Telephony Support Service (VoIP)

About the Service

Our Telephony Support Service (VoIP) offers support for Voice over IP (VoIP) systems installed by Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services. Our VoIP systems are designed to provide internal phone extensions and to link to your external phone lines and your current telephone number.

The service uses a software-based PBX (Private Branch Exchange or internal telephone exchange), on a virtual server which also reduces the costs associated with buying and operating a physical PBX.

By subscribing to this service, your school will receive support for Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services installed VoIP telephony. This will include:

Ensuring continued operation of your PBX software.
Patching and upgrading of PBX software and handset firmware.
Changes to the configuration of the PBX.
Support in the use of the PBX.

What are the benefits?

VoIP technology enables the school to have any number of internal telephone extensions and potentially to reduce the number of external lines, reducing costs and improving internal communication.
The VoIP phones plug into network data points (the same type of socket PCs plug into) minimizing future expansion costs. Using PoE+ (Power over Ethernet) switches also removes the need for power cables and adapters for the telephone handsets, freeing power sockets for use by other devices or the need to have additional electrical sockets installed for the handsets.
Avoids the cost of purchase, ongoing support and refresh of a dedicated hardware PBX and proprietary equipment.
Integrates with schools existing RBUSS backup avoiding costly downtime or reconfiguration costs.
The software PBX is easily configurable to support your school's telephony requirements and to migrate or expand as schools needs change.
Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services will ensure your telephone system operates effectively and will provide both upgrades and support usage.

What's Included?

Service Features

Feature	Description
Call Redirection and Call Barring	Based on incoming telephone number calls can be routed or blocked.
Auto attendant	Also known as IVR (Integrated Voice Attendant), or DR (Digital Receptionist). Allows callers to select from a range of number options e.g. "To Report a Child Absence, Press 1".
Pick-up Groups	Answer any ringing phone in group from your handset.
Hunt Groups	Searches for available extensions in specific order.
Extension Watching	Often useful for Secretaries/PAs to check if the headteacher is available to take calls. Also known as "busy lamp field".
Do not disturb	Allows a user to make their telephone unavailable for incoming calls, redirecting incoming calls to voicemail.
Voicemail	Voicemails can be setup for each extension/user and configured to send an email attachment to a specific recipient.
Conference calls	Calls can be created or merged to allows multiple participants.
Direct Dial In Numbers	This feature is available if your school purchase a Direct Dial-In (DDI) number or block of numbers from your telephony provider. It gives specific staff a direct number, avoiding callers having to go through the reception or menu system. This can be useful during school holidays if school staff are in school working without office staff.
Paging Function	Allows a broadcast to be transmitted out of every telephone loudspeaker without anyone answering it.
Night Service	The Night Service routes calls to different locations based on the time of day when a call is received. During business hours, calls can route to an office phone and after-hours calls could go to a voice-mail system.

Service Features

Feature	Description
Telephony (VoIP) Support Service	Simple amendments such as redirecting voice attendants to different groups, changing names on phones, changing email addresses, inbound / outbound routing. Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services 3CX User Guide. Reductions in performance. Upgrading device firmware and system software (as necessary and decided by Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services). Configuration of hardware to replace faulty VoIP Telephony equipment (please see exclusions below). Advice by Lancashire County Council Education Digital Services engineers on suitable replacement equipment before purchase.