How to find the best VoIP solutions For schools

Since 2020, the world has undergone immense changes. That's particularly true when it comes to the way people work — especially educators. Many schools have adopted work-from-home practices, and across the United States, education budgets are continually reduced. Luckily, VoIP solutions for schools provide affordable options for educational institutes while helping teachers and other school staff maintain effective communication with students and coworkers while working at home.

What features to look for when selecting school telephone systems

You and your team field dozens of phone calls each day, so it's important to have a telephone system that's affordable and reliable. It should be simple for your receptionists and other points of contact to direct calls appropriately, whether staff is working on site or at home. VoIP for schools should also include an array of other useful features that enhance productivity for all of your school's employees.

Video conferencing capabilities

In today's world, more of us are working and learning from home than ever. Video conferencing helps your teachers stay connected with students and peers. The right VoIP solutions for schools should offer collaborative video conferencing options that include:

  • HD video and audio
  • Live streaming for lectures and teacher conferences
  • Moderation controls
  • End-to-end encryption for student safety and privacy
  • Cloud recording capabilities
  • Calendar integrations for assigning deadlines
  • Private breakaway rooms for students to work in groups or obtain private instruction

Comprehensive call management and call handling

Chances are, your school switchboard gets busy at times, and it's vital that your receptionist or operator can keep up. Features such as call queues, call parking, forwarding and transfer can enable your frontline employees to efficiently accept and direct calls with minimal errors.

Visual voicemail

Whether your teaching staff is busy planning lessons, grading work or instructing students, it's not always possible for them to answer their calls or check voicemails manually. Visual voicemail converts speech to text, sending voice messages from parents, coworkers and other callers directly to their email or smartphone and enabling them to determine which messages require immediate attention without diverting their attention from students.

Visual voicemail is also useful for school administrators that are responsible for monitoring and recording student absences. With visual voicemail, your team can easily view and maintain absence records without the added steps of listening to messages and manually recording parent-approved absences from in-person or online classes.

8x8's VoIP solutions for schools

8x8 Cloud PBX is a VoIP system that comes with an array of useful features that enable school administrators, teachers, students and parents to come together via telephone or video, even when they're required to work or learn from home. In addition to the important features discussed above, 8x8's Cloud PBX school telephone systems also include:

  • Unlimited calling, SMS and fax
  • Call recording
  • Hold music
  • Overhead paging capabilities
  • Call monitoring
  • Caller ID
  • Call blocking and do not disturb
  • Directory assistance for callers
  • Analytics
  • Integration with other 8x8 work apps

Cloud PBX can be accessed from anywhere your teachers are working, making it a great option for schools that are providing homeschooling solutions for students, as well as those with students learning on-campus.

For more information about VoIP solutions for schools and 8x8's Cloud PBX business phone features, get in touch to request a quote.