Nara City and ZVC JAPAN Sign Partnership Agreement to Advance Access with AI-First Phone Solutions

Japan, Tokyo, February 10,  2026 – ZVC JAPAN K.K. (Headquartered in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; Norihiro Shimogaki, Chairman and President; hereinafter “ZVC JAPAN”), the Japanese subsidiary of Zoom  Communications, Inc. (Headquartered in San Jose, California; Eric S. Yuan, CEO; hereinafter “Zoom”)  and Nara City (Mayor: Gen Nakagawa) are pleased to announce that they have today signed a partnership agreement aimed at advancing and enhancing telephone operations. 

In addition, as part of the initiatives under this agreement, it has been decided that Zoom Phone, Zoom Contact Center, and Zoom Virtual Agent will be adopted at Nara City’s main office. Zoom Phone and Zoom Contact Center are scheduled to go live on March 16, 2026, with Zoom Virtual Agent expected to go live later this fall. The integrated adoption of the three products—Zoom Phone, Zoom Contact Center, and Zoom Virtual Agent—is the first of its kind domestically and represents a globally advanced initiative. Through this adoption, the city seeks to achieve greater operational efficiency and cost reductions, while improving the quality of citizen services.

Background of the Partnership Agreement

With a population of approximately 350,000, Nara City is promoting the use of digital technologies and working to improve citizen services and operational efficiency through the expansion of the “Nara Digital City Hall” initiative and promotion of digital transformation (DX) within municipal operations. Meanwhile, the city, which had reached the renewal period for its in-house PBX, telephones, and call center system, was facing growing challenges, including increased operational costs and the burden on municipal employees handling telephone duties. Against this backdrop, through the signing of an agreement with ZVC JAPAN, the city aims to advance DX in telephone operations, an area where transformation has proven challenging.

Scope of the Partnership Agreement

This agreement sets forth the following areas of collaboration and cooperation.

1. The use of AI in voice communications and the advancement of telephone operations.
2. The streamlining of administrative operations, cost reduction, and the promotion of work style reform for municipal employees.
3. The development of a secure and reliable digital infrastructure, backed by high security standards such as ISMAP.
4. Human resource development and technical support for digital transformation initiatives.

In particular, with regard to (1) the use of AI in voice communications and the advancement of telephone operations, Nara City and Zoom will work closely together to advance initiatives, building on the adoption of Zoom’s products.

Implemented Products and Expected Impact

To address challenges in telephone operations, Nara City has decided to adopt the Zoom platform, which centralizes cloud-based telephone lines, AI-first automated responses, and call data management.

By strengthening the integration between the cloud PBX and the call center system, the city aims to build a seamless communication platform.

The implementation of Zoom Phone will be carried out through KDDI Corporation, while the implementation of Zoom Contact Center and Zoom Virtual Agent will be carried out through S-Pool Global Inc.

• Zoom Phone (Cloud PBX Service)

By migrating internal telephone systems to the cloud and leveraging AI features such as call recording, transcription, and summarization, the city will enhance the visibility and efficiency of telephone operations. Zoom Phone can be used from PCs and smartphones, regardless of device type, enabling flexible, location-independent work styles. In addition, as it can be accessed wherever an internet connection is available, it also supports business continuity (BCP) during disasters.

• Zoom Contact Center (Contact Center)

Citizen inquiry channels will be centrally managed, with response history data accumulated and analyzed to drive continuous service improvement. Call recording and quality management features will enable service quality to be appropriately maintained.

• Zoom Virtual Agent (AI-First Automated Voice Inquiry Response)

AI will automatically respond to citizen telephone inquiries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are automatically reflected in the virtual agent, helping users resolve inquiries on their own. This is expected to reduce the number of contact center operators required, as well as the volume of calls escalated to municipal employees.

By leveraging these three products in an integrated manner, the city aims to reduce operational costs and advance the use of call data, thereby improving both citizen experience (CX) and employee experience (EX). Zoom has achieved registration under the Information System Security Management and Assessment Program (ISMAP), demonstrating compliance with rigorous Japanese government cloud security requirements. This certification signals that Zoom’s core collaboration products meet high standards for secure handling of public sector information, supporting municipalities in delivering secure access to digital services and enabling staff to focus on mission-critical work.

Additionally, Zoom’s AI employs a “federated approach” that combines multiple AI models alongside its proprietary models. By selecting the optimal model for each use case, it enhances the accuracy and practicality of AI features. Furthermore, Zoom maintains a policy of not using customer data for AI model training, providing a secure environment for local governments to utilize AI with confidence.

Future Outlook

Building on this agreement, ZVC JAPAN and Nara City will gradually promote DX focused on enhancing telephone operations, aiming to improve operational efficiency and expand citizen service.