Who we serve
Yeastar phone, bell and intercom systems for independent schools
Most schools call us because the bells have been intermittent since spring and someone has put off fixing them twice. A Yeastar P-Series puts the phones, the bell schedule, the PA, the classroom intercom and the front-door phone on one system that stays in the building, with a cost a board can see three years out. We install in the summer, because that is the only window there is, and we support several independent schools in Alberta already.
By Dar Zuch, Yeastar Certified Expert · Last reviewed 4 November 2026
What runs on one system
| Need | How the P-Series handles it | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Office and staff phones | Desk handsets, with staff extensions on mobiles through Linkus | — |
| Bells | Scheduled announcements: up to eight timings a day, repeating weekly, each with its own recording, through classroom phones or the existing speakers via a SIP paging adapter | Paging |
| PA and all-call | Paging groups from the office, with permissions so the all-call code is the office’s alone | Paging |
| Classroom intercom | Two-way intercom between the office and any classroom phone | Paging |
| Front door | A SIP door phone answered from the office handset, with video where the door phone has it, and door release from the phone | Paging |
| Teams for staff | Calls inside Microsoft Teams without a Teams Phone licence, and user sync from Entra ID | Teams |
| 911 notification | When any extension dials 911, the office is told which extension, by call or email | Paging; 911 page |
| When the internet is down | The appliance keeps bells, paging, intercom and internal calls running inside the building | Appliance |
We do not supply a dedicated lockdown or mass-notification system. The P-Series notifies named staff when an emergency number is dialled; that is a feature of the phone system, and we describe it as exactly that.
The question most schools have never asked
If a student dials 911 from a classroom, what does the dispatcher actually see?
In Canada, a call from a multi-line system carries the building’s dispatchable location. It does not carry the room. Most schools have never checked what their current system sends, whether the office is told, or whether every classroom phone can reach 911 without a prefix. The Telephony Health Check answers those questions in a day, in writing, and the annual test under our agreements keeps the answer current. We put this on the page as a diagnostic question, not a promise, because the honest answer depends on the building and the carrier path.
The calendar
Schools decide between January and March and install in July and August. There is no other window: any disruption during the school year is unacceptable, and a board approves capital once. If the bells are failing in October, the realistic plan is a Health Check now, a board paper in the new year, and an install when the building is empty. We work to that calendar every year.
What a board sees
Boards fund stewardship, not features. The paper a business manager brings usually has three parts:
- Safety. The Health Check report: what the school has, whether it can be rebuilt from backup, what 911 does today, and what the life-safety circuits do.
- Cost, over the term. A one-time install and a renewing line the board can see for three years. The shape is on the plans page; the number is on the quote.
- Vendor continuity. A company that has been in Calgary since 2006, with named people, a Yeastar Certified Expert on staff, and a written exit clause so the school is never locked in.
Taking over an existing system
If the school already has a Yeastar system installed by someone else, we take it over; the sequence is on the takeover page, and for a school it fits the calendar: Health Check this year, any work next summer.
The Health Check
Half a day on site. Every device and line documented, the backup verified, the 911 path and the life-safety circuits tested, the bell and paging wiring recorded, the money leaks found. A written report the business manager can hand to the board. $1,500 for a single building, $2,500 for a campus. Fixed, agreed before we start, and no obligation to do any of the work with us.
Frequently asked questions
Our bells run through an old amplifier and ceiling speakers. Do we have to replace them?
Usually not. A SIP paging adapter connects an amplifier with a line input to the P-Series; the schedule and the recordings move to the phone system.
Can the school keep its phone numbers?
Yes. Numbers port with the school’s authorisation.
What about the portable classrooms?
Each needs a network connection to the main building, or a cellular path. We find out in the Health Check and say what it would take.
Do you work with schools outside Calgary?
On site across Alberta. Remote support for any Yeastar system in Canada.
Who do we call when something breaks in February?
Under an agreement, a named technician: 30 minutes to respond to a critical fault on Support, 15 on Fully Managed, around the clock. Anything involving 911 is critical automatically.
Paging and bell capabilities from Yeastar’s administrator guide and education page, checked 4 November 2026. Agreement terms summarised; the agreement governs.
Start with a Telephony Health Check
A fixed-fee review of what you have, what 911 does, whether the life-safety circuits work, and where the money leaks. $1,500 for a single site, $2,500 for a campus, plus GST, with a written report either way.
or call (403) 698-0700