CLOUD PHONE • ADMINISTRATION

Virtual PBX for better business efficiency

Advance your business communications with the industry leader in hosted PBX.

A female on a phone call using a headphone

On-premise PBX phone systems can no longer support the demands of the modern workplace. What you need is a virtual PBX solution that lets you and your team work from anywhere while remaining connected. Enable your businesses to compete in the new world of work.

What is Virtual PBX?

Virtual PBX is a business PBX system that uses an internet connection to allow you and your organization to answer incoming calls and route it to the right extension or directory. Also called cloud PBX or IP PBX, it uses cloud technology to enable you to use all traditional PBX features and enjoy the benefits of unified communications.

Instead of relying on physical hardware, such as switchboards and landlines, the virtual PBX taps into the cloud to give your organization a private network so your employees, clients, and partners can talk to one another securely.

Powered with cloud technology, enjoy this unified communication solution to upgrade your systems, and expand your business communication. Get more functions than the traditional PBX—voice, fax, voicemail, extensions, conferencing, paging, intercom calling, and toll-free number. Instead, experience advanced PBX features only a Virtual PBX provider can give, such as complete mobile integration, business SMS, video calls, and online meetings. Plus, you can enjoy all these features without the hassle of chunky hardware.

There's no need for highly complex IT devices or call centers. A virtual PBX allows you to manage inbound phone calls from any device including your laptop and mobile phone.

Your edge when you shift to a virtual PBX is that you’re not just transitioning from an old business phone system to a new one, you can combine the functions and features of the traditional PBX system in one unified virtual PBX system that caters to voice/telephony, conferencing, messaging, collaboration, and video so you can provide a more holistic experience to your callers and clients.

Play Video: A woman on a videoconference and insert of a dialpad in the RingCentral app

Cloud-hosted PBX features you can enjoy from RingCentral

Online portal management

Take control of your business PBX system. With a cloud-hosted PBX service provider like RingCentral, you can administer, edit and moderate essential phone functions via an online dashboard. You can set up a Ring Group, establish new handset extensions and endpoints, and create a call routing path.

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A list of RingCentral Virtual PBX features

Virtual presence

Enable your team members to check whether colleagues are online, offline, or engaged in a call. With the presence feature from RingCentral, your team can manage inbound calls more efficiently.

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Auto-attendant

Enhance customer experience with RingCentral's Auto-Receptionist. Let callers feel their call is important. Let the Auto-Receptionist feature handle call routing to the appropriate person or department, or choose from other options set by your team.

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Auto-attendant settings of a RingCentral admin account

The Screening, Greetings & Hold Music settings in the RingCentral app

Hold options

Make customer queues bearable. With RingCentral's cloud-hosted PBX, you can choose or set which audio your clients can listen to as they wait for their turn. Whether it's a piece of foot-tap-worthy music, company announcements, or product promos, you can create a pleasant customer-calling experience.

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Voicemail-to-email

Playback anytime you like. With RingCentral Virtual PBX, users can program their voicemails sent to them as emails. Access your voicemails as an MP3 rather than retrieve them one by one on the various menus on your phone.

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A list of voicemails received in the RingCentral app inbox

A marketing team about to start a conference call in the RingCentral app

Conference Bridging

Get more than just a three-way call. With RingCentral's Virtual PBX phone system, you can enjoy a significant improvement from the usual traditional PBX phone service. Want a call with more than three participants? RingCentral's cloud-hosted VoIP PBX system can handle hundreds.

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What are the benefits of RingCentral’s Virtual PBX phone system?

Secured data centers for your business communications data

When you choose RingCentral's cloud PBX, you get bi-coastal, Tier 1 data centers that feature multiple layers of redundancy, failover technology, physical and biometric security, encryption, system hardening, and 24/7 monitoring. You don't need to worry about having on-premise PBX work systems vulnerable to security breaches or natural disasters.

Maximized phone service uptime

With the RingCentral mobile app, employees can call, fax, SMS text, enable call recording, and host conference calls and online meetings using their smartphones or tablets. Ensure business continuity during emergencies or disruptions. In the event of a power outage, inclement weather, or a major disaster in your area, your operations can continue without interruption. The mobile app can use cellular voice and data networks even if internet service is unavailable or low quality.

Cost-effective pricing that leads to lower overall costs and increased ROI

With RingCentral's business PBX solution, you don't have to shoulder the burden of hardware upgrades and upkeep, especially if you're a startup or a small business. You can eliminate on-premise PBX hardware to reduce the initial CapEx and long-term, hidden maintenance costs and expansion.

Unified Communications in multiple locations for mobile and remote workers

When you choose RingCentral as your Virtual PBX provider, business communications will be easier anytime, anywhere. You can unite geographically dispersed locations, in-office staff, and remote workers into a seamless communications system.

Ease of Use and Adoption

RingCentral MVP is simple to use and easy to manage. Users can modify powerful PBX features such as call handling, voicemail, greetings, and much more without IT assistance—so they (and the IT team) can be more productive.

PBX solution that can flexibly adapt and scale to business needs

With the free RingCentral desktop and mobile apps, your cloud business PBX doesn't require hardware like the traditional PBX system, so you can immediately start working. Get new phone numbers, locations, phone lines, and extensions up and running the same day.

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The transcript of the meeting is shown on the right panel of the RingCentral Video interface

A man on his cell phone points at his computer screen

hands holding a mobile phone while engaged in an audio conference call via the RingCentral app

A man wearing a suit talks to someone on his mobile phone

A supervisor guides an agent on a call while pointing to the computer screen

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Virtual PBX

What sets a traditional PBX system apart from cloud PBX is where you can find your business communications equipment. With a traditional PBX business phone system, your private network–along with all the wiring and hardware, such as the server and the PBX box–remains on site.

Meanwhile, for cloud PBX, there are no required hardware or equipment. You can simply subscribe to the service as you need it because the whole technology is hosted on the provider’s data center. And because cloud PBX business phone system are accessed via the internet, you can enjoy advanced features and functionalities even if you're not in the office.

Mobile and scalable, it can easily adapt to any company's business needs.

A cloud-hosted PBX phone system is a PBX system that operates using cloud technology. Instead of using a private network hosted on-premise at your office location, you connect with clients and colleagues using a softphone installed on your desktop and mobile devices.

A cloud-hosted PBX phone system lets you enjoy a PBX service with all the functionality of a digital system in a virtual space. Because all activities happen in the cloud, it eliminates the need for hardware and other equipment, saving money on installation, maintenance, and adoption. The deployment and setup are quick and easy, freeing companies from IT overheads. Usually, you can purchase the cloud phone service from a service provider and pay on a subscription basis.

No, they are two distinct technologies. VoIP is the technology that allows you to make phone calls over the internet. Virtual PBX, on the other hand, is the cloud-hosted internal phone network that allows you to manage all inbound phone calls by routing them to the right extension or department.

RingCentral leverages both technologies to create a complete virtual phone system that allows businesses to make and receive phone calls from anywhere while managing all incoming calls to the organization.

RingCentral’s Virtual PBX plans start at $19.99, and it varies depending on the packages that fit your business needs. You can check our plans and pricing page or contact one of our representatives.

The following are steps on how you can get a virtual PBX system. First, choose which service provider best suits your business needs. Then choose a package or a plan, and install their software. Using the online portal, you can select and connect existing phone numbers of your business or add more phone lines if needed. Then, once activated, you can now use them to handle your business communications. You can manage your call forwarding, auto-attendant, and call recording setup.

Yes. Having a Virtual PBX system is more than just for enterprises or startups. Small businesses can have them, too! The beauty of virtual PBX is its affordability, flexibility, and scalability, which you can customize depending on your business needs. You can start small and have no problem expanding your network.