Templates and checklists

• Organization: {School, district or organization}
• Completed by: {Name, role}
• Date: {Date}

Check each item you need, and replace the {curly braces} with your counts and details.

Phones in rooms and offices

• Rooms that need a phone, counted by building: {count}
• Rooms that need only an extension (many classrooms): {count}
• Rooms or people that also need a direct number and voicemail: {count}
• Cordless phones (nurse, custodians, yard duty): {count}
• Apps on computers or cell phones for staff who move between sites: {count}
• Wall-mounted phones (hallways, gyms, kitchens): {count}
• A working network jack at each phone location
• Network switches that provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) to desk phones
• Front desk phones that show who’s on the phone and handle several calls at once
• Spare phones: {count}

Main and attendance lines

• Every public number listed (main, attendance, district office, transportation, food services, programs)
• Phone menu options and languages: {details}
• Attendance voicemail: capacity, who checks it, messages by email
• Ring groups: which phones ring together, and in what order
• Call queues with a message during busy times
• Caller ID name and number families see when staff call out: {details}

After hours, holidays and closures

• Regular hours, minimum days, summer hours and holiday calendar
• What callers hear after hours, and where urgent calls go
• Emergency closure message (weather, smoke, power outage)
• Who can turn the closure message on, and from where (web, desk phone, cell phone)

Paging, bells and intercom

• Existing overhead paging system: {brand, age, how it connects today}
• Paging zones: {whole school, buildings, outdoors, wings}
• Who can page: {any phone, or only some}
• Bells or class-change tones: {which system schedules them now}
• Classroom intercom (teacher to office, office to room)
• Emergency announcements that override bells and other pages

911 and safety

• Direct 911 dialing from every phone, with no “9” or other prefix
• 911 alerts to the front office or another central spot, with after-hours coverage: {who gets alerts}
• A dispatchable location (street address plus building, floor and room) for every phone, including portables
• A way to update the location for apps and laptops used off site
• The provider’s notice of when 911 may not work (for example, power or internet outages), with your acknowledgment
• 911 labels on or near each phone
• Battery backup for the network equipment phones depend on

Fax and other analog devices

• Fax machines that stay machines: {count}
• Fax numbers that move to email-to-fax: {count}
• Other devices on phone lines (postage meters, card terminals, door buzzers, gate call boxes, modems): {list}
• Life-safety lines (fire alarm panels, elevator phones, security alarms, emergency call boxes): {list}

Life-safety lines need specialized equipment that is listed for that use. Ask your fire alarm or elevator vendor what’s required before you change these lines.

Voicemail

• Personal voicemail boxes: {count}
• Shared boxes (attendance, counseling, front office): {list}
• Voicemail to email, and transcription to text
• How long messages are kept, and who can open shared boxes
• Greetings in the languages your families speak: {languages}

Call recording

• Do you need recording? On which lines: {lines}
• How long recordings are kept, who can listen, and where they’re stored
• A recording notice, reviewed with your attorney (California generally requires the consent of everyone on a confidential call)

Accessibility

• Hearing aid compatible (HAC) handsets with volume control
• 711 relay calls work from every phone
• TTY (text telephone) support where needed
• Short, clear phone menus that always offer a way to reach a person

Admin control and support

• Who can make changes, and what each person may change: {names, roles}
• A web portal for everyday changes (users, greetings, holiday calendar)
• Multi-factor sign-in for admin accounts, and a log of who changed what
• Phones that set themselves up when plugged in (zero-touch provisioning)
• Support hours, who you can call, and response times during the school day
• A way to export your settings and call records if you ever leave
• An API (application programming interface) if IT wants to automate tasks

Reporting

• Call history for each line, including missed calls on main and attendance lines
• Busy-hour and queue reports (how long callers wait)
• A record of 911 calls and alerts
• Usage reports you can check against the invoice

Texting families

• Texting from a school or office number (business texting must be registered first, called 10DLC registration)
• Who will send texts, what kinds, and how families opt in and opt out
• Time for registration before the first message

Student data and privacy

• Student information the system may hold (voicemails, recordings, call logs, texts)
• Whether the provider needs to sign your student data privacy agreement

Notes

{Anything else your school or organization needs}

• Organization: {School, district or organization}
• Cutover date and time: {Date, time}
• Our cutover lead: {Name, phone}
• Provider contact for cutover day: {Name, phone}
• Old carrier support number: {Phone}

Before cutover day

• Port date confirmed in writing by the new provider, for a weekday during a break
• Every number on the port list matches the inventory, including toll-free and fax numbers
• Old service stays active; nothing has been cancelled yet
• Every phone installed, labeled with its room, and showing the right extension
• 911 location (building, floor, room) on file for every phone
• 911 alert recipients set up and confirmed
• Call flows built and reviewed: main line, attendance line, phone menu, ring groups, after-hours and holiday schedules
• Voicemail boxes created, with greetings recorded for main and attendance lines
• Paging zones and any bell or intercom connections tested on the new system
• Fax machines connected through an adapter, or email-to-fax boxes set up
• Network checked: phones get power (PoE) and network equipment is on battery backup
• Test calls scheduled with local 911 dispatch through the non-emergency number (never dial 911 to test without arranging it first)
• Office staff trained on answering, transferring, voicemail and paging
• A one-page “who to call” sheet for cutover day handed out
• A cell phone or other backup plan ready in case of problems

During cutover

• Provider confirms the port is complete
• Inbound calls: call each main and department number from a cell phone, and confirm it rings in the right place
• Attendance line: call it, leave a test message, and confirm staff can retrieve it
• Phone menu: test every option
• Outbound calls: call a cell phone from several phones, and check the caller ID name and number
• Long distance and toll-free: place a long-distance call, and call each toll-free number
• Voicemail: leave and retrieve a message on a personal box and a shared box; check voicemail to email if used
• Transfers and ring groups: transfer a call from the front desk, and confirm ring groups ring in the right order
• Paging: make a test page in each zone
• Fax: send and receive a test fax on each fax number
• After-hours routing: switch to the after-hours schedule (or wait for it) and confirm what callers hear
• Closure message: turn the emergency message on and off
• 911: make only the test calls arranged with your provider and local 911 dispatch. Say “This is a test call” right away, and confirm the address, callback number and room shown
• 911 alerts: confirm the alert reached the right people with the right location
• Every problem written down with the phone, number, time and what happened

After cutover

• Every issue from the list fixed or assigned, with a follow-up date
• Any 911 location mismatches corrected by the provider, and retested with dispatch
• Inbound calls checked again the next school day, when call volume is normal
• Office staff asked what’s confusing or not working
• Old account left open until every number is confirmed working on the new system (close it out during the first 30 days)
• Old phones and equipment labeled “do not use” or removed
• Notes from today saved with your phone system records

• Organization: {School, district or organization}
• Cutover date: {Date}
• Owner of this checklist: {Name}

Week 1

• Fix or assign every issue left from cutover day
• Check in with front office and attendance staff each day: what’s working, what’s confusing?
• Adjust call flows based on real calls: ring order, how long phones ring before voicemail, menu wording
• Confirm the after-hours and holiday schedules match the school calendar
• Confirm voicemail to email reaches the right people for shared boxes

Weeks 2 and 3

• Train each admin who will make changes (adding users, changing greetings, updating schedules), and give each one their own sign-in
• Turn on multi-factor sign-in for admin accounts
• 911 location audit: compare the location on file for each phone with where it actually is, and fix any differences
• Confirm 911 alert recipients are still right, including after-hours coverage
• Put 911 warning labels and room location labels on or near every phone
• Brief all staff on 911: dial directly, stay on the line, say your room
• Remind softphone and app users how to update their location
• Collect feedback from office staff with a short survey or meeting

Week 4

• Close out the old service: confirm every number has ported, then cancel anything left on the old account in writing
• Get written confirmation that the old account is closed
• Check the old carrier’s final bill, and dispute any charges after the cancel date
• Return or recycle old equipment, following the old contract’s terms
• Check the first invoice from the new provider against the quote, line by line
• Note any taxes, fees or usage that differ from the estimate, and ask about them

Write it down

• Updated phone inventory: every phone, extension, number and room
• A diagram or list of each call flow (main line, attendance, after hours, closures)
• 911 setup: locations, alert recipients and test results
• Who can make changes, and how to reach support
• Account numbers, contract dates and renewal or notice dates
• How to turn on the emergency closure message, posted where office staff can find it
• A date to review 911 locations again (for example, before each school year)

Every phone location

• A network cable (standard Ethernet) runs from the phone location to a switch port
• The switch port provides PoE (802.3at), or a power adapter is ready for the phone
• The phone gets an address by DHCP and can resolve names by DNS
• The phone can reach the internet

Switches, VLANs and DHCP

• Phones have their own voice VLAN (recommended)
• DHCP options for phone setup are configured for the brands you use (Yealink phones set themselves up)
• There’s enough PoE power budget on each switch for all of its phones
• Voice traffic is prioritized (QoS) on switches and the firewall

Firewall and internet

• SIP ALG / “SIP helper” features are turned off
• Connection timeouts are long enough for long calls
• The addresses and ports from your phone provider are allowed
• The internet connection has room for your busiest calling (for example, morning attendance), in both directions

Power and resilience

• Switches and the firewall are on battery backup
• You know what happens to calls if the internet connection goes down, and who to tell

Wi-Fi (only if you use wireless phones or apps)

• Wi-Fi coverage is checked in every room where wireless phones or apps are used
• Voice traffic is prioritized on the wireless network

Before cutover day

• Someone on your team can make network changes on cutover day
• You have a test phone working on each network segment (each building, each VLAN)