The perfect communication platform for your small business
Updated March 20, 2020
The perfect communication platform for your small business
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with RingEX
RingEX is currently used as the central communication hub for the entire business. All inbound customer calls enter the RingEX system and handling depending on the time of day. Additionally, we were able to eliminate 99.99% of robocall spam through the implementation of the AutoAttendant system, requiring the user to press zero to speak to the operator.
- Multi-Platform Communication which works wherever you are - Every detail from how an inbound call is handled to how voice/text messages are relayed to users is completely customize-able based on the user's individual needs, even if that user refuses to learn how to use the application itself!
- Voice/Video conferencing capabilities sufficient enough for most small business users - I rarely need to host a conference call or meeting, although RingEX does make it extremely easy to invite guests even outside the platform via telephone call-in or the conference app.
- Overly complicated for new users - An inexperienced novice user may find the administration side of things a bit overly complicated and confusing. I'd like to see a "simple" and "advanced" set of configuration options, or maybe even a wizard function to walk new users through how to handle incoming calls (ring all devices concurrently, or sequentially, utilize external phone number or keep call within RingEX system, etc).
- More competitive pricing - There are plenty of options on the market. I'd love to see a lower cost business plan for new users with low usage patterns have access to the system for testing purposes before committing to the system for full office use.
- RingEX AutoAttendant saved my sanity by eliminating all robocalls increasing productivity dramatically by not answering the phone twice an hour to hear prerecorded spam.
- RingEX has decreased my communication expenses by integrating my telephone, messaging, and video conferencing into one platform.
- Avaya Nortel Ethernet Switches and Grasshopper
RingEX is far more versatile for a small business than Grasshopper or our previous Nortel/Avaya VoIP system. I wouldn't trade the fatures of the RingEX system for any other VoIP system on the market. When it comes to capabilities at a low cost, you can't beat RingEX.
Do you think RingEX delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with RingEX's feature set?
Yes
Did RingEX live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of RingEX go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy RingEX again?
Yes
RingEX Feature Ratings
Using RingEX
1 - As a sole proprietor, I am currently using RingEX to manage phone calls and provide basic information to callers through the voice prompts. Although in the past I was responsible for a team of twenty users located around the world, the RingEX system was utilized for handling all inbound calls and all related telelcommunication in one central platform (messaging, video calls, conferencing, personal extension, call routing tables, etc).
1 - At both a previous employer and the current position I was the sole in-house technical support adviser. The help documentation provided by RingEX was more than sufficient for the average user to setup and configure their own extensions based on personal preferences. Rarely is there a need to call RingEX for technical support.
- Schedule based call routing gives one the ability to send calls directly to voicemail after-hours to silence the phone.
- AutoAttendant Voice Prompt has given the power to not only provide prerecorded messages with relevant information about the business.
- Scalability of the system allows one to add more extensions as the business grows and hires additional employees
- Blocking 99% of spam robocallers! Finally we have ended all spam robocalls by requiring inbound callers dial an extension or press 5 to speak to an operator, then dropping the call after several seconds if no input is given.
- Voice Prompts to answer basic questions about the business to reduce overall call volume.
- Redirecting the system outside the software when less technologically-inclined users cannot or will not learn how to use the software. For certain users in the past I have simply redirected all inbound calls to both their physical VOIP handset extension directly and their personal mobile phone number concurrently so they can still easily answer calls while outside the office.
- Increase in telecommunication as the desire for social distancing grows across the world.
- Integration with CRM software. My business doesn't need a full CRM software suite just yet, however I'm happy to report RingEX seems to integrate with just about every industry leading platform you would ever need. This makes RingEX perfect for a small business looking at potential business growth/expansion in the future.
Evaluating RingEX and Competitors
Yes - While working for a former employer (small international organization with a team of about 20 employees located around the globe), I migrated from an old Nortel/Avaya system (which was end-of-life) to RingEX. The business was growing and adding new users, employees were working outside the office more frequently, and our old rudimentary Voip system was inflexible (old out of date voip application was only available for windows/mac computers, with no smartphone application). Lastly our old Avaya system had been hacked over one weekend due to some backdoor which had never been patched by Avaya and that was the last straw for the business - we evaluated multiple options and opted RingEX was the best fit for the business.
Before making a final decision, I scoped out several use-cases necessary by employees of the company and started to research which Voip platforms had those necessary features. Things like a smartphone app were desperately needed so mobile employees could still teleconference when out on the road. Lastly I wanted security by offloading the hardware to the experts, so the only thing my users needed was a login to access their phone extension from practically any internet-connected device or telephone.
I would have done very little different. I am extremely satisfied with how I scoped out the project, at the time I presented a thorough report to the CEO outlining how the business would migrate from the existing network, how we would train the staff, and how much it would cost to migrate the system. RingEX sales staff was extremely knowledgeable and thorough with their answers, I had all the information I needed to make a fully educated decision before presenting my report to the boss. I have always had a positive experience working with RingEX customer service and sales staff as have others whom I've suggested contacting RingEX directly to answer their questions/concerns.
RingEX Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Yes - When migrating our team of 20 employees around the globe to RingEX , I broke the implementation into several key phases: Proof of concept testing/evaluation - I used the first 30-day trial to confirm a basic system would work with temporary phone numbers. This proof of concept was demonstrated to the boss to confirm he was satisfied with the system's performance. System introduction/configuration - We left the old phone system running while installing the new software/hardware on user's desks. All users were given a brief instruction on setup, and then testing began. For the next 30-days all inter-office communication was done using the new system while inbound customer calls were taken on the old system. Complete rollover to RingEX - After users had time to familiarize themselves with the new software and extensions had been configured for individual user's and team preferences, the main phone numbers were transferred over to the RingEX system (with the help of RC technical support staff). All old hardware was collected and stored for emergency use in the event we needed to fail back over (which was never needed). The rollover was a success and we had minimal complaints from users on the new system.
- Configuration of ports was challenging initially because our network engineer essentially blocked all unknown ports by default. It took us a day to find the list of ports and have the engineer unblock them so we could conduct testing.
- Data speeds for the internet network resulted in poor audio quality at some times of the day, this was traced back to data snapshots happening several times a day causing the network bandwidth to lag. Increasing internet speeds freed up bandwidth increasing call quality resolving our biggest issue.
RingEX Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success | None |
No
No need for any premium support. The last time I contacted RingCentral for technical support was several years ago. The software is extremely reliable and the help documentation online is thorough. There has been no need to call for any sort of technical support to be honest, that's partially why I'm such a satisfied customer!
I found RingEX sales team extremely helpful in answering all of my questions prior to my decision. A sales rep was assigned to me and we spent hours discussing pricing, migration, use cases, etc over several weeks as I gathered all information necessary to compile a full report for the business. They were patient and not pushy (at least back in 2014 when signing up). The migration team was very helpful in answering our questions, the biggest issue we had was obtaining the list of ports to open so Voip traffic could flow properly through our secured network.
Using RingEX
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | None |
- Handling inbound calls for user extensions is easy and versatile. Extensions can be greatly customized to fit the user's personal needs, either a ring-list to route the call to different devices in order of importance, or ringing all devices concurrently so no call is missed.
- Adding more extensions and phone numbers is easy as clicking a button on the screen, no need to call and speak to a person when you need to make changes to your system.
- Switching between User and Administrator interfaces can be confusing for less technologically-inclined people. I've had to retrain a few times explaining the differences between the two layouts to users who have access to the administrator console.
- Default Smartphone app settings can confuse some users when inbound calls result in both the default app and RingEX app to ring at the same time, confusing the user as to which app to answer. In practice these users seem to answer the RingEX app first, sometimes in poor data reception areas causing poor phone call quality.
Yes - Pretty well, although I find call quality lacking when data rates drop. I wish the app had a way to detect poor data and then automatically flip the call over to the user's mobile phone number so they could use a more reliable network for handling calls outside the office. Often I simply remain logged out of the RingEX app to prevent it from ringing so calls are redirect to my personal phone number which has higher reliability while driving down the road.