The Best Phone System for Schools and Universities

Schools and Universities need to be able to communicate across departments as well as answering or placing external calls. A simple analogue line just won’t do anymore. We have worked with many Schools and Universities and we have suggested VoIP systems which have worked really well for them.

Things to consider when you are choosing a new phone system

You need to think about what you need your phone system to do. Making calls is a simple answer but phone systems can do so much more these days. Below are a few factors you need to consider:

Reliability – You need a system that is reliable, you can’t have a system that fails at the time you need the most.

Flexibility – If you campus size increases or changes then you need a phone system which will adapt to this. So you need to look for a phone system which allows you to do this.

Security – With reliability in mind, you need to ensure that you purchase a system with a high level of security and regular back-ups.

SLA’s – Most suppliers like us will offer support and maintenance packages should the system not be working the way it should. We have a variety of Service Level Agreements to suit a School or University’s needs.   

Features – You will have an idea of certain features that you need the phone system to do but here are a few that we have found to be essential to schools:

·        Single push button for help in a security situation.

·        Intercom system.

·        Automated messages to student’s parents – usually about school closures.

·        Call routing – to direct to the right department.

·        Internal calling – so you can talk internally without travelling to other campuses.

·        Video conferencing – this is a great feature if you have students/teachers across multiple locations and want to communicate centrally.

·        Unique phone number per staff member – this means if a member of staff works at multiple locations they can take their phone number and log in with them so they are always contactable.

Which phone system is best?

There isn’t one size fits all, so we have laid out a generalisation for smaller/larger sites.

Small sites

For those schools who perhaps only require 4-10 extensions, we recommend the NEC phone system.

This is ideal for smaller operations but still with a range of great features. It also doesn’t restrict growth as you could comfortably increase the users to 30-40.

Larger sites

For those requiring more than 30 extensions and certainly across multiple locations we thoroughly recommend Mitel’s MiVoice Business.

This solution is ideal for even those Schools or Universities with restrictive budgets.

Would you like to discuss the best phone system for you? Please call Rob on 0330 222 0330 for free advice.