VoIP Telephone System

The vendor is required to provide business telephone system with a modern, reliable, and scalable voice over IP (VoIP) business telephone system.
- Comprehensive system shall meet the communication needs of the entire city department across all its locations, and critically, must include robust interactive voice response (IVR) and mass notification capabilities.
- The new system shall facilitate seamless automated customer interactions, support efficient call routing, provide 24/7 self-service options (bill payments, account inquiries, outage reporting, service requests), and offer other essential customer service functionalities.
- Considering premise-based, cloud-based hosted solutions, or hybrid models, and proposals should clearly define the proposed architecture. 
- The solution shall be a turnkey offering, encompassing all necessary hardware, software, implementation, training, and ongoing support.
- IVR system with VOIP capabilities should achieve the following objectives:
•    Enhance Customer Experience: Provide 24/7 self-service options for bill payments, account inquiries, and service requests.
•    Reduce Call Volume to Live Agents: Automate routine tasks, thereby reducing the workload for customer service staff and allowing them to focus on more complex queries. 
•    Provide a solution that includes all necessary hardware (e.g., desk phones, conference phones, headsets, servers if applicable) and software.
•    Improve Operational Efficiency: Reduce wait times and increase first-call resolution rates through an intuitive menu and intelligent routing.
•    Ensure Compliance and Security: Adhere to industry standards for data protection and customer information security.
•    Scalability: Allow for future expansion and integration with additional customer service tools and technologies.
- Call Handling and Recording Requirements:
•    The system shall record all inbound Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) calls and store these recordings for a configurable retention period (e.g., at least 2 years).
•    The system shall provide search capabilities for recorded calls by caller phone number, account number, customer service representative (CSR) ID, call date/time, and duration.
•    The system shall support retrieving recordings without requiring customer names (i.e., by numeric identifiers).
•    The system shall securely store and provide immediate retrieval of call recordings, ensuring compliance with security and privacy standards.
- Integration (Promise Pay):
•    The system shall integrate seamlessly with Promise Pay calls, ensuring recorded calls involving Promise Pay are accessible in the main repository.
•    The system's integration with Promise Pay shall not degrade call recording functionality or accessibility.
- Supervisor Controls:
•    The system shall allow supervisors to remotely change the availability ('release') status of CSRs.
•    The system shall implement role-based access controls so only authorized personnel can modify CSR statuses.
- Authentication and Single Sign-On:
•    The system shall enable a single login for representatives to access IVR, call handling, and integrated systems.
•    The system shall provide seamless session management for handling inbound and outbound calls in a single interface.
- IVR Customization:
•    The system shall allow authorized personnel to create, schedule, and activate custom greetings and announcements (e.g., holidays, closures) without vendor support.
•    The system shall support pre-recorded messages and text-to-speech options for custom announcements.
- End-of-Day Handling:
•    The system shall automatically detect end-of-day and prevent new calls from entering the queue after closing time.
•    The system shall allow supervisors to override or modify closing messages in real-time if needed.
- Customer Input and Screen Pops:
•    The system shall integrate with SAP to display customer information entered in the IVR so that it is visible to the CSR at call start.
•    The system shall restore and enhance screen-pop functionality to ensure customer-entered data is fully visible to CSRs.
- Transcription and Monitoring:
•    The system shall provide automated transcription of inbound ACD calls, stored securely and in a searchable format.
•    The system shall allow authorized users to review transcripts alongside call recordings for QA and training.
•    The system shall allow supervisors to silently monitor live calls.
•    The system shall support coaching features, enabling supervisors to communicate with CSRs privately during calls.
•    The system shall enable supervisors to take over or join active calls when immediate intervention is needed.
- Integration (SAP):
•    The system shall integrate with SAP to provide real-time screen pops with customer information from IVR inputs.
- Integration (Upgrades):
•    The system shall ensure that after upgrades, all screen-pop and customer input display functionalities remain operational.
- Integration (Other Systems):
•    The system shall integrate with SEW, Sentryx, AMI, Etrax, Address Management/USPS, Mitel Connect, and IssueTrak.
•    The system shall maintain stable integrations during upgrades to prevent loss of customer visibility or call recording functionality.
- Reporting and Analytics:
•    The system shall provide robust reporting capabilities (e.g., call volume, average handle time, abandonment rate).
•    The system shall allow exporting of call data, recordings, transcripts, and metrics for offline analysis.
•    The system shall offer dashboard functionality for at-a-glance metrics with drill-down capability.
- Customer Surveys:
•    The system shall support post-call customer surveys (IVR or SMS) and store results for easy retrieval.
•    The system shall provide analytics and reporting on survey responses for continuous improvement.
- Operational Efficiency:
•    The system shall provide a single, unified interface for representatives to handle inbound, outbound, and internal calls.
•    The system shall reduce manual login actions, allowing a single morning login to set status.
- Administration:
•    The system shall allow easy updates to IVR menus, messages, and configurations through a web-based admin portal.
•    The system shall provide tools for managing holiday schedules, planned outages, and unexpected closures without vendor intervention.
- Hardware Integration:
•    The system shall support noise-canceling headsets and ensure compatibility with standard office communications equipment.
•    The system shall maintain optimal audio quality and minimize disruptions during calls.
- Scalability and Performance:
•    The system shall be scalable to handle peak call volumes without performance degradation.
•    The system shall provide high availability and disaster recovery capabilities for minimal downtime.
- Security and Compliance:
•    The system shall comply with all relevant data protection regulations and safeguard customer information.
•    The system shall provide audit trails for recordings, transcripts, and user access, ensuring proper role-based permissions.
- Support and Maintenance:
•    The system shall include comprehensive vendor support for troubleshooting, maintenance, and updates.
•    Provide training and documentation (user guides, admin manuals, quick reference tools).
•    The IVR system shall comply with the Americans with disabilities act (ADA) guidelines, ensuring accessibility.
•    The IVR shall provide multiple language options (e.g., English and Spanish).
•    If accepting payments via IVR, the system shall comply with payment card industry data security standard (PCI-DSS).
•    The system shall comply with commission rules for call quality, wait times, and disclosures.
•    The system shall provide configurable emergency or outage notifications.
•    The IVR shall allow customers to retrieve account balances, payment due dates, and payment history.
•    The system shall support multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator and supervisory access.
•    The system shall conduct regular security assessments, vulnerability scans, and timely application of security patches.
•    The system shall provide role-based permissions and access controls to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive features and data.

- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: July 29, 2025