The first contact – and impression – of your organization is often by phone. To make clients and prospects feel welcome, enterprises typically use expensive Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems that route calls efficiently and offer fancy features such as automated directory assistance. With RingCentral, an affordable virtual phone system, professionals and small businesses can sound like a Fortune 500 organization. (For another communications option, please read my review of Google’s GrandCentral.)
Signing up for RingCentral, which takes a few minutes, gets you a new phone number (toll-free, custom vanity, or local; extra fees apply to the first two options). You may also transfer an existing number to RingCentral. The latest version of the service I tested also offers DigitalLine VoIP, where your calls to and from RingCentral go through your broadband Internet connection. This option (an extra $4.99 per month) lets you use your PC as a telephone; alternately, you can integrate an IP Phone or any unlocked SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) compatible device with this service.
RingCentral has a plethora of features, yet I think most users should be able to get the basics of their system setup and functioning within an hour – steps that are done through a decent Web user interface. However, some of the more advanced options are either down a few levels or not completely obvious – so I’d recommend the company consider further simplifying the user experience. In the meantime, RingCentral provides several good online tutorials and videos if you get stuck at any point.
I first established core settings for my main phone number, including business hours, and then recorded custom greetings. RingCentral offers great flexibility in creating rules. For example, I built a rule that automatically routed calls from an important client (based on their caller ID) to a specific helpdesk agent.
Similarly, I created rules for when someone could not answer the main number, which included call forwarding and voicemail. Further, the system has multiple notification options such as e-mail alerts when voice and fax messages are received.
In all my test calls to RingCentral, the system operated just as my rules specified. I also successfully used other functions, including call screening (where you see who is calling and accept, reject, or send the call to voicemail) and blocking unwanted calls forever. Moreover, audio quality of announcements and voicemail was very good.
As you’d expect, RingCentral’s Web interface provides an overview of calls received, lets you play messages, and perform other tasks, such as adding the caller to your contact list – all that I easily accomplished.
Extensions represent another advantage of RingCentral compared to other services. I easily created extensions for co-workers and added them to my company directory. Just like your main business number, each user can create rules and set notifications for their ex-tension. For instance, if I didn’t answer my extension in four rings I had RingCentral sequence the call to my home phone, cell phone, and finally to voicemail.
Similar to the Overview page, the Extension Summary lets each user see their new and saved messages. For security, access to extensions is password protected.
RingCentral provides client software – Call Controller – to perform many call functions from a Windows PC. I liked the way this application let me answer incoming calls (using a headset), screen voicemail, make conference calls, and transfer calls. If you have DigitalLine, you can also dial outbound calls from Call Controller. RingCentral Mobile (for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices) let me make outbound calls – plus access my online mes-sages and call logs – from my HP iPAQ PDA.
Internet Fax, included with every account, is a nice bonus. Incoming faxes were quickly processed and delivered to one of my extensions. Moreover, you can send faxes from any Windows application (outbound fees apply, which start at 3.9 cents per page).
SMB owners have other telephony options, yet many involve hardware purchases and ex-tra complexity. One example is Microsoft’s Response Point. Therefore, RingCentral’s feature breadth and depth, generally intuitive operation, and pricing structure make it a very good pick.
Pricing: Monthly payments from $14.99 to 99.99, with annual payment discounts
Verdict: RingCentral is a notable system that offers a local or toll-free phone number. This sophisticated, yet easily managed service routes calls (based on sophisticated rules) to other numbers or alternately takes voice messages. You can screen or block calls, record calls, send and receive faxes, and access the system from both a browser and Windows Mobile device. Integration with VoIP and Internet Faxing complete this unified small business communications offering.