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Communicatio ns Analysis Group Montclair State University
| Date post: | 26-Jul-2015 |
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Communications Analysis GroupMontclair State University
Your Working Group
Daron Bishop
Christopher Dixon
Aishwarya Shashidhar
Matthew Reagan
Chris Vande Vusse
Matthew Miller
University Overview
Founded in 1908 as NJ State Normal School at Montclair
Today: MSU’s 250 acre campus spans into the towns of Montclair, Little Falls & Clifton
Over 19k students (15k undergrad & 4k undergrad)
5k students are residential (26% of students)
54 Undergraduate Majors & 134 graduate programs
6 Schools (Arts, Education & Human Services, Humanities & Social Science, Science & Mathematics, Business & the Graduate School)
Presented Issue
Email Communication at MSU
Email is primary form of communication
Some use of social media (Facebook & Twitter)
Email distribution decentralized
No systematic collection of effectiveness
Presented Issue
Email Communication at MSU
Large quantity of daily & weekly emails
Targeted email messages being sent campus wide
Inconsistent formatting of emails (no branding)
Messaging is seemingly inconsistent & uncoordinated
Best Practices
Sussex County Community College
Communication Centralization
Limited Access to Campus-wide
Emailing
Use of Branding Template as
Shell for Emails
Brevity & Clarity
Sent Emails Weekly, Instead
of Daily
Brief & Straightforward
Best Practices
California State University - Fresno
Technology & Social Media
Email Read & Click-through
Tracking
Campus Phone
Application for Students
STRONG Facebook &
Twitter Presence
Email Controls
Limitations on Campus-wide Emails
Brief & Deliberate
Subject Lines/Content
Campus-wide Survey
Emailed to all graduate & undergraduate students
Links posted on Facebook and Twitter
1,621 students responded (about 9%)
98% of respondents linked through email
Participants were entered into a drawing for $100 for participation
Survey-Respondents
Diverse Representation
Survey - ResultsEmail Facebook Twitter
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%81%
22%14%
Method for Effective Commu-nication 74%
26%
Accessing Emails
Check MSU WebmailForward Emails
EMAIL SEEN AS
MOST EFFECTIVE
Smartphone61%
Computer34%
iPad/ Tablet4%
Devices
Survey - ResultsRele
vanc
e
Frequ
ency
Organ
izatio
n
Detail
Lengt
h
Consis
tency
Qualit
y0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2.93.03.13.23.33.43.53.669%
44%
25%19% 17% 15%
8%
3.4
3.2
3.43.5
3.3 3.3 3.3
Areas for Email Improvement
Selected Area for Improvement Group Average Satisfaction (1-5)
Overall Satisf
action = 3.5
Focus Group
Quantity
“Too many emails”
“50-60 emails per day”
“Takes too long to read them all”
“Should not bombard with everything”
Coordination
“Communication between departments seems poor”
“Multiple people sending same email”
“Emails should not be last minute”
“Should send out weekly newsletter”
Focus Group
Brevity
“Should be to the point, don’t elaborate”
“Keep it simple”
“Too Long”
Branding
“Branding is important”
“Should come from the department not individuals”
“Should have department banners”
“Proofreading”
Focus Group
Technology
“I access my email through my smartphone”
“Should be able to personalize which emails we get”
“Forwarded emails can get sent to spam folder”
“Existing phone apps not advertised”
“Want a centralized MSU phone app”
“Could have campus-wide information”
“Website needs improvements”
“Text messages should be used sparingly”
Recommendations
Email Transmission
• Limitation of Content• Subject• Body
• Filtering/Targeting• Redevelop• Opt-in Functionality
• Coordination• Advance Notice• Chunking Similar Emails
• Masking Personal Email Addresses (Department)
• Professionalism• Proofreading• Content Verification
Website Functionality
• Relocation of Event Calendars• “Weekly Loop” Newsletter
• Links to More Detailed Event Descriptions
• Remove Non-functioning Website Links
• Market Existing Phone Applications
Recommendations
Centralized Phone Application
• Allow for customizable notification platform• Events• Emails• Important Information
• Integrated University & Events Calendar• Should Interface with Mobile
Calendars• Should Integrate Existing Red
Hawk Dinning Application• Menus & Notifications
• Blackboard/Canvas & WESS Integration
Branding
• Singular Department Based Labeling Structure
• Inclusion of University Logo & Branding on All Emails
• Similar Appearance for All Official Emails• Color/Shading• Font• Layout/Design
Recommendations
Communications Hub
• Adopted by Many Schools• Creation of an Identifiable Brand for MSU
• Campus Banner• Campus Colors• Campus Font• Campus Seal
• Identifying & Maintaining Communication Protocols• Length of Emails• Formatting• Coordination of Newsletters
• Works in Conjunction with Other MSU Offices• Web Services• Strategic Marketing• Public Relations• Student Relations• Communications
Questions??
Daron Bishop• [email protected]
Christopher Dixon• [email protected]
Aishwarya Shashidhar• [email protected]
Matthew Reagan• [email protected]
Chris Vande Vusse• [email protected]
Matthew Miller• [email protected]
