Having navigated an entire year of home schooling, zoom classes and self-isolation, it’s safe to say that schools are by now becoming well versed in dealing with change. However, as we approach the end of the summer holidays and schools from across the country prepare to welcome pupils back to classrooms once more, the ever-changing nature of a global pandemic means that we’re unlikely to have seen the end of changes just yet!

With cases currently tracking upwards and colder months approaching, the realistic and inevitable viewpoint is that there will be challenges ahead. But whilst those challenges and changes are perhaps unknown, one central feature in effectively tackling them head on is to communicate with parents, teachers, and pupils quickly and succinctly.

Now is the time to know that your phone system gives you the answers to the questions that might be asked of it during the winter months, and if you haven’t already made the leap, a VoIP system could offer all of the flexibility and functionality you need to keep everyone happy.

Your phone number – no matter where you are

There are many reasons that people have had to work from home; perhaps they’ve been self-isolating, been in an area affected by local lockdowns, or perhaps even caught the virus (it’s estimated that more than 5 million have over the past year!).

If they need to work flexibly, you want them to be able to without added cost or strain on your phone system. VoIP does exactly this; no matter if they work in IT, HR or are in a front-line teaching position, they can take their telephone home with them, plug it in to the internet and they’re good to go.

Fast, flexible and essential in ensuring your school and staff are contactable without a second’s delay.

Your privacy

The above of course has a knock-on effect on privacy; understandably staff members won’t want pupils, parents and other stakeholders having their home or mobile telephone number. Plugging a VoIP handset in means that the work number is taken with you wherever you go; great for privacy and productivity.

Easy to add messaging on your main phone lines

So far, we’ve talked about individual members of staff, but how about the main phone line that sees most of the call traffic? The good news here is that you can make key information readily available as soon as people call the number. This can be through initial messaging that can cover any topic that’s needed; perhaps school opening hours, current protocols or procedures for logging absence and illness.

The idea is that you can give people the answers to common questions before they even ask!

Great for productivity and for communication!

Handling those busier times

Every school sees peaks in call traffic at very precise times of the day and on certain days of the year. Two perfect examples of this would be early morning (reporting absence for the day) and exam results day in the summer! In busier times you still ideally want calls to be answered in a timely fashion. A VoIP phone system can do this by placing calls into hunt groups (this is when a select group of phones ring until someone answers), or by a Auto Attendant (when you press 1 for absence, 2 for the school office, etc).

Both allow you to handle a greater number of calls with the same amount of human resources!

Great for your own productivity, call handling, and attending to callers as quickly as possible.

We’ve been working with schools and education establishments for more than 30 years. For more information about how we can help your school to stay ahead of the curve, give us a call on 01237 420010 and we’ll be happy to help.