Verizon comes to the rescue of a school that couldn't afford a traditional phone system

Who do you call when you run a private school and your telephone line goes down? Why, Verizon. Three days before the start of the academic year at the Saint John Vianney School in Colonia, NJ (that's a small private Catholic school), there was a major technical issue that only Verizon was able to solve.

Last-minute problems

In its new blog post, Verizon tells the story of Saint John Vianney's technical "adventures" just as it was getting ready to start serving the approximately 300 students (from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade) and its main telephone line went down just like that.

Paul Armento, the school's network administrator, had no time to install a new hard-wired phone system instead of the old (and failed) one. What's more, a new hard-wired phone system would be pretty costly and in this economy, one tries to cut expenses whenever possible.

That's why Armento reached out to Verizon over the weekend and the team arrived on-site first thing in the morning on Monday.

Swift action

Verizon's team came up with the solution: Verizon One Talk. That's a communications platform that relies on built-in cellular LTE tech and can be installed without the extensive rewiring that often makes replacing older phone systems so expensive.

For Armento, the LTE indicator meant the school could finally consider a modern replacement without taking on costs that would have been difficult to manage with its limited budget. He explained that smaller schools rarely have the financial resources to carry out projects of this scale, particularly under tight deadlines.

The change has since made everyday communication easier for everyone involved, from teachers and students to parents and other family members. One Talk also comes with a customizable automated receptionist, allowing the school to quickly update its recorded messages when unexpected changes occur, such as snow days or delayed starts. This means families can get timely information without having to contact the school directly.

The upgrade has brought a few other practical improvements, too. Saint John Vianney no longer needs to pay for an expensive round-the-clock answering service. Instead, individual teachers have their own voicemail boxes and caller ID, two features missing from the previous setup. Even the parish's religious services benefit: priests can use the One Talk mobile app to receive urgent calls on their phones whenever they have cellular coverage, making it easier to reach them when emergencies arise.

Is it the one for you?

Here are two opposite takes on the Verizon One Talk service by a couple of Redditors:

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