Case Study: East Texas Council of Governments achieves 40% communication cost savings and improved emergency response with RingCentral

How One Government Association Moved to RingCentral and Saved 40% on Communication Costs

The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) is a 130‑employee public‑sector association serving 14 counties from Kilgore, Texas, that provides job training, childcare, transportation, public safety and other services for vulnerable residents. When COVID‑19 drove a sudden surge in demand, ETCOG’s aging on‑premises phone system collapsed—calls were diverted to voicemail, messages stopped recording, and staff couldn’t forward calls to employees working remotely, creating an emergency communications failure.

After a fast RFP process, ETCOG deployed RingCentral in about 2.5 weeks for its functionality, ease, flexibility and cost. The cloud solution enabled call forwarding to cell phones, desktop and mobile calling/texting from work numbers, and near‑instant answering—helping staff handle critical cases (including one incident that likely saved a life). The migration cut phone costs by roughly 40% and delivered thousands of dollars in annual savings while boosting productivity and service capacity.

East Texas Council of Governments

Brandon Deaton

IT Systems Administrator