Public schools are responsible for students, their parents, and the community. At the same time, they must operate within their given budget and provide all the services the students need. Public schools now face unpredictable safety issues as well as the budgets to pay for everything while keeping students safe.
Analog phone service, also called Plain Old Telephone Service, or POTS, has become more expensive—and more problematic—as phone companies begin phasing it out in favor of fiber-optic and other services. Upgrading a school’s telecom system to VoIP is one of the best improvements you can make for your students, faculty, and staff.
Benefits of moving to VoIP
Public school systems can benefit from VoIP in many of the same ways small- and medium-sized businesses do. Multiple locations can use a single phone system to stay in touch with anyone, or everyone, wherever they are. Paging lets someone in the school district or campus office notify people wherever they’re located. Calls can be quickly and easily routed to the extension or location a caller needs without multiple transfers. And schools can send out texts for canceled classes, snow days, and other urgent messages.
Lower costs
It’s the most obvious reason—cloud-based VoIP is less expensive than analog POTS. VoIP also offers more features that would cost extra in POTS or aren’t available.
Using a school’s Internet service for its telecom eliminates the extra telecom expense and the staff needed for technical support. VoIP offers schools a more efficient and cost-effective phone system with more features for less than a landline.
Schools can save thousands of dollars on a cloud-based telecom system with monthly service and up-to-date equipment that offers more flexibility than traditional POTS systems.
VoIP offers schools a more efficient and cost-effective phone system with more features for less than a landline.
Typically, VoIP costs less than traditional phone systems, especially for local or long-distance calls. Monthly charges are stable, and everything is included. Schools can save significantly on communication expenses, putting more of the limited resources toward educational programs for students.
Flexibility
One VoIP feature is the ability to move a phone from one location to another without rewiring. Staff, faculty, and others can move from one office or classroom to another and plug their phone into the internet connection or use company Wifi to connect. Their phone number is ready to use instantly without any additional work.
Scaling is also easy with VoIP. Whether you need more lines for faculty in a new building or new lines for the short term, such as during registration or graduation, they’re easy to add and remove on the web-based user portal.
Everything in one place
A cloud-based VoIP phone system includes much more than just phone calls. VoIP systems often integrate other communication channels like video conferencing, instant messaging, and email. Consolidating these communication tools can streamline collaboration among teachers, staff, students, and parents.
Schools can centrally manage their VoIP systems, making it easier for IT staff to maintain and update their communication infrastructure. This centralized management simplifies troubleshooting and ensures consistent service across all school locations.
VoIP systems can integrate with other educational tools and platforms, enhancing the overall educational experience for students and teachers.
Even though the pandemic is behind us, remote learning can still be a part of a school’s everyday activities when needed. VoIP facilitates communication between teachers and students, regardless of their location. This is especially crucial during remote learning situations, allowing teachers to conduct virtual classes, hold office hours, or provide individual student support.
Schools can also utilize VoIP to automate tasks like bell ringing, paging, and sending text messages to students and parents when needed, especially during emergencies.
Reliability
With a strong Internet provider, your calls get through quickly and are as high-quality as a landline. Calls are re-routed to another designated number should your Internet service go down while the IVR (auto-attendant) answers and routes calls as needed.
Emergencies—Calling 911
So many schools have experienced emergencies in the last several years that emergency response is a priority for the sake of the students and the surrounding area. VoIP makes emergency calling and response much more efficient and gets help to the right place faster.
With an analog phone system, calling 911 tells the operator where the call originates. In a school, that call will likely be from the front office. What if the emergency is in another building? First responders won’t know that until they arrive, delaying help.
Enhanced 911 lets multi-line systems transmit location information and a callback number to the 911 operator. The location information includes notifications of the 911 call within a building or wherever the call originates.
The regulations for Enhanced 911 differ by state. If your system was installed before 2020, equipping it with Enhanced 911 may not be required. However, you should update it for the day it’s needed and ensure that your school’s information is also updated. Whether it’s a facility emergency such as a fire or intruder, first responders need to know where to go once they arrive.
Can VoIP systems help your school system?
Public schools must do more with less, including their yearly budgets, and keep students and parents in mind when making decisions. Changing to a VoIP system can help schools communicate better and faster while reducing telecom costs.
If your local public school system can benefit from upgrading to a VoIP-based telecom system, contact Press8 Telecom for a free quote. They will answer any questions or concerns you may have while searching for the right solution.
