Vendor pitches VoIP replacement for county phones; commissioners take no action

A vendor presentation to the Woods County commissioners on March 23 proposed replacing the county's existing phone network with a Voice over Internet Protocol system that would supply desk phones, a mobile app and unlimited technical support.

Grayson Bagby introduced the item and Josh Cochran, whom he identified as the owner of Diverse, walked commissioners through a proposal that would move calls onto the county data network. Cochran said the package includes desk sets, an app that mirrors a desk extension for off-site work and a suite of remote-management tools the vendor said would reduce finger-pointing about outages.

Why it matters: county phone reliability affects front-line services including the treasurer's office, the sheriff's office and the jail. Commissioners pressed the vendor on two operational concerns: the ability to send mass page or panic messages to every desk and local on-site response times if a physical component fails.

Cochran described optional add-ons and typical response expectations. He said SMS/messaging that uses the county's main number could be enabled for about $30 per month and that the basic account includes roughly 500 texts from an individual extension. He also said a paging box or "page zone" that broadcasts to a defined group of desk phones could be added; the vendor characterized that device as an extension that would carry a similar monthly fee once installed. He added that the company's average phone-answer time for incoming support calls is "30 seconds or less" and that most issues are resolved remotely, though drive times for on-site repairs will vary by technician location.

Commissioners asked whether the vendor's phones support programmable buttons for one-touch paging or for playing a prerecorded alarm. Cochran said the platform can support programmed buttons and paging zones but that a physical paging device to play recorded messages would be an additional hardware item to purchase and configure.

Exchange: a commissioner noted the county's older system had a large wiring board and that some jail and 911 connections still route through legacy infrastructure; the vendor warned that building cabling and other on-site infrastructure could reveal additional upgrade needs and recommended a site assessment and road map for phased upgrades.

No formal action was taken. The chair indicated the board would not take immediate action on the proposal at that meeting; the vendor left contact references and encouraged commissioners to speak with current clients he named. The board did not approve any contract or move the item to a vote during the session.

Quote: "All phone systems are kind of going to this voice over IP," Cochran said. "What we provide is unlimited support and the hardware is included in the cost."

Next steps: commissioners may request a formal bid, schedule a site assessment or ask staff to return with a procurement recommendation. As presented, the vendor's proposal highlighted optional SMS for $30/month, a roughly 500-text starter allowance per extension and the ability to mirror desk extensions on a mobile app for disaster recovery.