a convenience. Many families solely rely on their mobile phones to browse the Web and receive important information.
Every school wants to show ease of access and information to its students and families. By enhancing the FACTS Tuition Management system to include mobile solutions such as text notifications, FACTS enables schools to provide the same services to all of their families, including those who rely primarily on mobile devices to stay informed. FACTS’ Mobile Solution already includes several convenient services. Families can use their phones to make payments, make deposits, receive adjustment notices and view their account history.
The FACTS Mobile Solution is convenient and does not require downloading an app. When families use a mobile device to access the FACTS Tuition Management system’s online portal, they are automatically redirected to a version that is compatible with all mobile devices and tablets and is accessible anytime and anywhere. It is another way FACTS is leading the industry in technology innovations and shaping the future of tuition management.
~ ~ ~ ~
(1) “Almost 90% own a phone”: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Cell-Internet-Use-2012.aspx — p 2: 88%
(2) “Almost 70% use texting”: http://blogs.forrester.com/michael_ogrady/12-06-19-sms_usage_remains_strong_in_the_us_6_billion_sms_messages_are_sent_each_day — last sentence
About FACTS Management Company
FACTS, a division of Nelnet, Inc., of LIncoln, Neb., is committed to making educational dreams possible for families and students as well as enhancing the financial stability and affordability of educational institutions. FACTS serves more than one million families at nearly 6,500 schools and manages $4.9 billion in tuition funds annually. FACTS offers a comprehensive suite of services including tuition management, payment administration and processing, financial needs assessment and fundraising solutions.
###