RingCentral MVP: An AI-Optimized Business Communication Pioneer

More About RingCentral Phone Service

RingCentral is one of the top, more recognizable VoIP service providers on our list, in part due to their feature-packed plans, use of AI, integrations, and the extent of services they offer. Their VoIP solutions have benefited over 400,000 clients in 46 countries, including businesses of all sizes— startups, small businesses, frontline workers, and large enterprises. They work with a wide variety of industries, including retail, healthcare, education, nonprofit, financial services, government, professional services, technology, manufacturing, automotive, consumer services, as well as construction and real estate.

The communications solutions provided by RingCentral encompass more than simple calls. They offer Unified Communications as a Solution (UCaaS) services such as RingCentral MVP that complement your phone system capabilities, such as video meetings, optimized SMS, virtual faxing, digital conference rooms, and so on— all enhanced by AI. They also offer omnichannel AI-driven contact centers, analytics, and integrations with more than 300 different apps, like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace; and you can even build your own app with RingCentral's open API tools. Keep in mind that they don't internally provide any internet services, so you must ensure you have a stable DSL or broadband connection to use their solutions.

They boast that they have an extremely high uptime track record of 99.999% in all the countries they serve, and even enforce a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in the event that their uptime record drops below a certain level. Additionally, phone service solutions presented by RingCentral are protected with seven layers of protection, and they process customers' personal data according to documented instructions under GDPR. RingCentral has several compliance certifications and attestations to protect customer data and communications, including C5 and HITRUST CSF Certified status. This demonstrates their commitment to security and compliance. They implement technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. In case of a security incident, they notify the customer promptly, and will comply with the customer's instructions regarding the deletion or return of personal data.

RingCentral's corporate social responsibility program, ringcentral.org, focuses on diversity and inclusion, supporting nonprofit organizations, employee volunteerism, and charitable giving. In 2022, RingCentral received an AA rating in the MSCI rating assessment, recognizing its commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. RingCentral has been recognized as a leader in the UCaaS market, according to Gartner's Magic Quadrant Leadership report, having received the recognition for nine consecutive years. Additionally, RingCentral received the Frost & Sullivan Award in 2019 for its innovative growth in the hosted IP telephony and UCaaS market. They are accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating.

Features & Services at RingCentral

They provide you with an all-in-one system that offers a wide variety of communications solutions that your business may find useful, with industry-specific customizations. They offer these services under the RingCentral MVP banner, with MVP standing for the combination of messaging, video, and phone solutions. Some of their features may include:

• Cloud phone system with AI: Their unified services are all deployed through one AI-powered app system, accessible through all your desktop and mobile devices. Their AI handles various tasks, such as transcribing live conversations, summarizing calls, identifying action items, and transcribing voicemails. Other features include VoIP voice call perks like a dedicated business number, toll-free telephone numbers with free minutes, AI-noise cancelation, unlimited domestic calls, visual voicemail, shared lines, E911, call queues, and so on
• Call management: Their system offers you sophisticated call management, optimized communication, and HD-video meetings with screen sharing and chat. You can manage all your site assets from a single account, including satellite offices, branch locations, and international offices
• Phone equipment: They offer you the choice of renting desk or conference IP phones as part of their plans, or you may purchase them outright. Their options also include media-enabled phones and analog telephone adapters, with many models from Poly, Cisco, Unify, Mitel, Yealink, and Avaya
• Call recording and monitoring: They give you the option of recording calls manually at any time with the press of a button or doing so automatically, with options for how the caller is notified. They also have call monitoring features allowing authorized users to monitor these customer interactions in real-time. You can adjust settings, interrupt or take over calls, and use features like Whisper, Barge, Take over, Mute/Unmute, Dial pad, and Audio
• Hot desking: This feature allows any user to access their settings in any shared office phone
• Business SMS: They offer enhanced business SMS integrated into the same app, designed to meet carrier requirements and improve deliverability
• Auto-attendant: They offer a multi-level interactive voice response (IVR) system that acts as an auto-receptionist. It can be connected to your phone number and includes a Dial-By-Name Directory, system extensions, voicemail, and external phone numbers. Each account can have up to 250 voice menus and submenus, and you can deploy many separate IVR menus for multiple locations and manage phone tree menus with their intuitive editor
• Team messaging: Their tools allow you to collaborate effectively with messaging, task assignment, and calendar sharing; with integrations to Jira, Asana, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more. You can also share images, tasks, events, and files from your computer or cloud accounts with your team
• Audio and video meetings: You can host unlimited audio conference calls with unique access codes for each user, with up to 1,000 attendees per conference. You can also hold HD-video meetings with screen sharing and chat anytime, anywhere, on any device; guests can join meetings through their browser without downloading anything. You may even create breakout rooms with pre-assigned members for distinct tasks
• Cloud faxing: You can send and receive faxes from any device or application, including Microsoft Outlook, Dropbox, and so on
• Analytics: Their system provides you with extensive call logs, as well as real-time quality-of-service, device, and adoption analytics. You also have the option of getting live reports on call queue performance data
• Integrations: As previously mentioned, over 300 communication, CRM, business, and collaboration apps are integrated, including bots, AI, analytics, archiving, automation, and productivity
• API tools: They provide developer tools for you to create your own integration apps via RingCentral MVP, which offers over 500 APIs for voice, SMS/MMS, team messaging, video, fax, data, and configuration. You can use these APIs to embed your phone into any app or configure customized workflows to revolutionize your business communications

RingCentral Plans & Prices

RingCentral advertises three plan levels for their phone systems, any of which you can try for free for a period of 14 days. Their transparently-priced plans can be bought on a month-to-month basis, or on annual contracts for savings of up to 33%. There may also be volume discounts available if you have over 50 users, but you must contact their sales team to learn more.

The plans are as follows:

• Core: This basic option costs $30 per user per month if taken month-to-month, or $20 per user per month if on an annual contract. It includes all standard calling services, as well as features like limited SMS and team messaging, auto-attendant, basic call queues, on-demand call recording, audio conferencing, video meetings for up to 100 participants, the Whiteboard collaboration canvas, call management features, log reports, quality-of-service analytics and alerts, access to APIs, and integrations to Microsoft Teams, communications, and collaboration apps. Keep in mind that some features are limited here, such as only having 100 toll-free minutes a month, or being limited to 25 text messages per user a month
• Advanced: This plan costs $35 a user per month on a monthly contract, and $25 a user per month on an annual contract. You get all Core features, as well as automatic call recording, advanced queues, up to 8-digit extensions, advanced call monitoring, hot desking, internet faxing, cost center, multi-site management, role-based control over user functions, adoption, and basic business analytics, and expanded integrations to Archiver App, CRM, and business-specific applications. Your toll-free minutes climb to 1,000 a month, and the SMS allotment climbs to 100 per user
• Ultra: This most comprehensive option costs $45 a user per month if taken monthly, or $35 a user per month if taken annually. It expands on Advanced features with 10,000 toll-free minutes a month, 200 SMS per user a month, up to 200 video meeting participants, unlimited storage for files and recordings, advanced business analytics, and device analytics

RingCentral has special targeted plans for educational facilities, like schools or universities, that may combine phone, messaging, video, and contact center features; and have no limits on number of users. They are as follows:

• Education Essentials: The monthly option of this plan costs $15.99 per user per month, while the annual option costs $12.99 per user per month. You would get voicemail, SMS, external dialing, the mobile app, and phone numbers in over 100 countries with this option; as well as the ability to use your existing hardware
• Education Standards: This plan has a lot more features at a monthly contract cost of $22.99 a user per month, and an annual contract cost of $19.99 a user per month. With that you would also get unlimited internet faxing and audio conferencing, video meetings with up to 200 participants, quality-of-service reports and analytics, hot desking, advanced call handling, single sign-on, role-based access controls, and many more additional services. You would also get many of the integrations available to the main plans, as well as open API access

For the main plans, there are many add-on options available, too, that come at extra costs. These include a push-to-talk (walkie-talkie) mobile feature, webinar services, vanity numbers, additional international and toll-free numbers, RingCentral Rooms, and so on. Most add-on prices are transparently laid out on their website.

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RingCentral Top Perks

RingCentral strives to stand out by offering highly competitive free features. You may be able to benefit from the following perks:

• Free trial: They offer a 14-day free trial for new subscribers with up to five users, and support for up to 20 phone lines. During the trial, you can use the RingCentral desktop phones or app, as well as MVP features like voice, auto attendant, online meetings, messaging, fax, and conferencing. However, SMS would not be available
• High uptime and security standards: RingCentral boasts an annual downtime of less than six minutes SLA (99.999% uptime) and seven layers of enterprise-grade security, including single sign-on. Thus, they ensure you have a consistent and worry-free communication experience
• AI-backed transcription and call analysis: Their implementation of AI technology for transcription and call analysis contributes to efficient communication management and productivity
• Enhanced collaboration capabilities: The platform facilitates effective collaboration through features like team messaging, task assignment, and calendar sharing, promoting seamless teamwork
• Numerous add-on apps: They offer a wide range of add-on apps allowing users to customize their experience, ensuring that businesses can tailor the platform to their specific needs. They have built-in integrations with over 300 third-party applications, enhancing versatility and compatibility with existing business tools; and you may build more via their API tools
• Operates seamlessly across devices: Their solutions operate simultaneously across desktop, tablet, and smartphone devices, providing flexibility for users working in different environments. This makes it very versatile in supporting remote, hybrid, and on-premises communication
• High-quality video and audio conferencing: They promise AI-optimized, crystal-clear sound and video call quality, with no lagging or delays during meetings, ensuring a smooth communication experience
• Customizable and scalable options: Their services work for various business sizes, and can be upgraded as your business grows with higher-tiered plans and many useful add-ons
• Special plans for education: If you run a school or university, your needs would be a lot more specialized. RingCentral has two, discounted plans with the features you need most

Disadvantages of RingCentral

• The lowest plan lacks useful features: Their Core plan lacks call monitoring and internet faxing features, and has limited storage for files and messaging, as well as very few toll-free minutes. This could potentially lead to additional costs for users seeking comprehensive functionality
• More expensive than others: RingCentral is acknowledged to be relatively more expensive than some competitors, which may be a drawback for budget-conscious businesses
• No unlimited international calls: They lack unlimited international calling, and require you to purchase separate international calling plans and bundles, which might be a limitation for businesses with extensive global communication requirements
• Monthly limits for SMS/MMS: We understand that new industry regulations have led to RingCentral providing a limited monthly allowance for SMS/MMS, with businesses needing to manage their usage within specified limits

The Customer Experience at RingCentral

This company receives mixed reviews about their phone system and UCaaS solutions. They receive a high customer review score on Capterra of 4.3 out of 5, and a moderately high score of 3.9 out of 5 on G2. However, they presently receive a low 2.4 out of 5 score on Trustpilot. Additionally, they have acquired a fair amount of complaints on the BBB.

Positive feedback

RingCentral has received numerous positive reviews for its customer support and overall service quality. Users have praised the company for its calm and helpful support staff, who are able to address issues quickly and efficiently. Customers have also appreciated the personalized approach taken by RingCentral's customer service, which sets them apart from other companies. The RingCentral MVP platform has been described as functional and helpful, with users enjoying the ability to separate personal and business calls.

Some customers have praised RingCentral's user-friendly interface and functionality, and the platform's usefulness for internal collaboration and communication within teams. They have highlighted the convenience of the online portal, the ease of diverting calls, and the ability to use a single program for various communication modes. A few customers have also appreciated the support they received from helpful representatives, emphasizing the positive experiences they had with RingCentral's customer service. Overall, many reviewers commend RingCentral for their outstanding customer service, prompt and thorough support, and effective phone management.

Critical feedback

RingCentral receives a lot of negative feedback as well, especially on Trustpilot. Much of that feedback surrounds their customer service, with users reporting long wait times and unhelpful representatives. Some customers have also reported feeling scammed into long-term contracts and experiencing difficulty canceling their accounts. Additionally, users have reported issues with dropped calls, poor call quality, and difficulty getting refunds. Some users have also criticized RingCentral's technical support, describing it as unhelpful and frustrating. Finally, some users have reported issues with the functionality of the platform and difficulty getting texting to work

RingCentral responds to all complaints, as well as some reviews. They seem compassionate and collaborative in their review responses, and ask the client to get in touch with them via email so that they can rectify the issue. Their responses to complaints are sometimes more detailed and don't always speak directly to the client, but are written with a clear purpose of resolving the stated problems.

RingCentral Customer Service

There are many ways to get needed support with them. You may call them at 1-888-898-4591, or 1-925-301-8209 if you're calling from outside the US. You may also open a case ticket, especially if your issue is not urgent but may need advanced research.

However, if your issue is urgent, RingCentral states that their live chat is the quickest way to reach them, which you can access by pressing the blue circular button at the bottom right corner of the support page. You may also find links to their social media pages there.

Finally, you may ask other users by posting a question on their community forum, or access pre-written documentation on common topics.

Final Thoughts

RingCentral is a leading VoIP phone and UCaaS provider with a large user base across businesses of all sizes. Its suite of communication tools, RingCentral MVP, offers messaging, video, phone solutions with advanced features, and AI-driven services. The platform has a high uptime record, strong security framework, and adheres to GDPR regulations. RingCentral provides many features and works seamlessly across devices, making it suitable for remote, hybrid, and on-premises communication, including special plans for educational institutions. The company also supports diversity and community initiatives.

RingCentral MVP has strengths like extensive features, security, and corporate responsibility. But they also have drawbacks like higher pricing, limited plans, and no unlimited international calling. Customer reviews are mixed, with reviewers having differing experiences with the support and telephone services. So, consider the pros and cons and your business needs before choosing RingCentral.

Whether it is your first time shopping for a VoIP provider or you have been through this before, we generally recommend shopping around before settling on a company. Check out our ever-expanding company reviews page, or compare providers for their implementation of useful features for phone calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, and other communications services. If you wish to learn more about VoIP networks and associated topics, you might find our blog articles illuminating. Wherever you are in your purchase decision, we hope we can make it a relatively painless experience!

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