Cadence

Pros

The best part about Cadence is how easy it is to use and how affective it is for connecting us with our audience. We were able to get it up and running within weeks—including our staff training! We have a number of staff members who tend to be nervous about new technology but everyone on our team has found it to be extremely intuitive. Especially with the mobile app, it feels no different than sending and receiving texts through your normal messaging app.

Cons

One issue I've found is that it can be difficult to update contact records on the fly. For example, if a student texts us but they were not previously in the system, I haven't been able to find a way to just easily "add a contact" with their name and info. It has to go through the import process with our student information system.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Cadence

Pros

Integration and implementation were super-easy. It took very little to get us up & running. I love all the features: segments (allowing us to target a subset), group account (allows multiple staff to monitor the replies for an event, i.e. orientation), smart messages. If I had to pick 1 or 2 items, it would be: Support - the friendliness and responsiveness of everyone in the organization and also the fact that the team continues to work on ways to improve the software - adding new features that make our jobs more efficient.

Cons

I'd love to see smart messages implemented for all accounts and not just for the group account. We'd love a way to sync our cell phone number so that outbound calls appeared to be originating from our Cadence virtual number (this might be a phone carrier enhancement and not something Cadence can control).

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Cadence

Pros

I think the customer service is outstanding. I know exactly who to contact for any assistance and they are extremely helpful and responsive.

Cons

I think the way the software is organized is extremely confusing. I honestly don't like how the departments are set up. I don't think the way it's organized is user friendly. I also wish it would integrate better with our SIS so that I could get automatic texts set up. We have looked in to this option and told it would not work.

Pros

The software is easy to use and easy to understand. Anyone familiar with email, especially Gmail, will find the interface very intuitive. Our ability to reach and interact with our students has increased dramatically by using this software, and we are reaching students who we were not reaching via email. Having the option for each advisor to have their own number has been fantastic, and it is easy query the list of students and send multiple texts all at once.

Cons

Being able to edit all fields for contacts in the interface would be very helpful. Sometimes updating a user-defined field for a single student can feel unnecessarily laborious.

Pros

The setup and implementation of the product are seamless. The support received from the client success leads as well as the tech team is very informational and helpful. The Cadence team wants nothing but success for their clients and it shows with their support and constant growth of the software. Sending individual messages with the click of a button is extremely effective and efficient for departments of all sizes.

Cons

The one downside that we have experienced would be that we are unable to send video messages. We have navigated this nicely thought and used images as well as links to videos.

Pros

Mongoose Cadence allows us to interact with the students that apply to our institution in a fast, easy, and convenient way. Texting is the primary source of communication and Mongoose makes texting as effortless as possible whether you're doing it from your computer at work or from your cell via their app.

Cons

Honestly, no cons! I have found that any time there were adjustments needed to the software Mongoose Cadence staff worked to update the product to be as efficient and effective as possible!

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Cadence

Pros

Ease of use by multiple users, shared inboxes, smart messages, campaigns, etc.

Cons

Love everything about it compared to our last texting platform. It is the most expensive platform we looked into.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Cadence

Reasons for Switching to Cadence

Pros

The ability to connect with 1-3,000 prospective students on a daily basis has been mission changing for our institution. Messaging lists are easy to build, messages are slick to send, replies are easy, and usage data is easy to retrieve.

Cons

I wish there was a way to send recurring messages — but I’m told it coming (soonish!...)

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Cadence

Pros

This software significantly increased our ability to text prospective students. Our team was already texting but from their personal phones. (Yikes!) This allows our team to send texts en masse on the fly, track the success of calls to action, and more. Even our least tech-friendly team member can use this with ease! Or, less hand-holding than usual. ;) We love Cadence and have recommended it others often!

Cons

There's just a few edits I'd make to the interface. I would LOVE if we could "assign" templates and segments to specific users. It's sometimes cumbersome for them to see allllll the options when we have 26 users. I think it would clean up the program a bit!

Pros

This software has been easy to set up, use, and has met our students where they are in a way that was incredibly well received. I love that the tool is easy to use and intuitive, but also has in depth features to use as well if you want them!

Cons

Our biggest challenge is messaging international students, especially given the costs for our international students when living in their home country.

Pros

I am really suprised, how good this platform works. Requests are really fast responded,

Cons

Could be some difficulties with uploading bigger files, but it is experience of my collegue.

Pros

Mongoose Cadence is a product that I would refer to anyone in Educational Management. The ease of use with the product allows our organization to have different departments work inside the software in mass texting silos that are separate and organized. Users of all ages find the product comfortable to use. The inbox so closely resembles an email inbox that training is almost not needed! The deployment of the product and the integration set-up with our CRM worked seamlessly with no delays. Cadence is truly our secret weapon with how efficient, organized, and timely we can be in our communications with our audience.

Cons

There is not much to complain about when it comes to the ease of use within Cadence, however, I do wish that Cadence could have better organization within the software. More specifically, I would love folders to organize targets (a way to create a unique audience based on criteria that is dynamic) and segments (a static audience that is one and done). I would also love the ability to delete a segment. As an administrator, I am unable to delete a segment that is years old. Only the creator of the segment can delete it, which includes users who no longer work for our organization, and so we are "stuck" with the segments in our product with no way to get rid of them OR organize/archive them. These are very small complaints, however, as the pros of the product highly outweigh these cons which are more our preference in how we wish to organize the space.

Pros

This software is incredibly easy to implement and begin using right out of the box. The shared inbox feature has been incredibly helpful as well as the ability to text several students at a very personalized level. Minimal training is required due to it's easy-to-understand platform. It has been very reliable and integrates easily using secure data transfers (automated) so you can be sure your communication remains as strategic as possible.

Cons

Something that should be improved upon is the deduplication process. For example, if I manually text a student and add only their first and last name, the text goes through just fine and it manually adds that record. However, when that student comes in thereafter with more data to add to their record, the import on that record will be blocked altogether and the original (manually entered) record will not be updated. This is because there is no student ID assigned. My assumption is that record is only updated based on student ID. Since the phone number exists in the system, it will not allow any other records to be imported with the same number.

Pros

Cadence has a user friendly interface which allows ease of integration into overall plans for integration into the larger schematic of communication. The interface allows for necessary tracking in order to produce data that show which messages work best and when. What I like about Cadence is that it doesn't necessarily take extra time to utilize the platform on the daily. Rather, Cadence is a part of the daily routine and seamlessly integrates into management of contacts. The ability to group, segment and prioritize has been a lifesaver. The platform allows for quick succinct messaging to our students in a manner that doesn't bog down or cause inefficiency.

Cons

There aren't a lot of cons with Cadence. When there is an issue the team is quick to respond to help find a workaround or a solution. I hate that links get filtered but that's not an issue with the software-but rather with the carriers. I would like to see more options for native integrations. However, overall I'm quite pleased with Cadence.

Pros

One of the things that I enjoy most about the software is sending smart messages. Often, we want to notify students about an event, gauge interest, or anything in between. However, it does take quite a bit of time too sit there and respond to hundreds of messages even if it's a simple yes or no question. Having the ability to set up an automatic response and then monitor anything that comes in after that makes it much easier for myself and others. also, the ease to create a segment and message our students quickly and effectively

Cons

One of the things that I wish was a bit easier with our software Would be importing a new class of students. It's not as seamless as I would hope it would be. It does restrict the number of students that we can bring in. For example, we can't import more than about 10,000 students. Hence, we have to be cognizant of the report that's being generated because if it's too many, then the report will just stall out. Our student's information is not up to date.

Pros

I like that the dashboard is easy to use and navigate. From an administrator's standpoint the features help with reporting, organization and keeping the staff on track. The ease of use and notifications to your email or to the app rank very high with me.

Cons

I would love to send to more than 1000 students from a list but that has not hindered our experience.

Pros

It is invaluable to reach a student when you need to and have them respond in a timely manner. I used Cadence in our effort to ensure every student submitted COVID test results prior to arriving to campus for the fall. Along with all of the academic/campus related reason we utilize texting on a regular basis, COVID presented many opportunities to use Cadence and resolve concerns.

Cons

I can't really say there is something I don't like. Maybe that you can be notified of a new text on your device with notifications from both your email and Mongoose app. But, even here you are able to have these settings notify you or not. Some new users seem worried about notifications, but in the end, there is nothing wrong with knowing you have received a text and can take next steps to assist.

Pros

The platform is very user friendly and the response rate is excellent. I really like how many data fields can be uploaded about each Contact. I love the Segments feature and use it to reach targeted groups. Customized templates make it easy when I need to send a lot of messages.

Cons

I wish I could see Sent and Archived messages on the App, like I can on the desktop version. I also wish there was an way to look up the texting history with a Contact.

Pros

I appreciate that Cadence allows me and my team to connect on a personal level with each contact we make yet have the ability to make that connection with many folks at the same time. This is crucial for us as a school - a positive personal connection is often the foundation of a trusting relationship.

Cons

At times I had a hard time manually importing data into Cadence. I shared a bit of feedback to the team that certain aspects of the manual import were difficult and the team immediately started asking more questions about my feedback. They cared about what was difficult and wanted to make it better. Soon after those conversations, there were changes made to the manual import process which alleviated most of the difficulties!

Pros

Integration with Slate was seamless and if I ever have a question it takes fifteen minutes for our account representative to get back to us. Cadence has allowed us to engage our prospective and current students like never before!

Cons

It would be nice to be able to view reports right in the browser rather than exporting them.

Pros

Cadence is very easy to use and convenient. The app makes it so easy to get and respond to texts without having to be at your desk. Also, the scheduling feature helps with future planning and makes it much easier to remember to connect or send event reminders.

Cons

My only problem currently is updating incorrect numbers across the system. It would be easier if there was also a way to update a contact's information across all teams instead of having to go into each team to update a new phone number, etc.

Pros

The platform solves the problem of students not checking emails. When we implemented Mongoose, we instantly started to have high response rates from students.

Cons

The limitations of filtering could be easier, but this is solved with segments.

Pros

Cadence/Mongoose's texting software has been a true game changer for us in our office, as well as at other divisions around campus. We currently use it in Admissions, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and the Center for Student Success. Students' response rate is high and their engagement is much more significant than with email, calls, and even social media. It's a great product for higher education.

Cons

Still working on integrating with some CRMs, like Slate, but they release updates regularly so I am sure it's not too far behind.

Pros

The ease of using Cadence has been such a blessing to our office. We have a lot of turnover in admission and the training process for Cadence is as easy as it gets!

Cons

I think the auto-update segment feature should be available to users and not just administrators.

Pros

Scheduling the messages within a time frame to be able to make sure you have covered all your communication within the day and it being sent out at a specific time with no concern. Also, being able to add attachments and emojis to the messages so that they may be more personalized.

Cons

Not being able to search by phrase for find specific messages.