Internet Phone Service
Make calls over the internet and manage them through a full-featured online phone service.
What is internet phone service?
A cloud internet phone service, as its name says, is a phone system rooted on the internet, which allows users to make and receive calls from anywhere using their laptop or mobile device. Internet phone services provide businesses with the mobility, flexibility, and advanced call features that weren’t possible with on-premises phone systems. The best part is that it comes in affordable plans and pricing, perfect for small business needs.
Internet phone service providers combine the best of regular landline phones – highly secure, with clear call quality – with the flexibility of modern communication services like texting, conferencing, mobility options, frequent upgrades and updates, and 24/7 customer support. Traditional business phones and PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems are just no match for this.
What is an internet phone call?
An internet phone call is one that is placed over the internet and made possible by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. There are multiple ways to make internet calls, including:
- Through a landline phone with an analog telephone adapter (ATA) - A phone adapter connects a landline phone to a VoIP system to enable internet calls. Just plug your phone cable into the device and you’re good to go.
- From PC to PC - Download a VoIP-enabled program, set up an online account, and start making internet calls. Call quality depends heavily on your infrastructure and bandwidth, so it doesn’t always make for an ideal business phone system especially for small- and medium-sized businesses. Examples of this type of VoIP programs are Google Voice and Facebook Messaging.
- From PC to phone - Partner with a third-party software provider to connect your computer to a landline phone and make PC to phone calls. You’ll be able to leverage their VoIP services for a price, which is still considerably lower than what a traditional phone company would charge.
- Using softphones and apps - Connect to VoIP using any handheld device. This setup is ideal for businesses with a number of field or remote workers.
How does an internet phone work?
Internet phones leverage VoIP technology to enable phone calls. Hence, internet phones are also called VoIP phones. Here’s how internet phone calling works:
- The voice signals you generate are converted into data packets.
- These packets travel over the network and out through the internet until they reach their destination.
- VoIP converts the packets back into voice signals for the person on the other end to understand the message.
Internet phones can either be actual desk phones that look much like your regular landline phones or any VoIP-enabled devices connected to the internet, such as cell phones, laptops, or tablets.
Why use internet phone service?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of internet phone services against conventional phone lines
Conventional phone lines
- Requires expensive on-premises hardware
- Pricey and complex installations
- Requires customers to sign long-term contracts
- Upgrades and updates require additional costs
- Premium technical support is reserved for premium customers
- Specialized IT team needed for maintenance
- Phone service change requests require lengthy processes
Internet phone service
- Doesn’t need any hardware, ever
- Quick and free implementation
- No commitments or long-term contracts
- Upgrades and updates are always free
- Free premium technical support for all customers
- Self-manage the phone service from your mobile device
- Easily add or repurpose digital phone lines
RingCentral is the industry-leading provider of VoIP services
Improved business communications
Improve communications and collaborations with unlimited VoIP, conferencing, and team messaging. The call routing and call forwarding functions ensure that you do not miss anything, even international calls.
Mobile and flexible internet phone service
Access your phone service from anywhere and on any device. Call, text, and fax using your business phone number from your smartphone instead of using your personal number.
Quick phone service setup and implementation
Get your online phone service up and running in less than a day. Configure and customize system settings from your online account.
Secure business internet phone system
RingCentral secures all your communications during the whole IP transmission journey. All communications go through highly-encrypted networks and layers of authentication.
24/7 customer support
RingCentral is there for you from day one, helping you implement your cloud business phone system. You can contact our award-winning support team 24/7 for technical support, consultations, and best practice recommendations.
Best value plans and pricing
RingCentral gives your business an all-inclusive cloud communications system for one affordable price. No hidden or additional costs for advanced phone features. You get a single, itemized bill each month.
RingCentral MVP™* plans for your small business
PAY ANNUALLY AND SAVE UP TO 33%
Standard
- No limit on number of users
- Business phone numbers in over 100 countries
- Unlimited internet fax
- Unlimited audio conferencing
- Video meetings with up to 100 participants
- Up to 24-hour meeting duration
- Quality-of-service reports
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Popular integrations including
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack,
and more - 24/7 support
Premium
Message, Video, Phone, Open API
- Automatic call recording
- Single Sign-on
- Multi-site admin and management
- Up to 8-digit extensions with site codes
- Hot desking
- Advanced call handling including whisper, barge, and more
- Video meetings with up to 200 participants
- Real-time analytics
- Popular CRM integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and more
- Industry-specific integrations with Canvas, Smarsh, and more
- Developer platform and custom integrations
Compare plans
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Most popular
Not available
Essentials
Buy now
Try free
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Standard
Buy now
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Contact sales
View Demo
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Best value
Premium
Buy now
Try free
Contact sales
View Demo
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UltimateContact sales Contact sales View Demo |
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Pricing
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Annually: $19.99/user/mo
Monthly: $29.99/user/mo |
Annually: $27.99/user/mo
Monthly: $37.99/user/mo |
Annually: $34.99/user/mo
Monthly: $44.99/user/mo |
Annually: $49.99/user/mo
Monthly: $59.99/user/mo |
Business phone or toll-free numbers
One phone number for calling, team messaging,
and video
meetings access.
Each user gets a dedicated phone number at no additional cost. Essentials
edition doesn't include video meetings.
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Toll-free
minutes
Inbound Toll-free
minutes
Included minute allotment varies by tier. Toll-free minutes
are pooled across the account, regardless of number of lines. Additional minutes available for purchase.
Learn
more
Included minute allotment varies by tier. Toll-free minutes
are pooled across the account, regardless of number of lines. Additional minutes available for purchase.
Learn
more
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Unlimited calls within the US/Canada**
Unlimited calling/phone calls within the US
and CA. Plus, choose from affordable and convenient international calling plans
that fit your business. Terms and conditions may apply.
Learn more
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Enhanced Business SMS
Designed to meet latest carrier requirements and improve deliverability. Included SMS allotment
varies by tier. Additional SMS available for purchase. Available upon request.
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Voicemail-to-text
Automatically convert voicemail messages into text form so users can screen
messages easily and respond to the most important call first.
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Included in plan
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Visual voicemail and voicemail-to-email
Access voicemail messages from your desk and
mobile phones, email, desktop app, and online account.
Learn
more
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Team messaging
Collaborate more effectively with colleagues,
clients, and contractors with team messaging, task assignment, calendar sharing,
and more. Also, utilize out-of-the-box integrations with Jira, Asana, Box,
Google Drive, OneDrive, and more.
Learn
more
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Included in plan
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Document sharing
Access
documents and files stored on your computer or your Google Drive, Box, OneDrive,
and Dropbox accounts and easily share them with your team members.
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Call management and phone system
administration Sophisticated call management, enabling you
to configure your phone system across the entire company, regardless of location
or device. Optimize communication with custom admin and user configurations
online or using the mobile app.
Call management features include:
*Not available with Essentials.
Learn
more
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Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Whether you're an Apple or Android user, you can use your smartphones and
tablets to make and receive calls, join and host meetings,
team message coworkers and partners, send and receive faxes and texts, set up
and join conferences, and configure phone system settings, notifications, and
voicemail.
Learn
more
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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High-definition (HD) voice
To consistently deliver the highest HD quality possible, RingCentral utilizes
the Opus Interactive codec for audio and video, as well as the G.722 codec for
audio.
Learn more
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Included in plan
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Call log reports
Get a complete record of all your inbound and
outbound calls and faxes. View the name of the caller, the number or extension
dialed, as well as the time, date, and duration of the call.
Learn
more
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Phone rental options: desk and
conference phones Rent any desk phone or conference phone for a
low monthly price.
Contact sales for details and pricing.
Learn
more
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Add Video Pro and Video Pro+ users
Administrators can add Video Pro and Video
Pro+ users from within MVP.
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Unlimited internet fax
Send and receive faxes from your computer, mobile device, Microsoft Outlook,
cloud storage providers (such as Dropbox), and more.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Unlimited audio conferencing
Host an
unlimited number of audio conference calls, with up to 1,000 attendees per
conference. Each user gets unique host and participant access codes.
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Video meetings and participants
Hold video meetings with screen sharing,
in-meeting public and private chat capabilities—anytime, anywhere, on any
device.
Maximum
number of participants varies by the video platform:
Premium with RingCentral Video (up to 200) Standard with RingCentral Video (up to 100) |
Available as an add-on
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Up to 100 people
per video meeting
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Up to 200 people
per video meeting
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Up to 200 people
per video meeting
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High-definition (HD) video
RingCentral delivers crystal-clear HD quality video and voice.
Learn more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Quality-of-service reports
Gain the ability to proactively review
overall RingCentral system health and diagnose quality issues impacting users. A
holistic overview of quality measured by location, endpoint, codec, ISP, and
more enables
easier monitoring and faster troubleshooting.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Popular integrations including Microsoft 365,
Google Workspace, Slack, and more
RingCentral offers the largest ecosystem of integration apps in the
communications and collaboration space to maximize productivity and efficiency.
Get integrations for bots, AI, analytics, archiving, automation, productivity,
and more.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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24/7 support
Unlimited chat and phone support.
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Multi-level auto attendant
Answer callers automatically with customized
greetings, and ensure every call is directed to the right employee or
department.
Learn
more
Auto-attendant is a virtual receptionist
service that greets your callers and routes them to employees, departments, or
to any phone in the world (i.e. an employee's mobile phone, an office deskphone,
or a virtual phone on the RingCentral app).
With the multi-level auto attendant feature, you can create rules to handle
incoming calls for multiple office locations or language selections. For
example:
“Press 1 for our New York office. 2 for Chicago office. 3 for Los Angeles
office.” OR
“Press 1 for English. Marque 2 para Español.”
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Professional implementation
Get the most out of RingCentral with a
portfolio of professional and personalized services, ranging from planning,
designing, and implementation to project management, ongoing support, and
consulting.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Call recording
Automatic call recording: Set your
RingCentral phone system to automatically record inbound and outbound calls for
individual users or inbound calls for departments.
On-demand call recording: Allows Users to
manually record phone calls anytime using an IP Phone provisioned with
RingCentral, Forwarding Number, or RingCentral Phone for Mobile.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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On-demand
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Automatic
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Automatic
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Compatible with RingCentral Rooms™ (add-on)
Turn any space into a conference room.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Compatible with RingCentral Room Connector (add-on)
Room Connector allows room conferencing systems on legacy hardware with SIP-based endpoints (third party endpoints) to connect and access video meetings on RingCentral.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Single Sign-on
Users can log in to RingCentral automatically with their corporate credentials.
Reduce the IT cost of assisting in password recovery and benefit from a central
authentication point that securely accesses your RingCentral service from any
device.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Multi-site admin and management
Get the flexibility to manage and support
your branch offices based on their unique operational needs.
Learn
more
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Up to 8-digit extensions with site codes
Simplified intra-site dialing for large multi-site customers.
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Hot desking
Allows users to log in to shared phones to access their own RingCentral
extensions, voicemail and greetings, and other features.
Hot desking lets employees share office desk phones while keeping their separate
extensions, greetings and voicemail access.
It enables companies to save costs of desk phones while still letting their employees remain productive. |
Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Advanced call handling including whisper, barge,
and more
Advanced call management controls (monitor,
whisper, barge, takeover) to allow authorized users to listen in on employee
calls with clients to monitor the conversation, provide coaching, and facilitate
discussion.
Other
features include overflow call queues, user groups, and role-based access
control with customized roles/permissions.
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Real-time analytics
Gain
real-time insights into your RingCentral system and gather business-relevant
data, alerts, and reporting metrics.
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Popular CRM integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and more
Bring the functions and features of
RingCentral MVP into your business apps such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Microsoft
Dynamics, ServiceNow, etc.
Learn more
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Industry-specific integrations with Canvas, Smarsh, and more
Bring the functions and features of
RingCentral MVP into your vertical's business apps such as Canvas, Smarsh, etc.
Learn more
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Developer platform and custom integrations
RingCentral APIs let you create your own
custom applications and seamlessly integrate business communications into your
key business processes, so you can automate workflows, drive efficiency, and
gain valuable
insight from communications data.
Visit
Developer Portal
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Included in plan
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Device status reports
Monitor
hard phone registration status globally and gain visibility into your devices'
history.
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Device status alerts
Set up
automated monitoring rules and receive notifications when devices are offline.
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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Unlimited storage***
Store an unlimited* amount of documents, spreadsheets, presentation files,
contracts,
invoices, images, videos, and recordings.
*Retention period applies.
Store an unlimited* amount of content within your RingCentral app. This could be
documents, spreadsheets, presentation files, contracts, invoices, images, or
videos that you send as attachments within messages; or these could be the
recordings of your video meetings.
*Retention period applies. |
Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Available as an add-on
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Included in plan
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How can an all-in-one internet phone service help your business?
RingCentral answers the question “What is an internet phone able to do for your business?” by giving you an easy-to-manage business communications system with all the features your organization needs.
In the past, you would have had to get different providers for different communication channels like voice calls, fax, PBX, and conferencing tools. As a result, the business is beset by different challenges including maintenance and repairs of different systems, paying different bills for different providers, and worst, trying to have different communications solutions work with each other. Imagine how hard it was for businesses running a call center or those with remote workers!
Fortunately, there is now a solution that meets most, if not all, your business communication needs under one unified platform. If you want to have a system that includes everything you need, then subscribing to RingCentral is the best way to go.
What business phone functionality will you get from your RingCentral internet phone service?
This all-in-one communications solution is able to deliver the following technologies under one platform:
Voice calls
With VoIP making internet calls possible, you’ll enjoy affordable nationwide calling as well as international calls and toll-free calls for businesses.
Cloud-hosted PBX
Businesses also need to manage all incoming calls, and the hosted PBX system solves that problem. It has several features that make it easier for organizations to handle each call, including
- Auto-attendant
- Inbound and outbound caller ID
- Call screening
- Call blocking
- Call recording
- Call waiting
- Advanced call routing
- Enhanced call forwarding
Businesses can even set up different answering rules for different times of the day. For example, all phone calls during business hours are answered and routed while calls after hours can be sent straight to voicemail.
Audio and video conference
This is especially useful for companies with mobile employees or multiple locations. It lets you and your team host and join audio or video meetings from anywhere through their laptops, cell phones, or any mobile devices as long as they have a stable and high-speed internet connection. It can be used to conduct interactive webinars as well.
Team messaging
Through its acquisition of RingCentral Video, RingCentral is able to provide users with team messaging capabilities that can also act as a powerful collaboration tool. Aside from its messaging functions, it also serves as a repository of tasks. It also allows users to create groups and teams for certain projects. But even with its useful functions, it is not a boring tool at all; use it to send emojis and even create your own company memes.
Business app integrations
RingCentral also integrates with the different business apps you use every day. This allows companies to add communication capabilities to their favorite tools like Salesforce, Google for Work, and Office 365, among others. You can even integrate it to your own in-house software using RingCentral APIs.
The right vendor should be able to assess your business needs and provide solutions accordingly. You don’t want to go to a company whose specialty is residential VoIP and whose list of compatible phones are mostly home phones meant solely for voice communication and with no capacity to handle business phone system must-haves such as call transfers and the like.
With RingCentral, your VoIP phones are so much more than mere communication tools. All the features above are included in one internet phone service, priced under one bill, with no hidden costs, and with package details clearly communicated. That is why RingCentral is trusted by more than 400,000 companies around the world.
Here are a few scenarios to consider for when you’re searching for the right VoIP solutions partner:
- A potential provider on your list may have a favorable unlimited plan for calling, but lacks features important for your operations. For instance, you have a number of remote staff and need calls forwarded to mobile devices to remain clear and echo-free. Keep this in mind as you embark on your search.
- If you intend to use conference phones and cordless phones, look into companies whose services are compatible with a long list of top-quality VoIP phones you can choose from.
- The quality of internet calls should be a top concern. Note that your staff uses the same internet connection for downloading, HD streaming, and so on. A good VoIP service provider will ensure you have adequate bandwidth and a strong infrastructure to perform all tasks without a hitch.
- Perhaps you need call center software or heavily rely on CRM integration so agents can better handle every outgoing and incoming call. RingCentral has some of the best options for you.
- There’s no better way to test the effectiveness of any technology than by taking it for a spin. RingCentral offers a free trial to give you a real-world feel for how their products work.
VoIP is such a powerful technology for businesses. There are even households that have ditched landline phones, opting for just cell phones or VoIP-enabled devices. So, give your company a competitive edge by partnering with nothing less than the best in internet phone services for business.
How much is a landline per month?
Monthly fees can go as high as $100 per phone line, depending on the phone carrier. Since landline phones rely on dedicated copper wires, adding more lines requires additional hardware, which in turn means additional costs. That’s $500 in your monthly bill if you have five lines. Ask any phone provider about it for more information.
Compare that to the monthly costs you’ll pay for an internet phone system, which can start as low as $19.99 with a reputable provider like RingCentral. And because VoIP phones rely on the internet instead of public-switched telephone networks or mobile networks, they can support multiple lines, depending on the strength of your internet connection.
What else makes an online phone service cheaper than legacy systems?
There are many other ways internet phone services let you save money. Here are a few more of them:
- Hosted VoIP providers typically don’t require setup fees
- You don’t need to pay extra for maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
- VoIP uses the internet so international and long-distance calls are much cheaper.
- Bringing your own device to work? VoIP supports BYOB initiatives, which means you can use your Samsung Galaxy s10 or Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max to access company platforms.
Talk to a potential vendor about their phone plans and discover lower priced options fit with your business needs. For instance, if your business requires constant communication with your offices in the USA and Canada, note that there are companies like RingCentral that offers an international calling plan with unlimited calls within the said countries, even Puerto Rico.
Why get your internet phone service from a reputable VoIP provider?
Not all business phone service providers are equal when it comes to the level and quality of their services.
There is a reason why RingCentral is considered the industry leader when it comes to business communications. RingCentral changes the way businesses communicate and collaborate with an internet phone service that is designed to keep employees connected, boost productivity, share knowledge, and improve customer relationships
With a cloud-based platform that has already surpassed what a traditional system can do, RingCentral has set its sights on providing a complete business internet phone service that is unmatched by its competitors.
What makes RingCentral stand out from the other providers?
RingCentral lets you save more and stands above the competition with these advantages:
- A unified communications solution – RingCentral has evolved its service from simple business VoIP calling, fax, and cloud PBX, to a unified communications solution that meets most, if not all, business communications needs. Aside from a call management system with advanced phone calling features like auto-attendant and answering rules, its VoIP services provide audio and video conferencing capabilities, which are useful for companies with mobile employees and multiple sites. RingCentral MVP subscribers also get a full-featured team collaboration tool that lets you create groups, set tasks, and track progress.
- A highly secure and reliable service – RingCentral has Tier 1 geographically dispersed data centers to ensure redundancy. This is to make sure that there are no service disruptions. In addition to this, data transmissions are also heavily encrypted between endpoints of the network to ensure that internet calls or other data passing through the service are safe in transit or while at rest
- A highly mobile solution – This virtual phone system can be accessed through intuitively designed apps so users can always stay connected to the office wherever they are. Download the right app by choosing from the RingCentral desktop app for PC or Mac, or the RingCentral mobile app for either Android or iOS.
- Open APIs and integrations – RingCentral also plays well with other productivity apps. The service easily integrates to popular business apps like Salesforce, Office 365, and Google for Work. Additionally, RingCentral has open APIs that will allow your own developers to integrate digital voice, team messaging, SMS and MMS, and fax into your home-grown key apps and workflows.
The advantages business VoIP provides are highlighted by top-tier internet phone providers like RingCentral. Sign up now and learn how the company bests other internet service providers and why it’s trusted by many a business customer around the globe.