The correct reading of delivery status: the status proves the message technically reached the phone — it does not prove the guardian read it. “It says delivered, so the guardian knows” is the most common mistake; students of non-reading guardians stay repeatedly absent without ever being caught.
What to verify: technical status interpretation, no assumption the parent read the alert
The delivery-state glossary:
| Status | Proves | Does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Queued | the system accepted it | it was dispatched |
| Sent | the provider received it | it reached the phone |
| Delivered | it reached the phone | it was opened or read |
| Failed | it did not arrive | why it failed |
Practice rule: the list of students behind undelivered alerts goes into next day’s verification; students behind delivered alerts who are repeatedly absent still go to the ustadh’s phone list — because message arrival ≠ guardian awareness.
A usable sample: the delivery state glossary
Post this glossary in the office (so anyone can interpret a status):
- Queued: accepted by the system, dispatch pending — normal; if older than 24 hours, contact the provider.
- Sent: handed to the provider — awaiting result; usually delivered/failed within minutes.
- Delivered: reached the phone — nothing to do.
- Failed: did not arrive — verify the number / phone call; credit return possible [VERIFY: provider terms].
The glossary is the day-one reading for new office staff — status questions get answered by the office without bothering teachers or guardians.
Delivery-status proof: workflow steps and limitations
- Week-end reconciliation of failed numbers — repeatedly failed = number needs changing.
- Delivered-but-unresponsive guardians’ students stay on the exception list — addressed by the ustadh directly.
- Limitation: statuses reflect the provider’s reporting — on a provider error, a written complaint is the path.
Delivery status: questions to ask before your demo
- Are all four statuses visible separately?
- Does the status report come per student?
- Is there a glossary template for training new staff?
See status reports in the communication module and the notification documentation; the source of absence signals in the attendance module.
Delivery status FAQ
It says delivered but the guardian says no SMS arrived?
Phone the guardian (the text box may be full) — and keep a note; if repeated, add an alternate number.
Status stuck at “Sent” for 24 hours?
Contact the provider — and do that student’s exception check by hand for the once.
Delivered = guardian aware — why is this assumption wrong?
Arrival at the phone and reading are different — no status proves reading; so phone contact stays active for exception students.