Abbey Multi Academy Trust on the benefits of using My School Phones VoIP from Schools Broadband
Background
Abbey Multi Academy Trust (MAT) currently consists of eight schools with 4,000 students. Schools Broadband provides connectivity, security and filtering to all eight schools.
Currently Schools Broadband services three primary schools with its VoIP solution and has recently secured the provision of a Secondary School. Abbey MAT plans to move all the Trust’s schools over to Schools Broadband over the coming year. When David Ryder, Director of IT for the Trust, took up the position, there wasn’t a phone system infrastructure to speak of. David was keen to implement a scalable VoIP solution across three schools in the Trust and ensure significant cost savings. He was also looking for a system with features that would allow schools to benefit from easy call-handling and greater operational efficiencies, especially in secondary schools.
Solution
David discussed his requirements with the Schools Broadband team. Schools Broadband proposed My Schools Phone, using Yealink handsets, tailoring the schools’ user requirements from their range of handsets available – from entry level to more advanced options. The system and each handset are configured to the users’ requirements with access to system features for easier call handling and operational efficiencies. Connectivity is supplied via a Schools Broadband internet connection which guarantees a quality of service for the schools’ phone users.
David was keen to rigorously test the system’s suitability. Following on from a successful trial period, Schools Broadband was selected as Abbey MAT’s provider for VoIP across three school sites with a fourth site secured. David now plans to move the remaining four schools in the Trust over to the service. He has also recommended Schools Broadband and overseen the implementation of Broadband and VoIP at a fifth school, outside of the Trust.
Outcome
David has commented: “It’s a great platform. Having looked at other systems in the marketplace, we believe that Schools Broadband’s VoIP solution provides the best value for our schools’ requirements. Our phone infrastructure runs itself, it’s very easy to manage. Its scalability means we can continue to easily add other school sites to the network and plan to do so over the coming months. The significant cost-savings we’ve made have easily covered hardware costs and we continue to benefit from monthly line rental savings with the call bundle solutions available. We would definitely recommend Schools Broadband to other schools and MATs looking for a VoIP service provider.”