RingCentral

I’ve been playing around with a service called RingCentral over the last few days. RingCentral subscribers get dedicated 800 or local numbers with set minutes per month for set prices. Packages start at $15 for 100 minutes. Nothing crazy, right? Well, check out the functionality they offer on top of the number. Not only can you route your RingCentral number to any other number (like a cell phone), you can:

  • route outgoing calls through your RingCentral number so it shows up on recipient caller ID
  • receive faxes via email
  • send faxes directly from email
  • receive voicemail audio files via email
  • configure virtual a PBX switchboard (5 extensions for the $15 packages)
  • configure separate voicemail boxes for virtual extensions
  • drop a pre-configured click-to-call widget onto a website

Additionally, you can load rules on top of the number based on time and caller ID, so can easily do things like route calls directly to voicemail after business hours or block calls from specific callers. I’ve had the number for a bit more than a week and haven’t yet to received a spam fax and have been blown away by their customer service. I had an extensive chat with a salesperson who talked me through the product and have called tech support several times since I signed up to figure out features. I reached helpful people on the phone extremely quickly. This is more than I can say for eFax: terrible customer support and tons of spam. It was even an ordeal to cancel my account with them. Leave a comment if you’re thinking about signing up with RingCentral and I’ll give you a referral code. Thus far I highly recommend the service.

GrandCentral (who I’ve written about before) offers similar services but is targeted towards personal use and has been closed to new users since they were acquired by Goooooogle. Interestingly, according to GigaOm, their pricing plan was nearly identical to what RingCentral currently offers ($15/100 minutes/month). However, GrandCentral recently changed ~400 subscriber numbers, which is illustrative of the dangers involved in using a service like this - the number you get is not technically yours. GrandCentral stated that they had to change the numbers because a “pre-acquisition underlying carrier stopped providing services to certain areas”. It’s unclear which providers are underneath GrandCentral, but I’m pretty sure Ingenio is under RingCentral.

RingCentral has an interesting background to say the least. They were founded in 1991, were part of Motorola from ‘98 - ‘99, and raised a $6.25m A round in January ‘07 from Khosla and Sequoia. There are no typos in that sentence. They went 16 years from founding to Series A, with a corporate acquisition in between. So Sequoia and Khlosa put $6m into a 16 year old RingCentral in January and Google bought nearly identical GrandCentral for ~$50m in June. I’ve already written about my theory on the GrandCentral aquisition. Maybe I’m right on that, maybe I’m wrong. Either way there is some interesting stuff going on in this space. Of course I could be way off and GrandCentral could have been bought so every GPhone user has a GNumber…

RingCentral


  1. mj

    Thanks for the insight. Am interested in the referral code. Thanks!

  2. WALTER

    THANKS FOR THE INFO, LOOKING FOR THE REFERRAL CODE

  3. sean

    I’m looking for a Virtual PBX system and Ring central looks like it may be for me.

  4. Wendi

    I am signing up right now and thought I would look for a promo code first. If you wouldn’t mind, please send as soon as you can, I am really excited about getting my business started with Ring Central. Thanks

  5. grenuis

    Thanks for the information, I have been trying to compare all these companies. I actually like Grandcentral but due to they use the VoIP to transfer the calls, the quality is actually not that good. But I really like the feature that you can store all the contact numbers online, so when somebody call, you can know who is calling without them saying their name. That is the only complain that I have to the others companies that have the similar service. Also, Grandcentral does not offer service to businesses, which I’m really interested to it. I’m using GoVmail right now, but it’s kind of expensive and it’s hard to use their features, which I don’t really like. I have been researching online to switch company, and I think I’m gonna switch to Ringcentral, because it seems to be cheaper and more user-friendly. Please don’t forget to send me the code. Thanks!

  6. Lavafun

    I’m going to give it a try. Send referral code please…

  7. Will

    WOW thanks for the info…. Can’t wait to sign up. Whats the referral code?

  8. A

    Can I have a referral code?

  9. Helena

    Hi, Rob - I am interested in RingCentral for a small business and would appreciate a referral code. Many thanks, Helena

  10. Ian Cook

    I saw that you are doing referral codes, I need to get a messeging service because private phone, which is owned run by net zero, will be closing down on new years eve so I have been shoping around for another one thank
    Ian

  11. Michael

    Please send me your referral code.

  12. Aji

    I was looking at ringcentral sometime. I thought I would give them try. I am getting tiered of vonage day by day. You would imagine call forwarding would be a simple task, which works by now. For some reason vonage eats 10-15 seconds to forward a call.

    Anyway i was looking for the referral code, when i reached here. If you can sent it, i would appreciate it.

    Aji

  13. Rob

    Ill follow suit here….ahem….referral code? I am halting signup until I hear back. Thanks in advance.

  14. Mitch Harper

    Please send me a referral code.

  15. Barry

    Please send me the code

  16. Barry

    Please send me the promo referral code

  17. BJ Rapier

    I’d been researching Grand Central and similar srvcs. when I ran across your review. RingCentral actually sounds as though it would be more suited to what I’m looking for. I especially like the toll free no. and the added fax svc.

    I would greatly appreciate a referral code if you could be so kind as to provide one.

    Thank you again!
    BJ

  18. Robert

    Please send me the referral code

  19. IEpps

    Please send me a referral code for RingCentral fax service. Thx.

  20. David

    referral code please

  21. Sherrie Noble

    Referral code for ring central please. Thx.

  22. vik d

    great article, really helped out my research.

    i’m really only looking for the fax to email, and it looks like ringcentral is the lucky winner, they have a decent price structure..

    could i get that referral code?

  23. James

    Referral Code Please

  24. Dan

    Great article! Please send referral code ASAP

  25. Mark

    Nice job.

    Please send me the referral code.

    Mark

  26. Joe

    Can someone send me a referral code!? Thanks!

  27. Jeff

    Please provide a referral code.

  28. EA

    Great writeup, thanks! Can you send me the referral code?

  29. Raymond

    Looking for the referral code

  30. Noel

    Hello,

    Please send a referral code - Thanks!

  31. Sc boy

    Please give me a referral code, Thank You.

  32. Tim Padden

    Please give me a referral code, Thank You.

  33. Ginger

    I would appreciate it if you woudl kindly provide me with the referral code. I am not sure if it helps me on price or offers you a credit/discount of any sort. However, if I get a price break: fabulous. If you a credit/discount: fabulous & thanks for sharing your knowledge of the company with me! Ginger

  34. Rainmaker

    Could you send me a referral code please?

    Thanks, Alex

  35. verge

    Hi I’d like to get the code too. Please.

  36. justin

    Just found your blog… Looks like a great RSS add. please send the referral code for ringcentral - thanks

  37. Tonya

    Hi,

    Could I get the referral code for ringcentral?

    Thanks!

  38. greg

    Hi Rob,
    Could you send me a referral code for ringcentral account?
    Thanks,
    greg.

  39. Rony

    Good review! Please send me a promo code!

  40. Bryden Dintson

    I went to sign up for ringcentral because of their “rollover minutes”
    What a surprise - they are not what I understand rolleover minutes to be.

    Rollover minutes are typically defined as anyminutes in your monthly plan that are not used can rollover to the next month.
    Not inRongcentrals eyes.
    They say rollover minutes, but what they really offfer is just a one time 100 minutes that canbe used anytime within your fiorst year.
    It confused me and nearly got me to sign up for something that is contrary top what i expected.
    Shame on ringcentral

  41. Lisa

    I’d love a referral code… Thanks!

  42. Vivian

    Hi, I’m completing the sign up info now, please send me a referral code. thanks a bunch!!

  43. Axa

    Thanks for the review. May I have a referral code as well?

  44. HWH

    Would appreciate the referral code, if still available.

  1. 1 My picks: The best service providers for startups « RobWebb2k

    [...] Corporate Telephony / PBX / Fax Service: RingCentral My previous write-up on RingCentral is here. Super flexible PBX, digital fax delivery, digital voice mail delivery, $19.95/month. Can’t [...]



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