txttools limited

The weekend’s upgrade and maintenance of txttools resulted in a change of IP address. If you use any of our APIs, you may need to update your URLs/whitelists etc. Please get in touch with us for more info.

The weekend’s upgrade and maintenance of txttools has been completed.
All services are fully functional.

IMPORTANT:
This does NOT apply to the US site.
This weekend, txttools will undergo essential maintenance on Sunday, 29 January between the hours of midnight and 4 am GMT/UTC.
During that period, users will be unable to log into txttools accounts to send messages, check inboxes, manage settings, or other functions. All messages scheduled to be sent within this timeframe will be sent after the service restarts. All inbound messages will be queued and processed by the service when it restarts.
As part of this maintenance, we will also be moving our Application Programming Interface (APIs) to a new server altogether. Clients that use txttools APIs may need to adjust their firewall settings, so that the new txttools servers continue to be whitelisted by your institution, and messages are delivered without interruption. Otherwise, your txttools integration may cease to work on Sunday morning – and no one wants that!
If you think this change will affect you, please contact txttoolstechies@blackboard.com to be advised of the new IP address.

Due to temporary technical difficulties emails sent to support@txttools.co.uk cannot currently reach us. Whilst the service is being restored, please make use of our live chat facility or call us directly on 0113 234 2111 or 07817 577 380.

Email2txt messages are also not being processed. Please check this space as we will keep you updated when you can attempt to resend them again.

With kind regards,
the Client Care team

Our 9th event will be held on Tuesday 8th November at The University of Edinburgh.

This one day event is designed to give you an insight into how organisations are utilising sms technology to dramatically improve the way they communicate with their staff, customers, patients and clients.

You will have the opportunity to see presentations from Local Councils, Police, Local government and the Education
Community.

For more information see our website home page or register here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHpGLVk5ckMxdUUtRU1oUTFMUncyY1E6MQ

The txttools tech team are proud to announce the launch of txttools mobile for iPhone/iPad. The app allows txttools customers to send messages to groups in their txttools account. There is also an emergency feature which speeds up sending messages to multiple groups.

This great new tool enables you to send messages to your whole organisation from your phone when you can’t access a computer, for example if you realised your workplace was inaccessible due to bad weather, floods, fire etc…

The application is free to all txttools account holders and follows the release of the txttools mobile for Android which became available in Spring 2011, which has been well received.

Check out our youtube video demo!

To arrange a live demonstration of the txttools application (including mobile apps) call 0113 234 2111, email info@txttools.co.uk or visit www.txttools.co.uk.

Innovative service wins prestigious 2011 Mobile Messaging Award

Bedfordshire Police has successfully embraced real time text messaging to reassure the public during recent protests in Luton, the largest policing operation in the force’s history. It deployed a web-based SMS package from Blackboard Connect (www.txttools.co.uk ) during a major demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) and counter protest by Unite Against Fascism in February 2011. Overwhelmingly positive public feedback on the service was one of the key reasons Bedfordshire Police has just won the public sector category at the influential international 2011 Mobile Messaging Awards. The innovative solution opened up a new, live communication channel to residents, shoppers and businesses affected by the protests that was simple to use and provided a trusted source of information. By helping the police to respond in real time to the developing protest and quash rumours, it enabled the police to reassure the public and keep control of a potentially inflammatory situation.

Over 1,600 people registered to receive text updates, using a unique short code and the memorable keyword Police. This was publicised heavily in all public communications, including the force’s Facebook page and through Bluetooth units ahead of the demonstration on 5th February 2011. Thirty four messages were sent in the lead up to and on the day itself, accounting for over 41,000 individual texts. Messages ranged from information about road closures and bus diversions, through to news updates as the day unfolded and quelling inaccurate rumours about shops and a mosque being attacked. Bedfordshire Police Marketing Manager Andy Jones said, “In terms of numbers, what we achieved with the text message service was impressive. Its true value though, can be seen in the reaction we had from the users of the service. I was staggered by the range of people who wrote in after the protest to thank us for our updates and to tell us what a difference it made to them.”

An added benefit for the force was how the messages were used in social media. The Force was posting updates to its website and Facebook page, but does not have a Twitter account. Nevertheless, the Corporate Communications team were monitoring Twitter and were able to see that within just a few seconds, the text messages were being tweeted and re-tweeted by news organisations, journalists and private individuals.

Stephen McCann, VP & Managing Director UK, Blackboard Connect comments, “In a quickly changing and difficult situation such as the Luton demonstrations reassuring the public by providing fast, trusted information was imperative for Bedfordshire Police. The ease of use and immediacy of text messaging coupled with the reliability, simplicity and flexibility of our solution provided the perfect channel for communication, supporting police operations and ensuring the situation remained under control. This success has been recognised by the project winning the prestigious 2011 Mobile Messaging Award in the public sector category – and the incredible positive public feedback received by Bedfordshire Police.”

Held in association with 160 Characters, the Mobile Messaging Awards celebrate the very best in messaging innovation and development. With the award ceremony held as part of the Global Messaging and VAS Congress, 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of the awards. Through its Blackboard Connect solutions, Blackboard has helped thousands of schools, universities and local governments send billions of critical messages. Reasons why clients rely on the solution include:

• Experience – more than 2 billion messages sent to date; averaging 41 million messages delivered per month
• Capacity – ability to send more than 6.8 million messages per hour
• Satisfaction – 96 percent of clients are satisfied overall with our mass notification system

moodletxt 2.4 has now been released! This is a major upgrade, with many bugfixes, compatibility upgrades and a new authentication system.

Outlook plugin
We are pleased to announce that a RC (Release Candidate) of the much requested Outlook plugin is now available to use with your txttools account at no extra charge.
Check out the plugins page for more details.

Android app
Another fantastic innovation from the brains in our product development team is the recently released Android app!
The initial release is designed to allow you to send SMS messages to existing txttools groups. To prevent messages coming from your mobile number, messages are sent via txttools and not via the handset’s network.
The app also allows you to pre-set a group or groups in advance, allowing faster message sending in event of an emergency.

This app is available now from the Android market place.

Learn about the latest developments in mobile messaging from various public sector clients
police*councils*colleges*universities*NHS*connexions*unions

Leeds, UK – March 21st, 2011
txttools, a Blackboard company, is pleased to announce the opening of registration for its 8th “Let’s talk about txt!” event. The free conference will take place at City University, London on the 12th of May 2011 and will feature various public sector organisations sharing their experiences using mass notification and two-way text services to improve communications.

The rapid adoption of mobile handsets across the UK has significantly impacted individual communications preferences, creating new challenges and opportunities for organisations seeking to improve community engagement and responsiveness. Let’s talk about txt! seminars provide a dynamic environment to learn from leaders in the public sector with experienced new communications technologies and techniques.

James Lasbrey, Head of Interactive Sales at O2, will be the conference keynote speaker, followed by a variety communications and safety specialists from councils, police, connexions, universities, colleges and industry scheduled to share real life examples about how they are addressing their communities’ mobile communications needs. Featured delegates include:

• Andrew Jones , Marketing Manager, Bedfordshire Police
• Simon Wright, Senior Emergency Planning Officer, North Yorkshire CC
• Mick Mullane, Network Manager, Yorkshire Coast College
• Dr Susannah Quinsee, Director Learning Development Centre, City University London
• Laurence Smith, Assistant Director of Corporate Planning and Assurance , CAFCASS
• Mark Diggins, Co-ordinator, Sports Scotland, Avalanche Information
• Brian Hipkin, Dean of Students, Regents College, London
• Andy Black, technology evangelist

The conference will also feature the latest Blackboard Connect and txttools services, with demonstrations provided by Blackboard product specialists. In addition, complimentary service accounts and message deliveries will be available for conference attendees. “Let’s talk about txt!” conferences provide a unique forum to learn about how organisations are responding to the evolving communications preferences of their communities”, said Stephen McCann, VP & Managing Director, Blackboard, txttools. “They are using mobile and webtechnologies to improve how they reach constituents, get them involved and reduce the costs of community outreach.”

The conference isn’t just for organisations already engaged with messaging and mass communications. Those considering these services, such as emergency planning officers, communication teams, marketing teams, IT managers, VLE managers, or administration staff, can benefit from learning how their peers have evaluated and implemented their own solutions.

Reservations for the conference are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is limited. Book online at www.txttools.co.uk, call 0113 234 2111 or email your name and mobile number to conferencebooking@txttools.co.uk.
Interested parties can keep updated about the event and the agenda by checking the website and registering to receive our newsletter at www.txttools.co.uk
ENDS

About txttools
“mobile technology helping people to manage their lives”

txttools Ltd is a Blackboard Connect company. It was established in January 2001 and is the result of over 14 years of innovation within the technology market.

Press contact:
Stephen McCann, VP & Managing Director, txttools UK
t: +44(0)113 234 2111
m: +44(0)7866 438056
e: smccann@txttools.co.uk
w: www.edutxt.co.uk