Humble ISD Presents Rumor Control Strategy at NSPRA Gold Mine Session
Humble ISD, a school district of approximately 34,000 students in the Houston, Texas suburbs is using its website and EZCommunicator system from Relatrix Corporation to save time and money dealing with rumors in their district. At the recent National School Public Relations Association conference in San Francisco, Humble communications staff shared best practices on this topic in a session called "Pruning the Grapevine - Using Dynamic FAQs for Rumor Control".
(PRWEB) July 9, 2009 -- Humble ISD, a school district of approximately 34,000 students in the Houston, Texas suburbs is using its website and EZCommunicator system from Relatrix Corporation to save time and money dealing with rumors in their district. At the recent National School Public Relations Association conference in San Francisco, Humble communications staff shared best practices on this topic in a session called "Pruning the Grapevine - Using Dynamic FAQs for Rumor Control".
"With the 'Fact or Fiction' service of our Your Schools Insider Contact Center we are able to respond quickly to rumors from our district patrons, and save staff time answering emails and phone calls," said Karen Collier, Executive Director of Public Information at Humble ISD. "In the case of one particular rumor, which we encounter every school year, we were able to reduce the number of phone calls we received from 200 to less that 20. This saved my staff and our schools hours of time, and ensured a consistent message. We also track the popularity of submitted rumors so we can plan future communications efforts to our community. It helps us stay ahead of many rumors and maintain better control of the messages we want to share."
The Fact or Fiction service is based on Relatrix' EZCommunicator knowledgebase. Operating from the district website it allows visitors to browse rumors by keyword and post rumors they hear for clarification. The system tracks submitted rumors and directs them to the communications department where they are answered within one business day. The rumor and response immediately update the website when answered. Users can subscribe to the Fact or Fiction category and receive notices when new rumors are answered.
"Humble ISD has been innovative in applying our knowledgebase module to help with rumor control," said Mark Franke, President of Relatrix. "Not only do they save time and money, but they effectively and efficiently deal with misinformation that can damage the district's reputation. They have used the Fact or Fiction service for rumors ranging from swine flu to peanut butter contamination to bond elections. The service is also monitored by local media representatives to track issues at Humble ISD. It's a win for all stakeholders in the district."
About Humble ISD
Humble Independent School District is a popular choice among families moving to the Houston area due to the district's outstanding schools, variety of housing choices and prevalence of beautiful, native trees. Humble ISD serves communities in northeast Harris County including Atascocita, Humble, Fall Creek, Kingwood, Summerwood and more. Humble ISD operates six high schools, seven middle schools and 25 elementary schools. Additional schools are planned for the future as the district works to keep pace with enrollment growth.
About Relatrix
Relatrix provides eCommunications solutions as a service to the K12 education market. The company is headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado with support and sales offices based in Austin, Texas. Relatrix hosts and delivers its software services from a secure data center so that schools do not have to purchase added computing resources and IT staff are not burdened with ongoing support and maintenance.
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