Introducing Mitel to a K-12 Environment

The K-12 environment is significantly different than it ever has been before. With technology advancing at such a rapid rate, schools, like other organizations, have the need to stay updated with the latest conveniences. However, a major pain point for school districts is being outfitted with outdated phone systems that tether faculty to their desks making it difficult to reach them or for them to reach who they need to while they are performing pressing duties elsewhere in the building or on campus. Nowadays with how advanced business phone systems have become, there is no reason for a school to suffer from a phone system that won’t allow its superintendents, principals, and other key staff members to be mobile throughout their day, enabling them to multitask other responsibilities. Imagine how much could get accomplished if they didn’t have to choose.

Your current system may only be a few years old and not very dated, but it may be outdated compared to more innovated and integrated solutions. So, thinking about the possibility of investing in a phone system yet again may feel too soon. But, when you consider that it isn’t meeting your communication needs, you are still going to be left unsatisfied with your current system. Luckily, there are solutions to upgrading your current system without having to start all over again. The company offers several options with MiCollab. These options can simply be additional layers to your already functioning system which will, in turn, benefit your district without as large of an investment as you’ve already made. Cisco, for example, offers popular systems used by school districts on which Mitel’s technology can be added to what is already in place and simply complement rather than replace.

It isn’t enough for a phone system to only have the ability to make and receive calls anymore. Users are demanding much more. Mitel offers the ability to have your desk phone link up to any device you wish to use granting you to always have access to your line without physically having your desk phone near. Mobile devices, laptops, desktops and tablets are all able to act as your desk phone in the event you’re away from the office. The even better part is, the person on the receiving end of the call won’t know the difference whether you’re at your desk or not as Mitel allows for all devices to adopt your one phone line. Imagine if a parent is trying to call the school principal in the event of an emergency and doesn’t get a call back for hours because they are elsewhere in the school. With this solution, staff can be available to answer a call from any location and on any device whether they are physically on campus or in a meeting across town at the time of the call.

It isn’t enough for a phone system to only have the ability to make and receive calls anymore.

MiCollab works seamlessly for internal usage as well, working perfectly for faculty and staff who are consistently moving around a school’s campus. MiCollab comes with an internal messaging system that is available to anyone who is working on the system. It permits users to send quick instant messages to their colleagues who, again, will receive them on any of the devices that they wish to sync with MiCollab. Are you a principal looking to speak with the hockey coach? MiCollab will show different icons next to the contact you wish to speak with allowing you to see if they are currently on the phone and able to speak. These icons also grant you to video chat and instant message if the person is unavailable to speak on the phone.

Mitel understands how critical it is that busy environments like educational institutions require several modes of communication to run smoothly. It is because of this need that they not only give users several options for mobility but lets users to leave updated status reports to help guide fellow staff members on the whereabouts and agendas of other faculty members. Rather than receiving phone calls in a meeting, MiCollab users will have the ability to set a status that says for example, “In a budget meeting until 2:00 – only instant messages please.”

However, you might choose not to be contacted at all during an important budget meeting. Luckily with this solution, your contact stream can be controlled as you wish. At any point, a user can choose to have all calls be sent straight to their voicemail rather than ringing in on any device. Once this happens you can choose to have your voicemails sent directly to your box; you can use Visual Voicemail to read your messages and see who called to decide whether the call needs immediate attention or not.

These features and more, of course, let users work remotely without disrupting or sacrificing their regular communication. Settings within MiCollab gives users the option to input several different phone numbers as alternatives to using their Mitel line. In the event you are working from home, but lack sufficient cell phone service, you can program your devices to ring to your home phone without disclosing your personal home line to the outside world. This feature too uses your main desk line to make this possible and the caller unaware that you are using any other device but the one at your desk. Options like this are perfect for an emergency situation where working from a remote location makes more sense but privacy of person numbers is desired. 

MiCollab goes further than just providing seamless phone communication. Along with this solution comes an extensive conferencing feature that gives collaborators the options to use their devices to call into the system on a private, secure line to conduct meetings. Screen sharing, audio and video conferencing and even the ability to record meetings are all wrapped into MiCollab to make your meetings accessible from anywhere and from any linked device you choose. All with one single click. 

With the investment of your current system and the added cost of even possibly more devices such as talk radios, it can be a challenge and even a chaotic experience to stay connected with both your internal and external networks throughout the school day and even after hours. But with MiCollab, you'll have a simple solution that offers provides huge benefits while being just an added layer of your already existing phone system. It can not only keep you updated with current technology, but it will also help your district run more smoothly for the future.