Qualifications Scotland Case Study: BT Smart Messaging
Powering Results Day. How Qualifications Scotland used BT Smart Messaging to deliver time-critical exam results.
The challenge
Qualifications Scotland needed a new text messaging solution that was resilient, highly customisable and trustworthy. It had to be capable of accurately sending personalised texts to 50,000+ candidates simultaneously at a specified time on Scotland’s results day.
The solution
After a competitive tender, Qualifications Scotland selected BT Smart Messaging, powered by Soprano. We designed a customised service on the cloud-based platform, enabling the awarding body to send automated, personalised messages to students at scale.
The result
Qualifications Scotland now handles all its automated communications on one simple cloud-based platform. In August 2025, it used BT Smart Messaging to send 50,111 SMS text messages simultaneously.
The challenge
Qualifications Scotland needed a new text messaging solution that was resilient, highly customisable and trustworthy. It had to be capable of accurately sending personalised texts to 50,000+ candidates simultaneously at a specified time on Scotland’s results day.
The solution
After a competitive tender, Qualifications Scotland selected BT Smart Messaging, powered by Soprano. We designed a customised service on the cloud-based platform, enabling the awarding body to send automated, personalised messages to students at scale.
The result
Qualifications Scotland now handles all its automated communications on one simple cloud-based platform. In August 2025, it used BT Smart Messaging to send 50,111 SMS text messages simultaneously.
The challenge
Delivering exam results to 50,000+ students at the same time on results day each year is one of Qualifications Scotland’s most visible and time-critical responsibilities. With students eager to receive their results as soon as they’re released, it’s critical that the distribution system is efficient and ultra-reliable.
To achieve this, the awarding body provides a digital service that allows candidates to:
View their qualification information.
Check personal details held by Qualifications Scotland.
Receive qualification results via email and text message on results day.
Qualifications Scotland issued an invitation to tender on Public Contract Scotland, the Scottish Government’s portal, providing transparent access to public-sector procurement opportunities.
The tender’s tight specifications made it clear that the priority was a trustworthy provider capable of delivering high volumes of personalised SMS messages simultaneously at a fixed point in time on Scotland’s results day.
The solution
Our successful tender centred on BT Smart Messaging and was backed by a proven commitment to partnership.
BT Smart Messaging, powered by Soprano, is a cloud platform that enables organisations to deliver secure, automated omnichannel communications at scale. This solution means Qualifications Scotland can send tailored messages instantly and reliably to students, and access real-time performance reporting, all in one place.
Qualifications Scotland has increased the support it receives from us in recent years, and now entrusts us with a substantial portion of its IT infrastructure. Thanks to this existing working relationship, the team were confident that we would take its goals as our own and understand the critical nature of the text service project.
Working collaboratively, we designed a text messaging service to meet the needs of Qualifications Scotland and its student population exactly. This involved an intensive phase of rigorous testing to ensure the service was set up perfectly.
The result
On results day in August 2025, Qualifications Scotland used BT Smart Messaging to send 50,111 SMS messages simultaneously, ensuring students who had opted in received their exam results the moment they were released.
Qualifications Scotland shares our belief that technology should make the world better. After our work together, the awarding body is equipped to confidently build on BT Smart Messaging’s capabilities to meet students' future needs. This includes WhatsApp, RCS, voice and email via our Smart Messaging solution to communicate proactively with audiences.
If you need to send large numbers of important messages at specified times, speak to our experts to find out how BT Smart Messaging can support you.
The successful delivery of this year’s results, at scale and on time, is a real credit to our partnership with BT and the work that went into preparing for the day.
Martin CampbellDirector of Business Systems, Qualifications Scotland
