Send announcements on WhatsApp

When something changes at short notice, like snow, a cancelled class or a cover teacher, a WhatsApp message is the one families see straight away. Labbaik sends it to each family or teacher individually, greeted by their own first name.

Messages come from Labbaik’s own WhatsApp account, @labbaik, not from your organisation’s phone. Families see Labbaik as the sender, so it’s worth telling them to save the number.

Every message names your organisation, so parents, students and staff always know who it’s from, even though it comes from Labbaik’s number.

Admins and head teachers can send them.

Why you can’t type your own message

WhatsApp doesn’t allow it. Meta, the company that runs WhatsApp, doesn’t let organisations send their own typed messages to people. Every message has to use wording Meta has checked and approved beforehand, called a template.

So Labbaik has written a set of templates and had them approved. You choose the one that fits, such as Closed today or Cancel a class, and fill in the details: the class, the reason, the date. Everything around your details is fixed wording that you can’t change.

For anything the messages don’t cover, use Share an update. It tells families there’s a new announcement and gives them a Read the update button that opens it in the parent portal. Write the full announcement first, then send this.

Need a message that isn't here?

Ask us for one. Message us on WhatsApp or email support@uselabbaik.com with what you’d like it to say. We’ll write it as a template and send it to Meta to approve. Once it’s approved, it shows up in your list of messages.

Send a WhatsApp message

1. Go to Announcements and choose Write a WhatsApp message on the WhatsApp card.

2. Find the message you need. Browse the groups, or search for a word like snow, cover, eid or trip. The preview on the right shows what people will receive, with sample details. Choose Use this message.

3. Under Write it, fill in each box. The preview fills in as you type, and any box still empty shows as a highlighted blank you can tap to jump to it.

4. Under Who gets it, choose:

   • Families or Staff, for messages that suit both
   • All classes, or Choose classes to pick by programme and class
   • Boys and girls, Boys only or Girls only

5. Check the line at the bottom. It shows how many people the message will reach and how many credits it uses. Nothing is sent yet.

6. Choose Send to …. The message starts going out straight away, and you can watch it under History.

One message per phone number

Brothers and sisters who share a parent’s number get one message between them, not one each. Students aged 18 or over get the message themselves, on their own number, and some messages have wording written for them. Switch the preview to Students 18+ see to check it.

The messages

Group	Messages
Updates	Share an update
Classes	Cancel a class · Change a class time · Finish early or late · Cover teacher today · Introduce a new teacher · Classes restart
Closures	Closed for a holiday · Closed today · Close some classes today
Exams and events	Test coming up · Invite to a class event · Parents’ evening
Forms and reminders	Ask for a form back · What to bring · Confirm next term’s place
Staff	Staff meeting or training · Ask for cover · Staff deadline

Closed today and Closed for a holiday say all classes, so they always go to every family. If only some classes are affected, use Close some classes today or Cancel a class instead.

Ramadan or winter timings?

First add a timetable change, so registers and the parent portal follow the new times. Then send Change a class time to let families know. There’s no box for an end date, so put it in New day and time, such as 4:30pm to 6:30pm until Eid.

A message marked Awaiting approval is still being checked by WhatsApp, usually within an hour. You can fill it in, but you can’t send it until it’s approved.

Who it reaches

Labbaik sends a family’s message to the phone number on the student’s record, trying the WhatsApp number first, then the mobile, mother’s mobile, home and extra phone numbers. Staff messages go to every teacher and staff member with a mobile number.

If some students have no number on file, the send window says how many. Choose Add their numbers to type them in there and then, without leaving the message.

Credits

Each message uses 1 credit for each person it reaches. A message to 120 families uses 120 credits. Every organisation gets 100 free credits to try it out, for a test or a small announcement to one class.

Your balance shows at the top of the WhatsApp page. If you don’t have enough credits for a message, the send window tells you how many it needs, and Send stays off until you top up. See WhatsApp credits for how to buy more and the prices.

Replies and stopping messages

• Replies go to Labbaik’s WhatsApp assistant, not to your phone. The messages ask families to contact the office or the class teacher instead.
• Stopping: messages to families end with Reply STOP to stop these messages. Anyone who replies STOP won’t get these messages any more, or Labbaik’s other WhatsApp messages to families, like reports and payment messages. They’re counted as opted out in your history.
• No double sends: if the same message, with the same words, was sent in the last 10 minutes, Labbaik won’t send it again. A double tap can’t message everyone twice.

See what you’ve sent

The History tab lists every WhatsApp message your organisation has sent: who sent it, when, and how many it reached. Each one shows how many were sent, and any that failed, opted out or had no number. Choose Use again to send the same message again with the same details, ready to change.

The Automatic tab lists the WhatsApp messages Labbaik sends for you, like reports and attendance updates. The ones that use credits can be switched off there.