July 2023
Gaggle Launches Student Crisis Line Platform with Help from Appsmode and AWS IQ
Faced with a growing mental health crisis among K-12 students in the U.S., Gaggle, a premier student-safety company, wanted to make it easier for students to get help—and for counselors to provide it. The vision: integrate mental health calls, SMS messages, and online chat communications on one platform that could meet fluctuating demand while ensuring top-quality care and data privacy. Gaggle posted its needs on AWS IQ, a service that connects customers with AWS Certified experts, and quickly found UK-based Appsmode, an AWS partner that proposed creative solutions. Gaggle’s new system has yielded immediate improvements for students and counselors.
Student Mental Health Crisis Drove Urge to Help
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaggle saw that school districts were overwhelmed with the volume of students in need of mental health support. “Historically, we had been helpful to schools mostly by pointing out the problem,” says Jacob Huss, director of Gaggle’s ReachOut service. “Now we wanted to be actively engaged in conversations with students to help lighten the burden at school districts.” That led the company to develop its ReachOut crisis line.
But a phone call might be the last way students choose to communicate. Gaggle wanted to ensure students could reach counselors by SMS messaging, live online chat, or phone, at any time. “The platform had to integrate with the district website without looking out of place,” Huss says. “And it had to be inviting and encouraging for students to use.”
Appsmode Delivers Integrated Platform in Months
Huss was worried that AWS IQ might feature only well-established AWS vendors out of their price range, but Appsmode—a small provider of native Amazon Web Services (AWS) solutions— responded to Gaggle’s challenge, and that anxiety dissolved. “We were looking for a small company and I was surprised at how quickly I got back a list of very well qualified candidates from AWS IQ,” Huss says.
We were looking for a small company and I was surprised at how quickly I got back a list of very well qualified candidates from AWS IQ.
Gaggle provided Appsmode with 10 non-negotiable features— from a single text and call number for each district, to the ability to deploy the solution anywhere—and Appsmode built a prototype on AWS based on those needs. “That allowed Gaggle to try things out before there was even a proposal written just to ensure we understood each other,” says Alex Hafner, a director at Appsmode.
Within months, Appsmode delivered a platform that exceeded Gaggle’s expectations. “It was almost too good, because we had budgeted time to make improvements but couldn’t find much that needed to be fixed,” Huss says.
With the New System, More Students Get Help Faster
The new ReachOut debuted in two school districts in 2023, with plans to expand to 20 nationwide during the 2023-24 school year. Gaggle has already noticed smoother operations with the new system. “We're able to receive calls and get back to students quickly and effectively,” Huss says. “Everything is fitting together as expected, thankfully.”
"With AWS IQ, we were suddenly able to address the market without the huge marketing expense," Hafner adds. "Before, I would never have found Jacob and Gaggle, and Gaggle wouldn't have found Appsmode. AWS IQ service short circuits the process for both sides of the equation."
With AWS IQ, we were able to address the market without the huge marketing expense. AWS IQ short circuits the process for both sides of the equation.
Alex Hafner
