Corvallis School District Replaces a Failing Toshiba System With UNIFI360 Voice
Corvallis School District in Corvallis, Montana, replaced an aging Toshiba phone system with UNIFI360, Granite Tech’s hosted phone system, after replacement parts grew scarce and Toshiba phased out support. Today the district routes callers to the right office on campus, has a phone in every classroom, and lets staff text parents without handing out their personal cell numbers.
Challenge, solution, and results, stage by stage
Pick a stage to see what the district was up against, what Granite Tech put in place, and what changed for staff and families.
A phone system the district could no longer keep running
The district’s Toshiba phone system was failing. Replacement parts were getting harder to find, and Toshiba had phased out support for the platform, so each failed handset or component became a problem with no clean fix.
In a school district, the phones carry real weight. They are how the front office reaches families, how staff call for help, and how parents find the right building. A system with no vendor behind it left Corvallis exposed to communication breakdowns, safety concerns, and daily inefficiency.
- Aging Toshiba hardware that was failing
- Replacement parts growing scarce
- Vendor support phased out
- Risk to communication and safety
UNIFI360 hosted voice, set up around how a school communicates
Granite Tech replaced the Toshiba system with UNIFI360, its hosted phone system. Because UNIFI360 is hosted and backed by Granite Tech, the district is no longer tied to a platform its manufacturer stopped supporting.
The rollout gave Corvallis text messaging, voicemail-to-email notifications, and an auto-attendant that routes each caller to the correct office on campus. On the hardware side, the district’s IT department was especially happy with the Yealink T33G and T54W phones, which work with modern cabling and include Wi-Fi capability.
- UNIFI360 hosted phone system
- SMS and MMS texting
- Voicemail-to-email notifications
- Auto-attendant routing to each office
- Yealink T33G and T54W phones
Clearer calls, private texting, and a phone in every classroom
The district reports better call quality and improved communication through smarter call routing. Phones now sit in every classroom, and voicemail transcripts arrive by email, so staff can read a message without walking to a desk phone.
After-hours calls are handled efficiently, and the system is easy to customize as needs change. Staff satisfaction was high thanks to an easy training and onboarding experience, and Granite Tech’s support team has delivered quick issue resolution and responsive help since go-live.
- Better call quality
- Staff text parents from a district line
- A phone in every classroom
- Voicemail transcripts by email
- Efficient after-hours call handling
- Quick, responsive support
The UNIFI360 features the district relies on
Corvallis named these as favorite features of the new system. Each one maps to a real job inside a school, from the front office to the classroom.
Staff send texts and images from the phone system, so families see a district number instead of a personal cell.
Voicemails reach staff inboxes as transcripts, so a message can be read between classes instead of from a desk phone.
Callers reach the correct office on campus, and routing rules handle calls that come in after hours.
Call activity is tracked and reported, giving administrators a clear view of how calls move through the district.
Modern desk phones that connect over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, which gives the IT department flexibility on placement.
A softphone app for calls away from a desk phone, plus training resources that made onboarding easy for staff.
Texting parents without giving out a personal number
Josh Fawcett, the district’s Director of Information Technology, put it this way: “Elevate allows the staff to text parents without giving out their personal phone number.”
That matters in a school. Teachers and staff need a fast way to reach families, but a personal cell number shared with a parent stays shared for good. Texting from UNIFI360 keeps the conversation on a district line and keeps staff numbers private.
Texting is built into the same hosted VoIP phone system that carries the district’s calls and voicemail, so there is no separate texting vendor to manage.
How Granite Tech replaces an aging phone system
Every Granite Tech voice project follows the same documented process. These are the four stages that matter most when a school or public office moves off an unsupported phone system.
Discover
We learn how calls move today: which offices answer, where classrooms need phones, and what should happen after hours.
Plan and build
Call routing, auto-attendant menus, texting, and phone placement are designed and configured before cutover.
Stage, check, and test
Phones and routing are tested and validated before go-live, so the first day on the new system is not the test.
Onboard and support
Staff are trained on the new phones and features, and the Granite Tech support team stays on call afterward.
Signs your school or public office needs a new phone system
Where Corvallis started is common across Montana schools and public offices. If two or more of these describe your buildings, the phone system is likely costing more in risk than it saves by staying put.
Granite Tech works with county offices, school districts, and public facilities across the state. See how we approach government and education IT, read how Park County works with Granite, or start with our business phone systems overview.
Once the manufacturer phases out support, every failure turns into a scramble. That is exactly where Corvallis was.
Hunting for used handsets and components is a sign the platform is at the end of its life.
Texting from a district line keeps conversations on the record and personal numbers private.
An auto-attendant sends each caller to the correct office on the first try, including after hours.
Ongoing support for the hosted system keeps routing, users, and phones current as staff change.
Questions about the Corvallis project
Corvallis School District uses UNIFI360, Granite Tech’s hosted phone system, with Yealink T33G and T54W phones. It replaced an aging Toshiba system that was failing and no longer supported by Toshiba.
Texting is built into UNIFI360, so staff send SMS and MMS messages from the phone system. Parents see a district number, and the staff member’s personal cell stays private. The Corvallis School District IT director singled out this feature as a standout benefit.
Yes. UNIFI360 is the same hosted system Granite Tech deploys for businesses and public organizations across Montana. Routing, texting, voicemail-to-email, and phone models are configured to fit each district’s buildings and offices.
Voice service is priced per phone or seat, and ongoing service runs on a standard agreement. After a 30 to 45 minute discovery call, Granite Tech sends a written proposal with scope, pricing, and timelines.
Talk with Granite Tech about your district’s phones
Request a short discovery call. Bring the make of your current system, a rough count of phones and classrooms, and what is not working today. You get straight answers on fit, scope, and next steps, and a written proposal follows if there is a fit.
Or email CustomerCare@granite.tech