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A school intercom system is vital for real-time and ongoing communication throughout the school. Whether using the PA system to address the entire student body or direct communication between individual offices or classrooms, your school intercom is your connection to every individual at your school.

Unfortunately, many schools have outdated intercom and public address systems. In a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 74 percent of school districts surveyed identified telecom system updates as a high priority.

An outdated school intercom system creates a communication deficit that puts your students and faculty at a disadvantage and, in extreme cases, in danger. Keep your school communications up to date with the latest technology from Marshall Industries; upgrade your school systems to a modern life safety system that supports campus safety 24/7.

This guide will walk you through the benefits of modern school life safety systems and why you should invest in your school’s communication.

school audio visual systems help students communicate

Why New Life Safety System Technology is Important for Your School

Investing in communication system upgrades is about more than just convenience and cosmetics. The 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress saw a correlation between school buildings with infrastructural problems (including technology) and lower math proficiency among the students who attend them. Upgrading your telecom systems could improve students’ performance.

And yet, modern systems are more than just a classroom intercom. Unfortunately, emergencies have become far too familiar in America’s schools. In those crucial minutes — when communication and organization matter most — a reliable, modern communication system could save lives. New technology allows you to integrate multiple communication systems and manage them all online. Security and emergency response procedures can be seamlessly integrated into your daily intercom system for faster and more intuitive responses when it matters most.

The integrations possible in modern systems create an entire communication web that reaches students, faculty, staff, and parents. Imagine a coordinated communication strategy incorporating PA announcements with digital sign messaging and the messaging on the school’s website—or communicating through the school’s intercom from your smartphone when you’re not even on the premises. With modern life safety systems, multichannel communication is possible and easier than ever.

When you’re ready to update your school intercom system, get help from a trusted expert in the field, like Marshall Industries. Marshall can help you understand the capabilities of modern intercom systems. They can help you identify your school’s audio-visual needs. Then, shows you how a new, integrated intercom and PA system could help you address those needs.

8 Exciting Communication Upgrades for Life Safety Systems

Breakthroughs in school life safety technology have turned school PA systems into fully integrated communication systems that can reach the entire school district’s faculty, staff, students, and parents. Here are seven ways modern school intercom systems improve the learning environment and students’ safety.

Automation

Set up all your communication systems to automatically update. Automation can take the burden off creating messages and updates. You can set up all your communications to automatically update with new information based on various options.

You can also create messages that will automatically be sent in emergencies. You can set the criteria for what triggers the messages. Automatic messaging can be an immediate solution when time is of the essence.

Belltones

Replace your analog bell system with your new intercom system. New systems allow you to play tones throughout the school or in targeted areas. That means you can load your bell schedule and let the automated intercom system handle the ringing.

Digitized bell ringing gives you the power to control your bell system and communications system in a single place. It’s also one fewer system that you’ll need to maintain. That should result in long-term savings from having fewer upkeep costs.

Music

The PA system isn’t limited to tones; it plays tunes. You can easily play music through your new intercom system.

Use music to create the desired environment for the school day. Get students pumped for a pep rally, or focus them on finals. You can set the tone with music from your school intercom.

Customization

Whether you need a total system replacement or to supplement your existing system with new components, modern systems can improve communications in various situations. They’re expandable from a single-room PA to a distinct-wide system. You can also mix and match your desired features, including online messaging, digital signage, phone integration, public address systems, and more.

The flexible features and installation options available make modern school communication systems easily adaptable to the needs of any school.

District-wide integration

Manage all of your district communications with one system. By integrating the communication of the entire district, you develop consistency from school to school. Consistent communication ensures everyone gets the same, approved message. Plus, you can control the whole system from the same interface, so you only need to create the message once, and the integrated system will take care of the rest.

The integration goes beyond connecting schools and the district’s communication platforms. Integrating modern intercom systems ensures consistent messaging across all your communication platforms, from phone messages and announcements to website banners and digital signs.

Consistent messaging reduces costly miscommunications.

Recordable messaging

Give your staff the ability to prerecord messages and save them in the system for delivery later. You can even set parameters for when those messages are delivered. This feature will save you time and hassle if you continually repeat the same messages. Additionally, you no longer have to make real-time announcements when safety risks occur. Instead, play a pre-recorded message with clear instructions for faculty and staff.

Scheduling

Create messages when you have time and still deliver them on time through your school intercom system. Prescheduling your messages means you can give the morning announcements whenever it fit into your workday. Free up your time and worry by letting you handle your messaging before you have to deliver them.

Another handy element of the scheduling feature is setting up a set of messages that need to be delivered in sequence.

Two-way broadcasting

New school intercom systems can broadcast indoors and outdoors. They also allow teachers and faculty to make announcements from any phone by logging in with an authorized code.

The ability to broadcast on the school’s PA without being stuck in the office isn’t just convenient. In situations that require evacuation, remote broadcasting could be essential for disseminating vital information.

students in class use school intercom

Marshall Industries is the Life Safety System Expert in the Intermountain West

While upgrading your PA system is a smart idea for any school, choosing the right features for your school and its budget will be paramount. Get help from the experts in school safety and communication, Marshall Industries.

Marshall Industries has a track record of successfully creating commercial telecommunications systems for schools and businesses across various industries. They have been trusted to install systems in medical facilities, where lives depend on the technology working reliably. They can help you with your upgraded life safety and intercom system.

The communication specialists at Marshall can help you plan and design a communication system with all the integrations needed to give your school the best in audio-video messaging and cross-platform features at a price that fits your budget.

Across Utah and Idaho, choose Marshall for all your life safety system, sound masking, and school A/V system needs. Contact Marshall Industries today.