Donna ISD improves collaboration and parent contact using UC with RingCentral

“Unified Communications with RingCentral has been a big hit here in Donna because of what it can do. It can transcribe calls, it has a built-in chat feature so people can instant-message each other across the district. It can do so much.”

Mike Ramos, Technology Director, Donna Independent School District

For years, administrators and parents at the Donna Independent School District (ISD) used a patchwork voice system that too often left people struggling to make or answer calls. Stronger compliance with emergency call regulations was also needed.

Stretching across the heart of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the district comprises two high schools, four middle schools and eleven elementary schools in southern Texas. Over 12,000 students are enrolled there.

Unified Communications (UC) with RingCentral, a fully managed, cloud-based voice solution, enables smoother, stronger collaboration across the district. Now teachers and administrators can reach each other simply by dialing an extension, saving time.

“Our phone service is much more centralized,” Donna ISD Technology Director Mike Ramos says. “Our staff can talk to each other much faster now; even chat directly using Instant Messaging. And we see our entire district-wide voice system on a single pane of glass.” Ramos and his IT team also set up a special on-site call center using the RingCentral platform.

The soft phone capability is also a plus, he adds: “When I am away from the office, I can still pick up calls from my RingCentral app. Employees and administrators say soft phones are a very good way for them to stay in touch and be able to take calls, no matter where their work takes them. That’s just one reason everyone is so happy with the app.”

The voice service is connected to the internet over a Dedicated Fiber Internet circuit, which is also used by Donna ISD as emergency backup for the district’s main internet service.