One of the education sector market leaders in communication and data extraction tools, Groupcall, has been providing communication and data solutions to the education, public and private sectors since 2002. Co-founded by Sir Bob Geldof, its product portfolio comprises of Messenger, Xporter, Alert and Emerge.
Groupcall was initially created to improve general and emergency communication between a school and its parents. Its parental communication system, Messenger, is currently used in more than 2,500 schools throughout the UK and Europe and has proven to successfully reduce unauthorised absences in schools, as well as improve parental engagement, lower costs and improve efficiencies.
In January, 2011, at BETT, the world’s largest international technology event, Groupcall officially unveiled the company’s latest innovative education ‘App’, Emerge, which is designed for the Apple iPod touch with Wi-Fi, or an iPhone/iPad with Wi-Fi and 3Gconnectivity. It delivers up-to-the-minute Management Information System (MIS) data instantly and securely, with access on an anytime, anywhere basis. Emerge is the perfect solution for users to access information when and wherever it is needed, including in an emergency where the school system may be down or access to the school is restricted, thus ensuring staff and student safety is paramount at all times.
It is designed specifically for senior leaders, administrators and teaching staff at both primary and secondary stage education, providing them with access to on-the-go key data from a compact mobile device. Via Emerge, registration can be taken while simultaneously being written back to the school’s MIS. Additional student information including timetables, attendance and behavioural data can also be accessed wherever the teacher is located (both on and off school grounds) without the need to rely on a desktop PC. The mobile solution is rapidly gaining ground and currently approximately 10 new schools a week are starting to use the system, each with many mobile device licences.
Understanding that streamlining products to increase and enhance functionality and meeting changing customer needs is hugely important in the fast paced, technology driven world we live in, in May 2011 Groupcall announced that it would be integrating Messenger with Emerge. By doing this, teachers are provided with the capabilities of communicating with parents directly from the palm of their hand. The rich interface allows messages to be sent to any group or individuals at the touch of a button. This enables communication with parents or guardians to become more meaningful, as it allows them to receive behavioural, attendance or general communication updates from schools in ‘real time’, as issues or questions arise. Parents can now be, for example, informed of their child’s helpful and good behaviour on a school trip, any experienced delays when returning home from an organised museum trip, or a goal they scored at a football match, as each event happens.
Groupcall were delighted to be awarded the prestigious title of ICT Company of the Year at the hugely anticipated BETT 2012 Awards gala dinner which took place at the London Hilton, Park Lane. The BETT Awards recognise outstanding educational products and learning solutions, and with a huge number of entries, are seen as the most respected in the sector. All category finalists were selected from a very competitive pool of entrants.
For more information
www.groupcall.com
