Virtual PBX

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Virtual PBX?
What is an auto-attendant?

What is a Virtual PBX?

A Virtual PBX is an affordable alternative to the high costs of buying and maintaining a hardware-based PBX system. When you sign up with RingCentral, you’ll get your own toll free or local number that will serve as your main business number. When multiple callers dial your number simultaneously they will be directed to extensions and mailboxes. You can transfer callers to different extensions, which can be assigned to employees and departments dispersed around the country—and the world.

With FindMe/FollowMe call forwarding, customers call your main number and are directed to your geographically dispersed team. You can redirect calls to different numbers at any time, or have calls automatically routed to different numbers in a fixed order. In addition, you can assign direct dial numbers to individual extensions providing your employees and/or departments with their own numbers.

A RingCentral Virtual PBX also allows you to give yourself a local phone number in one city—say Los Angeles—and answer calls to it on a phone with a local area code from another city.

All extensions include full featured fax and voicemail functionality. You can receive messages in your email inbox and online account, and you can listen to your voicemail over the phone. RingCentral will send alerts to you of new messages through our patented Call Controller tool that pops up on your desktop. You can also receive text message alerts on your cell phone.

back to top

What is an auto-attendant?

The RingCentral auto-attendant is an advanced form of interactive voice response technology (IVR), in which callers are routed to appropriate employees and departments using their touch-tone phone. IVR technology does not require human interaction and the caller's options are predetermined by the IVR system. The RingCentral auto-attendant not only routes callers but provides you with multi-number call forwarding, call screening, voicemail, internet fax, advanced delivery options, and excellent sound quality.

Auto-attendants perform much of the same tasks as receptionists. You have different greetings that you assign to your main number and extensions. RingCentral has default greetings available to you, or you can record your own by phone. Because administration of your account is online, you can control it and change your settings at any time.

back to top