Item: RingEX
Rating: 10
Author: Joel Brache

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

RingEX is used by me and our sales representative. The primary purpose of RingEX is to give us a phone system that can be used anywhere in the world. If either of us travels or works from home, RingEX goes with us. This allows our customers to have one phone number to call to receive sales or technical support.

Pros and Cons

The softphone app performs well and is easy to use.
The softphone app can be installed on multiple computers allowing you to have, for example, one copy installed on your desktop and one copy installed on your laptop.
The softphone integrates with Outlook, so I don't have to duplicate all my contacts into another piece of software.

Missed calls are not registered on the soft phone in a timely manner. If I have a missed call, the soft phone may not show it for a few minutes or for a few hours.
Their is no app for Windows 10 mobile and no app for Windows 10 (besides the standard Windows OS application). Having a native UWP would be a great option for RingEX
Soft phone installs are limited to two devices, so I can't install the soft phone on my work PC, work laptop, and home PC. Limiting the amount of soft phones that can connect to the service could be bumped up to 3 or 4.
The soft phone application is easy to use, but I think a revamp of the styling would make it even easier. I often click on different tabs because the icons are not always clear. One icon could mean two different things to two different people.

Return on Investment

We have been able to get a regular phone number and a toll-free number for our startup company.
Our customers have been able to contact us no matter where we are at (our office, at home, out of office, etc.). This has allowed me to provide support to customers when they need it. They don't have to wait for me to get back to the office.
The ability to "follow the sun" is very useful and helps us keep our support line open 24 hours a day. This has allowed our customers to get support anytime they need it.
The cost for more than two employees was too much, so we had to scale this service back to the basics.

Alternatives Considered

Skype

I have used Skype with a fixed phone number for many years. Skype works across all platforms and rings all platforms at the same time. There is no limit to the number of devices that can be connect to a Skype account. RingEX has a limit of two soft phone connections per phone number. RingEX has a vast amount of options available for configuration: Voicemail, follow the sun, call forwarding, text messaging, etc. Skype has only a few features and does not come anywhere close to RingEX when it comes to flexibility and feature set. Skype is much more cost effective, $20/year, instead of $80+ a month. We chose RingEX because of the features we required for our business. Multiple phone lines, toll free numbers, follow the sun, etc.

Other Software Used

Skype, FileMaker Pro, OneNote

Likelihood to Recommend

RingEX is well suited for small companies who need to have a phone system that is flexible and reasonably cost effective. It integrates well with Outlook, so companies using Exchange would benefit greatly. As the number of users grows, so does the monthly cost. In my opinion, the cost for more than 3-4 users is simply too much. Although there is flexibility with the software and what it can do for you, it's hard to compare it to Skype which will give you a fixed phone number for $20 a year. Skype doesn't have the features, but it gets you a phone number that you can use on as many devices as you want for a much lower cost.

RingEX Rings Our Bell! For a Price.

Overall Satisfaction with RingCentral MVP