Queens School

The legacy Samsung telephone system at Queens School presented several operational and technical limitations due to its age and proprietary design. As the system approached end-of-life, manufacturer support, replacement parts, and software updates became increasingly limited or unavailable, increasing the risk of outages and prolonged downtime. The platform relied on outdated hardware and cabling infrastructure, making system expansion complex and costly, with limited capacity for adding new extensions or advanced features.

Integration with modern technologies such as VoIP, softphones, mobile devices, and remote working solutions was either unsupported or extremely restricted. Additionally, system management required specialist knowledge and on-site configuration, resulting in higher maintenance costs and reduced flexibility. These constraints made the Samsung system unsuitable for the school’s current and future communication requirements.

To address these challenges, the Samsung system was replaced with a new 3CX IP-based telephone solution. 3CX is a modern, software-based IP telephony platform that provides a scalable, flexible, and future-ready replacement for the legacy Samsung system. Unlike proprietary hardware-based solutions, 3CX runs on standard servers or in the cloud, significantly reducing reliance on specialist hardware and lowering ongoing maintenance costs. It allows the school to easily add or remove extensions, classrooms, and departments without complex rewiring or expensive hardware upgrades.

The system natively supports VoIP, SIP trunking, softphones, and mobile apps, enabling staff to make and receive calls from desks, laptops, or mobile devices, whether on-site or working remotely. Centralised web-based management simplifies administration and reduces the need for specialist engineering support. Additionally, advanced features such as call queues, auto-attendants, voicemail-to-email, call recording, and integration with existing IT infrastructure improve call handling, responsiveness, and overall communication efficiency. This makes 3CX a robust, cost-effective, and highly adaptable solution that meets both current operational needs and future growth requirements for Queens School.

Overall, the upgrade to 3CX delivers a more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective communication system that better supports staff, students, and future growth.

The 3CX system functionality to allows the school to cope with their increased demand through features including, but not limited to:

• Scalable and future-proof platform that allows easy expansion as the school grows, without major hardware changes
• Reduced running and maintenance costs through a software-based system
• Supports modern working practices, including remote access, mobile apps, and softphones
• Centralised, web-based management for simpler administration and quicker configuration changes
• Improved reliability and resilience compared to ageing legacy hardware systems
• Advanced call handling features such as auto-attendants, call queues, and voicemail-to-email
• Seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure, including network and cloud services
• Vendor-independent hardware support, reducing reliance on proprietary phones and components