Question 1

How long will implementation take?

Accepted Answer

A basic setup can usually be completed within a day. Teachers can start sending announcements immediately while student data and channels are added gradually. Most schools go with a phased rollout — start with fee reminders and consent forms, then expand to other communication types once teachers are comfortable.

Question 2

Can KoalaCast replace our current communication system?

Accepted Answer

Not immediately — and it shouldn't. Most schools start with high-value communications like fee reminders, consent forms, surveys, acknowledgements and approvals. Once teachers become comfortable and see the time savings, schools gradually move more communication onto KoalaCast. This removes the fear of switching everything at once.

Question 3

Do you offer onboarding support?

Accepted Answer

Every new workspace gets a guided setup email. Pro and Enterprise plans get a personal onboarding call. We're reachable at hello@koalacast.io and respond within 24 hours. For larger institutions, we offer concierge onboarding to help you configure channels, roles, and workflows to match your school's structure.

Question 4

Can we try before buying?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our free plan lets you try KoalaCast with real communications — no credit card, no time limit. For Pro features, we offer a 14-day trial on request. Low-risk pilots (one class or one department) are often easier to approve than full purchases, and we can help you structure one.

Question 5

Do parents need to download an app?

Accepted Answer

No. KoalaCast is a Progressive Web App — parents open it directly in their phone browser. No App Store, no downloads, no 'storage full' complaints. They tap a link or scan a QR code and they're in. They can install it like an app if they want, but it's completely optional.

Question 6

Parents won't install another app. What if they refuse?

Accepted Answer

They don't have to. KoalaCast works entirely in the browser. Parents open a link and they're in. This is actually one of our strongest advantages — the barrier to entry is essentially zero. If you can send a WhatsApp link, you can onboard a parent.

Question 7

What if parents ignore notifications?

Accepted Answer

Ignoring notifications is actually easier to identify with KoalaCast. Instead of guessing, teachers know exactly who hasn't opened or responded, and reminders can target only those parents. We're not promising parents will always respond — we're promising you visibility so you can act on it.

Question 8

What if the internet is slow?

Accepted Answer

KoalaCast is lightweight and browser-based, so it works well on typical mobile connections including 3G. Announcements load fast because they're text-first with images added on demand. We don't currently support full offline mode.

Question 9

Can parents reply to announcements?

Accepted Answer

Currently KoalaCast focuses on structured communication rather than open conversations. For most official school communications, schools prefer responses through acknowledgements, forms, polls or approval requests instead of long chat threads. This keeps communication clear and audit-friendly.

Question 10

Can parents change their responses later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Schools can decide whether responses remain editable until the deadline. This is useful for RSVPs, consent forms, and surveys where circumstances change. Once the deadline passes, responses are locked in and become part of the audit trail.

Question 11

Teachers are already busy. Won't this add more work?

Accepted Answer

Today, after sending a message, teachers manually ask 'Did everyone see it?' They check WhatsApp, call parents, maintain spreadsheets and follow up individually. KoalaCast automates those follow-ups with flexibility to sent periodic reminder to only tjose parents who haven't acknowledged or taken requested actions. The time saved on chasing parents far exceeds the time spent using the platform.

Question 12

How difficult is it to train teachers?

Accepted Answer

Most teachers already know how to write announcements. We've kept KoalaCast similar to writing an email or a social media post, so training typically focuses on best practices rather than software. A 20-minute walkthrough is usually enough for most teachers to start sending announcements confidently.

Question 13

Can teachers approve submissions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our Requests feature lets teachers approve fee payments, permission slips, and other submissions. Example: a parent uploads a fee payment receipt. The office reviews it, approves it, and the parent automatically receives a confirmation email. Everything stays recorded with timestamps.

Question 14

What happens if someone leaves the school?

Accepted Answer

Administrators can deactivate the account immediately, preventing further access while preserving communication history for audit purposes. The person no longer sees anything, but their past actions remain in the record.

Question 15

What if a teacher accidentally sends something?

Accepted Answer

Announcements can be recalled, and the recall reason is visible so everyone understands what happened. This is much better than trying to 'delete for everyone' on WhatsApp, where the message may already have been screenshotted or forwarded.

Question 16

Can different grades see different announcements?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's what channels are for. Grade 1 has its own channel, Grade 2 has its own, and so on. Teachers post to specific channels and parents only see announcements from channels their child belongs to. No cross-posting, no privacy issues between classes.

Question 17

We already use WhatsApp. Why should we pay for this?

Accepted Answer

WhatsApp is excellent for conversations. KoalaCast is built for communication with accountability. Once a WhatsApp message is sent, you don't know who read it, who acknowledged it, who needs a reminder, or whether you can prove it was delivered. KoalaCast is built specifically for official communication where accountability matters. Imagine sending a consent form for a school trip. With WhatsApp, teachers spend hours following up. With KoalaCast, you know exactly who has responded and can remind only those parents.

Question 18

How is this different from ParentSquare or our ERP?

Accepted Answer

Those are excellent platforms. KoalaCast focuses on making school communication simple, fast, and measurable. We intentionally avoid unnecessary complexity while providing the accountability schools actually need. Where full ERPs manage everything from admissions to grades, we focus purely on communication — done well.

Question 19

Can we schedule communications?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can schedule announcements to send at a specific date and time, set expiry dates for time-sensitive information, and configure automatic reminders for parents who haven't responded. These three together — scheduling, expiry, and reminders — make managing communication windows straightforward.

Question 20

Can we import existing student data?

Accepted Answer

Yes, via CSV imports. Export your contacts from your existing system to CSV, upload it, and KoalaCast will match columns to fields (name, email, phone, custom fields). Direct ERP integrations are on our roadmap based on customer needs — we prefer to build the ones customers actually ask for.

Question 21

How does TV display mode work?

Accepted Answer

Enable display mode on any channel, paste its unique URL into a TV or kiosk browser once, and new announcements appear automatically every 60 seconds. No USB drives, no PowerPoint, no manual updates. Perfect for reception lobbies, staff rooms, and common areas.

Question 22

How secure is our data?

Accepted Answer

Each school has its own isolated data at the database level — enforced by row-level security, not just application code. Communication happens over encrypted connections (HTTPS everywhere), and access is role-based so staff only see what they're authorised to access. Passwords are never stored — we use magic links instead.

Question 23

Can other schools see our announcements?

Accepted Answer

Never. Every organisation is a separate tenant with fully isolated data. Even if two schools were on the same server, they couldn't see each other's data — the isolation is enforced at every layer of our stack.

Question 24

Is there a permanent record of acknowledgements?

Accepted Answer

Every acknowledgement is timestamped and stored permanently. Admins can see who acknowledged, when, and what they responded. The full record is exportable as CSV, so you always have a copy of your audit trail.

Question 25

What if we stop using KoalaCast? Do we get our data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your data remains yours. We can discuss export options so you're never locked into the platform. Cancel anytime — no lock-in, no penalties. Your data remains available for export for 30 days after cancellation.

Question 26

Do you share data with third parties?

Accepted Answer

No. Your data is not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train external AI models. Third-party services we use (email delivery, image hosting) are strictly for platform functionality, and they don't get access to your communication content.

Question 27

How does the free plan work?

Accepted Answer

Free is genuinely free — no credit card required, no time limit. You get 50 contacts, 3 channels, and 10 announcements per month. All core features work, including acknowledgement tracking, QR onboarding, and viewership visibility. Upgrade only when you hit these limits.

Question 28

What if I need more than the free plan limits?

Accepted Answer

You can either upgrade to Pro (500 contacts, 20 channels, 200 announcements/month) or reach out to us for a temporary limit increase if you're evaluating. We'd rather you upgrade when you're ready than force an upgrade decision early.

Question 29

Can I upgrade or downgrade anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Upgrade or downgrade at any time. When you upgrade, new features become available immediately. When you downgrade, you keep access to existing data even if it exceeds new plan limits — you just can't add new items until you're back within limits.

Question 30

Do you offer discounts for multiple schools?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you're a group of schools, an academy trust, or a franchise, contact us for group pricing. We can also structure Enterprise deals to include shared administration across schools.

Question 31

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

For Indian schools: bank transfer, UPI, cheque, and cash. For international schools: bank transfer. We don't currently accept credit card payments — plans are invoiced quarterly or annually.

Question 32

What kind of support do you offer?

Accepted Answer

Free plan: email support (24-hour response). Pro: priority email support with same-day response during business hours. Enterprise: dedicated support with SLA guarantees and direct access to our team via phone or video call when needed.

Question 33

Do you help with initial setup?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every new workspace gets a guided setup email with step-by-step instructions. Pro and Enterprise plans get a personal onboarding call where we walk through your school's structure and help configure channels, roles, and workflows to match how your school operates.

Question 34

What are your response times?

Accepted Answer

Free plan: within 24 hours on business days. Pro: same day during business hours (9am-6pm IST). Enterprise: per your SLA, typically within 2 hours for critical issues.

Question 35

Do you offer training sessions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enterprise plans include training sessions for admins and teachers. For Pro plans, we offer training on request at additional cost. Most schools find that KoalaCast is intuitive enough that formal training beyond initial onboarding isn't necessary.

Question 36

Why should the principal care about this?

Accepted Answer

Because communication becomes measurable. Instead of asking 'Did we send the circular?', you can answer '94% of parents read it, 91% acknowledged it, and only 12 families need follow-up.' That moves the conversation from messaging to accountability. Principals who track viewership become principals who know what their school actually communicates.

Question 37

How much time will this actually save my teachers?

Accepted Answer

It varies by school, but the biggest time savings come from eliminating manual follow-ups. Every phone call to check 'did you see the notice?' becomes unnecessary. Every spreadsheet tracking who submitted a form becomes automatic. Schools using KoalaCast for consent forms alone typically save 3-5 hours per teacher per month.

Question 38

Who is behind KoalaCast?

Accepted Answer

KoalaCast is being built from Pune, India by a small team who saw the same communication chaos across schools their kids attended. We're not backed by big VC money or trying to be the next unicorn — we're focused on doing one thing really well: making school communication accountable.

Question 39

What's on your product roadmap?

Accepted Answer

Our roadmap is customer-driven. Current top priorities based on customer requests: SMS reminders, WhatsApp integration for schools that want to keep it, ERP integrations for popular Indian school management systems, and expanded reporting for parent conferences. We ship based on real needs, not vanity features.

Everything you wanted to ask.

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