VoIP phone systems are becoming increasingly popular for businesses. From estate agents to care homes, many organisations are seeing the benefits of having a VoIP phone system. This can also include schools and other businesses within the education sector.
Schools require a high performing phone system to handle high call volumes and operate smoothly. This is especially true in busy periods. By introducing a VoIP phone system for your school, you can enjoy benefits such as increased efficiency and productivity, just as our customers in other sectors would.
We’ve put together this guide to answer your questions on VoIP phone systems for schools and businesses in the education sector:
How does VoIP work?
If you haven’t heard of VoIP before you may be wondering what it is and how it works.
VoIP stands for ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’. Simply put, it’s a type of communication technology which allows users to make phone calls using an internet connection. Typically, VoIP for business will involve handsets and a server from a VoIP service provider. Data is stored in the cloud so it’s a cloud-based system.
Are VoIP systems reliable?
VoIP systems are reliable and make high quality calls, but they do require a stable internet connection.
The reliability of VoIP systems can also come down to your provider. With any service, it helps to be with a provider who cares. Your provider should be recommending the right systems for your business needs, from reputable manufacturers. In the case of a system fault you should be confident that your provider is there to help you.
At Chrome, we pride ourselves on delivering a reliable service. We’re here to help, and passionate about our honest and reliable approach to telecoms. If you need us, you’ll be connected quickly and assisted by our expert team ready to handle your query.
What are some of the features of a VoIP phone system?
VoIP phone systems will typically include features unavailable with a traditional phone system. These features are there to benefit your school and can lead to increased productivity and efficiency. Here are some of the key features of a VoIP phone system for schools:
Call routing:
Calls can be routed to go to different numbers. This will help to ensure that they are answered efficiently, and by the relevant member of staff. Calls can also be routed to an out of hours line during school holidays and over weekends.
Auto-attendants:
Another feature designed to help you handle high call volumes is auto-attendants. We can install auto-attendants that help callers connect to the right department quickly. This gives a better service than callers having to wait to get through only to be transferred to another department.
On-hold messaging:
On-hold messaging essentially means what it sounds like. You have custom messages that play to anyone waiting to get through. You can use it to answer FAQs. This can be especially helpful in tackling high call volumes on a snow day or exam results day.
Call recording:
One of our favourite features is call recording. Call recording is a feature which we recommend for all industries, and schools can definitely benefit from it. With call recording your system will store calls automatically, enabling you to refer back to important calls when needed.
Call recording also supports your employees in working more efficiently. If you need to confirm details, you can simply listen back to a call to a check. This will enable you to be more productive than having to make a call back. You’ll also be delivering a better service than potentially inconveniencing your students or their families.
This brilliant feature of VoIP phone systems can support you in improving your staff training. You can listen to back to their calls and see where improvements can be made. Equally you can save exceptionally good calls and share them with other team members.
What are the business benefits of a VoIP phone system?
A VoIP system will come with a range of benefits for businesses in all industries. Some of the benefits that schools can enjoy are:
Efficiency:
With a phone system designed to support your business goals, your team can become much more efficient. This relates to features designed to improve your call handling efficiency, and how you use other features like call recording.
Productivity:
With staff handling calls more efficiently you’ll see an increase in their productivity. You can also achieve increased productivity by having your FAQs on your hold marketing. By effectively communicating with your customers you’ll have more time to focus on other tasks.
Profitability:
Businesses in the education sector can benefit from an increase in profits with a VoIP phone system. This is mainly because they are often less expensive than traditional systems. Even with the exclusive features of a VoIP system, you can still be making a saving.
Profits will also be increased with the effective use of certain features. For example, you can use on-hold marketing to advertise new courses or classes that you’re offering.
Future proofing:
A huge benefit of introducing a VoIP phone system for your school is that you’ll be future proofing your communications. Over time, you can add more lines and features to your VoIP phone system as needed. This is more cost effective than with traditional phone systems.
VoIP phone systems are part of our unified communications solutions. A complete solution includes your desk phones, calls, lines and broadband, as well as business mobiles. If versatility is something you’re missing, we can make it possible for you to handle calls on laptops and mobiles. In turn, this supports remote working for roles which don’t need to be done from the office or classroom.
Future proofing your communications is also more important than you may think due to the upcoming ISDN switch off. Simply put, the ISDN switch off is the termination of BT services relating to the traditional way of making calls. This is due to industry advancements and the introduction of alternative options, such as VoIP phone systems.
With the services being shut down in 2025, now is the time to consider your next business phone system. By acting now you can get ahead of other businesses before the demand spikes. For more detail on the ISDN switch off and how it affects your business, check out our blog post.
We hope that you’ve found our comprehensive guide on VoIP phone systems for schools helpful. Reach out to us directly for more information on our VoIP phone systems and how they can benefit your business. We can even arrange a site visit where we can tailor a bespoke package to your business needs.
