NewsTextAlerts

From Redrock Wiki

    The legacy Trac 4.0 version of TutorTrac/AdvisorTrac/FitnessTrac is no longer receiving updates and will be end-of-life in 2025. All Trac 4.0 customers are encouraged to migrate to TracCloud. TracCloud has been designed from the ground up for speed, power, and security. Click here to schedule a TracCloud demo or reach out to sales@go-redrock.com for migration pricing or contract details. For more details about the migration process, click here.



TracCloud
For over two decades, Redrock’s TutorTrac has been a trusted solution used by thousands of centers worldwide. Now, we have completely redesigned TutorTrac using the latest, most sophisticated development tools to bring you TracCloud. Rebuilt from the ground up, TracCloud has been rigorously tested and proven effective in real-world production environments for over four years.

This transformation began with a fresh foundation — a new database (MySQL), a cutting-edge web hosting platform (AWS on Apache), and a robust development environment (PHP). But the improvements don’t stop there. TracCloud features a sleek, modern user interface designed to be exceptionally intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier than ever to navigate and manage your operations. Plus, TracCloud is fully optimized for mobile devices, allowing users to access and utilize its powerful features seamlessly from anywhere. We are now hosted on Amazon Web Services and we are taking advantage of modern cloud security, alert monitoring, and performance monitoring with automatic scalability for on-demand needs.

We are also excited to introduce new modules designed to enhance your campus’s ability to support students effectively. TracInsights for predictive analysis, Wellness Check-ins, and Reflective Prompts empower your campus to stay connected with students across your district. These tools provide instant alerts when students are struggling, allowing you to respond swiftly. Additionally, our TracFlow Automations can initiate timely interventions and connect students with the appropriate services your campus offers, ensuring no student falls through the cracks.

Guided by invaluable customer feedback, we preserved the features that made TutorTrac and AdvisorTrac so popular while embracing an ambitious vision: How can we elevate every great feature from the 4.0 version to be ten times better in the TracCloud version?

We are confident we achieved that vision. TracCloud is now a more powerful, intuitive, and versatile system while remaining affordable for every level of your institution. Whether you are a small writing center using our software for just $2,500 per year, a large multi-center support services department for under $6,000, or an extensive district with multiple campuses utilizing our comprehensive retention bundle (call for pricing), we have the ideal solution to meet your needs.

Most importantly, we are deeply grateful for the ongoing support and loyalty of our customers over the past 25 years. Your feedback and trust have been instrumental in making TracCloud what it is today. As we look to the future, we are excited to continue innovating and finding new ways to make TracCloud even more powerful and effective as a retention tool for your campus.

Training and Assistance for Your Migration
We understand that migrating from your existing, proven solution to a new platform can feel daunting. To make this transition as smooth as possible, we offer personalized one-on-one training sessions and handle the data migration for you. Our team will seamlessly convert your TutorTrac data into the TracCloud format, scheduling both training and migration to ensure minimal downtime and disruption. More importantly, we will perform the training and migration at no additional cost to you.

Unparalleled Tech Support
Redrock has built a strong reputation for responsiveness and availability. Our team remains dedicated to providing the same top-tier, unlimited support that no other company in this industry can match. Our experienced professionals are ready to assist you via support ticket, email, or phone, often responding within hours—if not minutes—of receiving your request. Over the past 25 years, our reputation for stellar support has been well-proven, and we will continue to earn our place as the leader in higher education software through our unwavering commitment to excellence.

Annual Redrock Conference
We will continue to offer in-person training and exclusive previews of the latest features and modules of our software at our annual conference. Customers have consistently reported that this experience provides a valuable opportunity to connect with Redrock team members, network with peers in their industry, share experiences, and gain insights into best practices for using the TracCloud platform effectively at their campuses.

TracCloud: Enhanced Capabilities and Continuous Innovation
TracCloud has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, retaining all existing features while significantly enhancing their performance and usability. Our comprehensive suite of capabilities includes advanced reporting, intuitive scheduling, feedback surveys, online whiteboard meetings, early alert systems, text messaging, study table management, payroll tracking, resource check-in/out, workshop tracking, task management, success plans, terms and conditions waivers, support for unlimited centers, asynchronous appointments, custom fields, custom forms, custom views, work plans, certifications, instructor attendance tracking, testing center group appointments, watch lists, student photos, batch visits, Supplemental Instruction (SI) visit tracking, email templates, and batch emails. All of these powerful features have been further improved and seamlessly integrated with new functionalities, ensuring a more streamlined user experience.

A Modern, Mobile-Friendly Interface
The enhanced TracCloud system offers a responsive, mobile-friendly interface designed for convenience and accessibility. Students can effortlessly schedule appointments by scanning a QR code and tapping a button. Similarly, they can confirm their attendance at a center by scanning a QR code and pressing a single button, providing a smoother, more enjoyable user experience. Every component of TracCloud is now accessible through this sleek, user-friendly interface, enhancing efficiency for both students and administrators.

TracCloud Reporting System is Second to None
Our reporting system capitalizes on the data we receive and generate from the operations that TracCloud manages. Because of the data capture, our reports can comprehensively indicate what resources are needed and how operations can be streamlined to maximize the help that students receive. Reports can be generated automatically by all staff, and data results may be automatically exported on a daily or weekly basis. Reports may be securely emailed on an automated schedule to the people who need the results regularly and timely. Faculty can receive automated reports on student activities, research departments can obtain raw or summarized data indicating important trends, and center administrators can gather feedback on how students are being assisted. All reports utilize the sleek, user-friendly interface that TracCloud is now known for.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Since the launch of TracCloud nearly four years ago, we have remained dedicated to enhancing and expanding the platform. This year, we are introducing several new modules that are easy to incorporate into your existing configuration. The Predictive Analytics module helps identify and monitor at-risk students, while the Wellness Check-In module provides valuable insight into students’ emotional well-being. Additionally, our Reflective Prompts feature encourages students to reflect on their educational journey and the steps they are taking to achieve success. All functionalities can be integrated with our TracFlow automation module, enabling timely early alerts and automated student interventions. The newly introduced AI MoodMeter field links allow proactive identification of students who may require additional support. These enhancements are just the beginning, with many more planned for release throughout the year.

TracCloud: An Enterprise Solution that still works for smaller Centers
TracCloud supports single, small centers with limited budgets while providing powerful scalability for large districts with multiple campuses. Our modular approach allows institutions to add features and functionalities as needed, seamlessly integrating them into a cohesive, robust, and user-friendly system. TracCloud continues to provide a comprehensive solution tailored to meet the evolving needs of institutions of all sizes.

A Commitment to a Holistic Approach to Student Well-Being
TutorTrac has historically been a center operations management tool. Our latest improvements with the new TracCloud have focused on the student experience and how centers truly help students succeed. Future modules of TracCloud will strengthen the connection between centers, students, and faculty, while also providing tools for Deans, Provosts, and VPs to oversee the integration of student support services from a high-level perspective. With our extensive experience in center management and student support, TracCloud is uniquely positioned to provide these essential reporting capabilities, thanks to our ability to gather data directly from the source.

Now, we proudly introduce TracCloud — our latest innovation in student retention and engagement, designed to streamline the management of your learning, writing, advising, or other support centers on your campus.

New, easy to use interface
TracCloud features a modern, easy to use, and mobile-friendly interface, allowing you to easily find and manage your data as you need. Students, staff, and faculty will have a much easier time navigating through the system and accessing the data they need. The new dashboard offers many easy to access widgets to view and manage your data.



New Features
Export almost any report into Excel. Static and dynamic QR codes for touchless-kiosk environments. Unlimited custom data fields in student records, visits, appointments, and more. Customizable views of listing pages. Student timelines. Twig and HTML-supported emails and system messages. Customizable log listing and kiosk views. Center descriptions. New reports. Student success plans as a new module, along with work plans for staff. The full list of changes couldn't fit in this article, and more is being added all the time. Relating to the schedule specifically, you'll find a new appointments listing, availability badges, custom search appointment links and QR codes, unlimited customizable max appointment rules, asynchronous appointment support, and more.



Customizable
With Twig support, you can personalize system messages, upcoming appointment lists, emails, and more based on the users who are viewing/receiving them. From simple changes like greeting the user by name to completely changing an email based on if the related appointment was in-person or online, in a certain center, for a certain reason, even if a certain custom field in the student's profile has a specific value. This extends to the log listing and kiosks as well, where you can add or remove fields, rearrange the data that's displayed, and add custom formatting with HTML and Twig.



Faster
Rewritten from the ground up hosted on AWS, using a MySQL database, TracCloud is faster in every way. This performance increase compared to TutorTrac or what we now call Trac 4.0 can be noticed throughout the entire system, with reports being especially improved. Even the biggest reports in TracCloud load within a few seconds.



Migrate Existing Data
Migrate your existing data from Trac 4.0, allowing you to pick up right where you left off. We'll work with you to plan out your migration, coordinating with your IT, and training your system administrators to get you started in TracCloud.



Although we now bid the old TutorTrac a fond farewell this year, we appreciate how successful it was for so many centers around the world. The new, easy to use interface of TracCloud will make our current TutorTrac users happy to move to this new version. Moreover, our support team will make the transition easy and painless!

Click here to schedule a TracCloud demo!


TextAlerts: Sending Text Messages Through Your Trac System

Did you know that 90% of text messages are read within 10 minutes? How about that on average people will look at their phones 150 times a day? This makes it an effective way to communicate important information to students, such as appointment confirmation, appointment reminder, if an appointment gets cancelled or even just general information that you would like to inform groups of students. There are many ways to communicate with your students, but when it comes to reaching them everywhere in the quickest amount of time, nothing beats text messaging.


In this Newsletter we will take an in-depth look at the TextAlerts module and how it allows notifications to be sent to students via Text messages. If a student decides to opt in to the program, they can send an activation code to an address determined by your campus, and receive appointment reminders, cancellation notifications, or confirmations via Text messages. Front Desk workers or Consultants can also send quick text messages directly off your Center’s Log Listing, to notify students to come to a different appointment location, of if there is a delay in start time, or a last minute cancellation.


TextAlert Requirements

In order to utilize TextAlerts in your Trac System, you need to have:

  • Trac 4.0 Web and Engine updates after February 21, 2011
  • Current Maintenance Agreement with Redrock Support
  • Trac Server MUST have the ability to make outbound http/https connections to “msgtrac.com”
  • Trac Server MUST have the ability to receive incoming http/https connections from 63.224.138.155

If your server currently does not meet these requirements, a discussion between your campus’ IT and Redrock Software may be needed to make sure the correct connections are being made.


TextAlert Activation

Once the TextAlert Module has been purchased, you will need to contact Redrock Support to activate the module on your Trac System. After the module has been activated, students will have the ability to activate their text message alerts when they log in to the Trac System.

Because text messaging rates may apply to your students, they must request to receive the text message alerts. When the student logs in to the Trac System they will have a new option in the upper-right corner of their main menu. This new section allows the students to activate the TextAlerts for themselves, by clicking the “Activate” checkbox.



The TextAlert setup options will now appear and the student will receive a unique Activation Code. The Activation Code is requested from the server at msgtrac.com, so it may take a few seconds to generate. The code is a unique email address that is set up to accept text messages.




Along with receiving an Activation code, the student will also be able to set up their individual SMS Settings and determine how many minutes in advance of their appointment they would like to receive a TextAlert regarding their appointments and choose which notifications they would like to receive as Text Messages. Click “Save Settings” to complete this step.



To complete the setup process for TextAlerts, the student must send a text message from their mobile device to the email address provided with the unique Activation Code (please note that this code does expire within the hour, so if they do not use it within that time frame they will need to generate a new code). The body of the text is not necessary and has no effect on the setup and activation process.

By sending any text message to the displayed email address, the student agrees that they would like to receive the TextAlerts from the Trac Application and that the student is responsible for any and all text messaging rates imposed by their service provider.

Your Trac System will then send a confirmation message to the student to let them know that their account is now set up to receive Text Alerts.



Now that the student has opted-in to receive Text Messages, when the student has a scheduled appointment with a consultant, your Trac System will now alert the student of their upcoming appointment via Text Alert according to the settings the student chose in the setup process.



Generating Activation Codes for Students

If your students do not have access to log in to your Trac System, it is possible for other Users to still be able to generate an Activation code for Students. All they need is the correct permission that can be found by going to the Trac Navigation -> Search Glass -> Center Profiles -> Select your Profile -> Group Access tab -> Select the group that you would like to generate codes for students -> Admin/Modules tab -> Check the box for “Allow User to Generate Activation Code for Student” -> Click Save. This is also where you can set default text to the student from the Log Listing that we will take a look at next.



Once this has been activated, Users in that group will be able to pull up any Student Profile and be able to generate an Activation Code for the student to opt-in.



Kiosks and TextAlerts

When setting up a Kiosk, there is also an option that allows students to leave the center after they have logged in and receive a text message when the center is ready to see the student. This setting can be found in the Kiosk setup:



When this setting is activated for the Kiosk and a student logs in to that Kiosk, it will ask them if they would like to “leave and be notified when the center is ready to see you”:



If they click “Yes” it will have them confirm their number if they have already opted in to receive TextAlerts and if they haven’t already opted-in, it will generate an activation code so they can opt-in at that time. This is a great way for students to be able to generate the Activation Code themselves and opt-in to receive text messages from your Center. Check out below to see how you can send a message to a student once they have logged in and opted to receive a text message.


Sending Text Messages to Students Currently in Your Center

When a Student is logged in to your Center and when looking at the Log Listing you can easily identify the students that have opted in, because there will be a phone icon just to the right of their name.



When you click on that phone icon, a text box will appear that will allow you to send a custom (or default as shown above in group settings) directly to the student’s phone.



Sending Emails and Texts


When sending out manual emails in your Trac System, you also have the ability to send that email as a Text Message to all of the students on your list that have opted in to receive TextAlerts.

First we will start by pulling up a student list, once that Student Listing is open you can send an email by going to List Options -> Send HTML Note -> Check the “Email” and “SMS Text” box to enter in a custom message that can be sent as both an email and a text.



PLEASE NOTE: A text message will only be sent to the students in that list that have opted in to receive TextAlerts, if they have not opted in then they will only receive an email reminder!


More Questions?


We hope that you find this newsletter helpful and as always if you have any questions on this or any other features, please feel free to let us know by going to https://helpdesk.go-redrock.com and submitting a ticket.

Thank you for your continued support!