Notice board and polls
Post notices to whole hostels, some blocks or some floors, pin the important ones and let them expire by themselves. Add a poll to a notice and residents answer on the portal or in the app.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Notices are pasted on the wall near the warden's room, and half the residents never walk past it.
- A water shutdown on the third floor is announced to the whole hostel, so everyone stops reading.
- Old notices stay up for months next to the new ones.
- Asking residents to choose a mess menu or a date means a paper list that goes missing.
How it works
- Open Hostel > Daily Life > Notice Board and press New. Type the Title and the text.
- Choose the Hostels. Choose Blocks or Floors to reach only a part; empty means every block and floor.
- Set an Expiry Date if the notice should go by itself, and tick Pinned to keep it at the top.
- Leave Send to Residents ticked to also send it as a message, then press Publish.
- Residents and guardians see it on the portal and in the SmartMy Hostel app, pinned notices first.
- For a poll, tick Poll, add at least two answers and choose who sees the results. Residents in house answer, and the notice counts the answers.
Everything it does
A notice
- Title, text, Hostels, Blocks, Floors, Publish Date (today to start with), Expiry Date, Pinned, Send to Residents (ticked to start with)
- Draft, Published, Archived; Archive takes a notice down, Back to Draft lets you change it
- A notice is shown from its Publish Date, so you can publish today for a later day
- A notice past its Expiry Date is archived by itself once a day
- The block and floor are taken from the resident's bed today
Polls
- Poll, Answers (at least two), Several Answers, Answers Until
- Show Results: To residents who answered (the default), After the poll closes, or To the staff only
- A poll is open while the notice is published and before Answers Until and the Expiry Date
- Each resident in house answers once and may change or take back the answer while it is open
- Guardians see the notice but do not answer
- The notice shows how many residents answered and each answer's count and percentage; Answers lists who answered what, as a list or a pivot
Who uses it
Warden / CaretakerWrites, publishes, pins, archives notices and adds polls.
Hostel managerEverything a warden does, and deletes notices.
Front deskReads the notices and the answers.
ResidentReads notices and answers polls on the portal or in the app.
GuardianReads the notices of the resident's hostel.
Where you use it
- Web: Hostel > Daily Life > Notice Board
- Resident portal: the Notices page and the latest notices on the home page
- The SmartMy Hostel app: Notices in the Menu, with poll answers; built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Not in the SmartMy Hostel Staff app: notices are written on the web
- Not a chat: residents cannot reply to a notice or talk to each other here
What you control
Settings
- Send to Residents: ticked on each new notice
- Show Results: To residents who answered
- Expired notices are archived once a day
Notifications
- Hostel Notice: to each resident the notice is for, when it is published with Send to Residents; in the app and by email. WhatsApp and SMS come from your message credits, and app push once the apps are in the stores
- It is a promotional event: it waits for your quiet hours, and a resident can switch it off for themselves
- Guardians are not sent the notice; they see it on the portal and in the app
Works with
SmartMy CampusCirculars of the circular board can be sent to hostels or hostel blocks, with Also to Guardians, for residents of any kind.
Questions
Can a notice go to one floor only?
Yes. Choose the hostel, then the Floors, or the Blocks. Only residents whose bed is on those floors or blocks see it and get the message.Do parents get the notice?
Guardians see it on the portal and in the app. The message sent on publishing goes to the residents only.Will a notice wake residents at night?
No. The Hostel Notice message waits for your quiet hours, and each resident can switch it off for themselves. Urgent matters such as leave and absences use other events that go at once.Can residents see the poll results?
You choose: residents see them after answering, only after the poll closes, or never (staff only). The staff always see the counts and who answered what.Can I post a notice from my phone?
Not yet. Notices are written on the web. Residents read and answer them on the portal or in the SmartMy Hostel app.Related features
PORTAL AND APPSThe resident appSmartMy Hostel is the phone app for residents and their parents or guardians. It has the stay, leave, documents, room change and notice to vacate, an inbox of what the hostel tells them, and an SOS button. With hostel billing and daily life it adds dues with Pay, notices with polls and attendance.PORTAL AND APPSResident and guardian portalResidents and their parents or guardians sign in on the web and see the stay. They upload documents, ask for leave or a room change, and give notice. With hostel billing they also see their dues and pay, download the statement and rent receipts, read notices and check attendance.MORE IN THE PRODUCTEvents, clubs and a residents' marketplacePublish hostel events with seats, a waiting list and an optional fee per head. Residents form clubs that post announcements and propose events. They also buy, sell, give away and report lost and found, inside the hostel only.ACROSS SMARTMY HOSTELNotificationsSmartMy Hostel tells the right person the moment something happens. That can be a bed booked, a leave to approve, a resident not back, an absence at roll call, an invoice, a notice, an emergency. Each event has its own recipients: the resident, the guardians, the wardens or the payer. Messages go in the app and by email. WhatsApp and SMS come from your message credits, and app push once the apps are in the stores.HOSTELS, ROOMS, BEDSHostels, blocks, floors, rooms and room typesSet up each hostel once with its address, amenities, staff, gate in-times and stay rules, then its blocks, floors, rooms and beds. Room types say how many share, AC and attached bath.
See it with your own blocks and classes.
Tell us how many hostels and students you have. We will show you an allotment, a leave request approved by a parent and a night roll call, set up the way your hostel works.