Vendors demonstrate cloud phone system; board requests site assessment for county offices

Representatives from a vendor presented a cloud-based phone and unified-communications platform to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors. The presenters said the system replaces traditional on-site PBX hardware and uses internet connections to deliver desk phones, a desktop application and a mobile app so users can receive work calls on the go while keeping personal numbers separate.

Demonstrated features included auto-attendant (dial tree), call routing and forwarding, group lines, meeting/conference capabilities with recording and transcription, and a searchable transcript feature. The vendor said licenses are user-based and that promotional packages sometimes include phones with new license agreements.

Supervisors asked about license counts and whether offices could keep existing public numbers. Staff and vendor agreed the auditor’s office would be a starting point for assessment; board members requested the vendor meet with the auditor, treasurer and recorder to determine how many user licenses and public numbers are needed. The vendor committed to a no-cost needs analysis and to return with ballpark pricing and a timeline for transition.

The board did not commit to procurement at the meeting but directed the vendor to proceed with a detailed assessment and follow up with the auditor’s office.