Rajiv Choudhary Phone System Success Story
 RingCentral Online spoke with Rajiv Choudhary of Sydney, Australia, about conducting international business economically using online telecom services, particularly RingCentral. Choudhary is the CEO of several ecommerce businesses including Amerilink Global and Australian Link Global. We spoke to him from Sydney.
How did you get started as an independent business owner?
RC: I worked in corporations for four years in business development for the telecom industry. One day in 2004, I woke up and didn't feel like going to work, and after that I haven't.
Why the toll free number from RingCentral?
 RC: Adding an 800 number actually statistically increases sales by 15-20%. When we picked up RingCentral, we obtained all the prerequisites for a successful e-commerce business. Sellers and buyers will be free to call us without having to spend money, which is important because a guy in Germany probably doesn't want to make a call to the US or Australia, but if he sees the RingMe Click to Call on our Web site, with the flexibility to press and enter his number, he will call.
You have a pretty interesting set up. Can you explain?
 RC: In Australia, telecom is very expensive. For example, I could pay $3 or $4 for a 10 minute call from Melbourne to Sydney. Now, we use a local VoIP service, which is a Sydney number, a US VoIP service, which is a Florida number, RingCentral's 877 number and Skype. We put these VoIP adapters into a small PBX with 3 extensions, and each of these phones have 4 incoming lines. We have 3 phones, scalable up to 16 stations.
All calls are pointed to Australia but they will be routed to the Netherlands, to Hong Kong and Dubai. I plan to have a virtual office in every location in the world.
Did you get any help setting up your system?
 RC: Someone from RingCentral helped me set up the system for the first time, and he was amazingly patient and believe me people don't like to speak to me in support situations. I can hear them sigh. But I could tell that the fellow at RingCentral really enjoys his work, and I think everyone at RingCentral really enjoys their work because customers like me always praise you.
And you received praise from a RingCentral customer...
 RC: I called one of your customers, whom I found on your Web site. I told her, I'm sorry I don't want to waste your free minutes, and she said, "No, that's fine, you can ask me anything about RingCentral!"
What was the most important criteria in your selection?
RC: The most important thing was that RingCentral is highly, highly scalable. Also, we could have up to 20 extensions and Fax On Demand, which is important because we need to send non-disclosure agreements to our agents all over the world. The Fax on Demand service is fantastic as well as the RingMe Click to Call and the Outlook integration with RingOut. This is something I have not seen in any other company or parallel 800 number service. RingCentral makes me totally well connected. It is a flexible solution for my wholesaler business as well as my online retail trade. Even if I'm cut off from the rest of the world, as long as I have a landline and a toll free number, it's as if I have my own personal, portable switch.
How expensive is it to conduct business internationally?
 RC: Let me put it to you this way. The same solution, if I were to install one in Australia, would cost me at least $10,000 US dollars. I just can't even fathom the amount of possibilities this service has given me. Given the flexibility, the ease of operation and the cost...Well, I've paid $3,000 Australian dollars in bills in the last 5 or 6 months, and I'm literally glad. I'll pay $200 or $300 a month for telecom. I'm thrilled.
What is it like to have an international business?
 RC: I have more than 2,000 suppliers in China, and I get calls from many of them everyday to get their products into the real markets.
You must be exhausted.
RC: When business picks up, I want to get some sleep. I have been sleeping for only 3-5 hours a night. So far, this is a one-man army here and it takes a lot of energy but I will have more help in the near future; RingCentral has given me an amazing solution.
What do you sell?
 RC: Primarily consumer electronics, and we will be selling everything from home and garden supplies to clothing, perfumes, and cell phones. Within 4 weeks, we're launching our eBay stores. We'll be selling a lot of things, and everything is virtual, I never even see the stock because it's going directly from the distributor to the buyer. RingCentral will be a catalyst for my ecommerce dream, to put it at a higher sales level.
Any final thoughts?
RC: Whomever designed this service did not leave a single stone unturned to figure out what would be required for small businesses.
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