NSPCC
SMS-Based Group Messaging
Challenge
The first months of a child’s life are critical to their development. Yet, despite the importance of these early weeks and months, a survey by The Royal College of Midwives in the UK found that 75% of expectant mothers in low-income households receive no antenatal education at all.
This was the challenge brought to us by the NSPCC, the leading children’s charity, who needed to create a communication tool to help provide critical support to hard-to-reach new parents both before and after childbirth.
Company Type
Charity
About
The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover.
Challenge
Facilitating engagement while addressing the data protection issues that had previously deterred practitioners from using messaging tools.
Solution
A low-friction group messaging tool that works on almost every device.
Result
Improved data protection and more effective communications between parents and practitioners
Key Product Outcomes
- Improving the lives of hard-to-reach new parents
- Works on almost every device
- Preserves anonymity of members
- Compliance with strict regulations
- Low-friction platform
Solution
Following research and a pilot scheme, the NSPCC identified that to increase attendance to perinatal classes in their Baby Steps Programme, engaging hard-to-reach mums is key. The findings also showed that these mothers are four times more likely to respond to SMS than any other medium.
We worked closely with the NSPCC to design and build an SMS-powered messaging platform using Twilio. The platform facilitated engagement while addressing the data protection issues that had so far deterred practitioners from using messaging tools.
For regulatory reasons, it was important that users won’t need to store group members’ phone numbers on a device and that users won’t need to share their phone number to communicate with other group members.
Further to this, DVELP’s solution meant that:
Anyone can create a group with a unique phone number
Anyone with the group number can join the group
The group creator can message all members simultaneously
The group creator and all members can message each other directly, without the need for the recipient’s phone number
“We’re excited to welcome Tom Mullen of DVELP and Kathleen Coor of NSPCC into Twilio’s Hall of Doers for their work on the Baby Steps programme”
Result
This WhatsApp-style messaging service gave NSPCC practitioners the chance to connect directly with new parents while respecting their privacy. With improved data protection and more effective communications between parents and practitioners, this service is key to the success of the Baby Steps Programme.
You can even try the messaging service yourself.
To create your first group:
text #createGroup
to +44 1202 835295
Once your group is created, share the number with your friends and enjoy!