Since the dawn of COVID-19 and prior, educators have been harnessing technology to boost efficiency and improve communication systems inside and outside of schools.
It’s become ever-more crucial for schools to provide continuity to staff members, students, administrators, and parents to ensure safety and mitigate interruptions to teaching.
In recent years, UC (Unified Communications) has emerged as a game-changer across all types of academic institutions and beyond. It’s a staple of modern-day communications platforms and provides a robust alternative to the increasingly redundant telephone infrastructure across the UK.
While UC solutions aren’t new or uncommon, many institutions continue to pay for multiple services—including outdated ones—simultaneously, hindering the potential for cost savings.
This blog will discuss the four most important reasons why schools and other educational institutions should switch to cloud-based telephony.
Reliance on Outdated Infrastructure
Almost all traditional phone setups rely on PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), an analogue, legacy platform that uses underground copper wires to facilitate communication channels. This infrastructure is subject to an upcoming switch-off scheduled for 2027.
What does this mean for schools? If you don’t switch to a digital solution, your phone systems will not work. For this reason, it’s crucial to replace any PSTN-reliant devices before 2027; they will become redundant otherwise. The sooner you overhaul your analogue-based phone setups, the more prepared you’ll be for the changes. You can read about the PSTN Switch-Off here.
Seamless Communication and Collaboration
It’s in the name. UC unites communication, namely video calls, voice, messaging, and file sharing, into one comprehensive solution. It allows for frictionless collaboration between students, teachers, parents, and administrators at any time.
Fewer tools mean more simplicity, and more simplicity results in higher productivity. With 35% of employees* wanting to reduce the number of tools they use at work, it’s no wonder there’s a striking correlation between the two.
UC also enhances real-time collaboration, ensuring staff members can easily share updates, resources, and ideas without delay.
Better Opportunities for Remote and Hybrid Working
Since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remote work and hybrid working have become staples of the modern working and academic worlds.
Cloud-based solutions mean staff—namely administrators—don’t always have to be on school premises to do their jobs. Notifications and collaboration tools ensure that staff can stay connected and productive, whether working from home or on-site. Instant messaging and internal calling features allow them to liaise with colleagues and parents without speaking in person or passing messages to and from others. They can focus on strategic planning and decision-making with minimal interruptions.
Cost Savings
With fewer services comes lower, less fragmented costs; the UC approach guarantees significant cost savings, making it a cost-effective choice for any school. By consolidating multiple services into a single cloud-based platform, schools can significantly cut expenses for maintaining outdated systems and fragmented tools.
Aside from the impending redundancy of PSTN-based systems, they have historically required ongoing maintenance, repairs, and updates. Any administrator responsible for these systems knows how quickly costs can accumulate to keep these up-to-date. Cloud-based telephony systems remove the need for expensive upkeep as they are far less reliant on hardware and are rarely affected by physical issues.
UC also supports digital transformation within the education sector, enabling institutions to streamline operations and optimise resources. Because budgets are often spread thin in the education sector, the transformation is especially impactful because it any cost-saving opportunity is essential.
As mentioned before, UC is a forward-thinking decision. The earlier you transition, the less impact you will have ahead of the PSTN switch-off in 2027, all while reaping the benefits of modern, integrated communication tools. The switch ensures administrators and decision-makers can reallocate resources to enhance remote learning, improve collaboration tools, and invest in higher-value priorities. This applies to both lower and higher education systems.
How can I implement UC?
You might be wondering how to update your systems. That’s where Stream comes in. Our PBX platform, VoiceLogic, provides an all-encompassing and intuitive solution.
We make the transition as simple as possible and tailor it specifically to your needs. For nearly two decades, we’ve provided managed services and connectivity solutions to businesses across the UK. Contact us to see how we can help future-proof your school.
You can explore our other Unified Communications (UC) solutions here.