GuideUC&C26 Mar 2019 · 8 min read

RingCentral Buyer's Guide

We explore the history of RingCentral, its competitors, and the full range of products available in its UC portfolio.

A globally-recognised expert in the Unified Communications market, RingCentral is a publicly-traded company, with a background in UC, contact centre solutions and "Software as a Service," or SaaS. The brand's cloud-first approach to communication technology has made it an innovator in a world driven by remote working, flexibility, and globalisation.

With APIs, cloud-based communication technology, and a host of convenient communication management services, RingCentral delivers exceptional results to companies all around the world. Though the company is headquartered in California (Belmont), it also has regional offices, in Canada, the UK, the Philippines, China, Russia, and the Ukraine.

Here, we're going to cover everything you need to know about RingCentral.

Introducing RingCentral: Sensational Solutions for SaaS

Based on reports by the Synergy Research Group, RingCentral was the worldwide leader in market share for Unified Communications as a Service, as of June 2017. Today, the company has earned multiple accolades for it's "as-a-service" offerings on the cloud, which optimise performance and minimise initial investment.

RingCentral sells subscriptions to its cloud-based products directly through internal sales teams and its website. However, the company also thrives through a highly motivated group of resellers and partners like AT&T, TELUS Communications, and even BT in the United Kingdom.

The RingCentral brand initially began in 1999, when a man called Vladimir (Vlad) Shmunis founded the company with a desire to unlock the true potential of cloud technology. He believed that the flexibility of the cloud could support growing organisations in the digital world and give them the versatility they needed to adapt in a rapidly-changing agile workforce.

Thanks to the innovation of Shmunis, and a strong focus on delivering exceptional communications experiences, RingCentral has grown from a start-up company designed in 2006 with $12 million in funding, to a publicly-listed NYSE company which crossed the $600 million total ARR milestone in 2018. RingCentral shares have a relative strength of 96 out of a possible score of 99 - making it a high-performing company in the New York Stock Exchange.

From an employee perspective, RingCentral is also an incredible place to work. Currently, RingCentral has approximately 2,500 employees, who rate the business on Glassdoor as a 4.5 out of 5 for workplace satisfaction - a high rating.

RingCentral's Top Competitors

Currently, RingCentral supports more than 350,000 businesses around the globe. It's recognised as one of the fastest-growing and largest pure-cloud communications solution providers in the world. In fact, RingCentral has been named a leader in the Unified Communications as a Service Magic Quadrant by Gartner for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

According to recent reports, RingCentral's average annual recurring revenue is approximately $647 million. The company also has a yearly growth rate of 28% per year. Top competitors include:

Vonage: Revenue of $1 billion per annum - read RingCentral vs. Vonage: Which Vendor is Right for You?
8x8: Revenue of $310.6 million per annum - read RingCentral vs. 8×8: Which Vendor is Right for You?
Fuze: Revenue of $115 million per annum - read RingCentral vs. Fuze: Which Vendor is Right for You?

Other competitors include Mitel, Avaya, and Verizon.

What Does RingCentral Do Best?

RingCentral is primarily a unified communication and collaboration company, with experience in contact centre solutions and "as a service" hosted products. RingCentral focuses on the benefits of the cloud when it comes to empowering modern businesses. Through cloud solutions, RingCentral can offer:

Unified Communications services like RingCentral Office: the company's flagship product. RingCentral office enables easy and quality-rich communication services regardless of location, device, or channel
Contact Centre services like the RingCentral Contact Centre which provides a cloud-based customer contact environment that companies can use to serve and delight their clients. The RingCentral Contact centre is an omni-channel service, ideal for customers who prefer to communicate with brands on their own
APIs and SDKs: RingCentral provides its services on an open architecture. This means that developers can build and create the perfect communication strategy for them using software development kits and APIs

Because RingCentral's portfolio is built on the cloud, it's highly flexible and scalable. Customers don't need to invest in an on-premise technology stack to get started with RingCentral products. Additionally, RingCentral's platform integrates with a selection of leading applications and devices, so customising your workflow is easy.

The RingCentral Product Portfolio

RingCentral's vast product portfolio delivers strategies for functionality, productivity and communication through the cloud. Their most popular products include:

RingCentral Office

RingCentral Office is the company's flagship product. A multi-use, multi-location communication strategy, RingCentral Office brings enterprise-grade UC to companies of any size. Thanks to a simple subscription model and a broad range of features, organisations can keep their teams connected regardless of size, device, budget, or location. Features include:

A wide range of phone services, calling options and phone numbers.
HD voice and video
Web conferencing
Team messaging and collaboration
Call management features like call flip, call screening, and automatic call recording
Integrations with services like Box, Dropbox, Salesforce, Zendesk and many more.
API and SDK access
Business reporting and analytics
Advanced call routing

Read all about RingCentral Office

RingCentral Contact Centre

The RingCentral Contact Centre is a cloud-based customer service solution which gives companies the chance to connect with their clients across multiple channels. As an omni-channel contact centre, RingCentral's CC solution ensures that businesses can talk to their customers on any channel they prefer. Additionally, the service integrates seamlessly with RingCentral Office, for a more unified communication experience. Features include:

Outbound contact centre solutions like progressive dialling, predictive dialling and campaign management.
Skills-based routing and advanced IVR
Omnichannel connections to SMS, social media, email and voice

Read our RingCentral Contact Center Review

RingCentral Engage

RingCentral announced the arrival of their brand-new customer engagement system in 2018. Designed in collaboration with their acquisition of Dimelo - a digital customer engagement platform - RingCentral Engage transforms the way you interact with customers:

Omni-digital empowerment
Smart routing
Unified platform
KPIs and Metrics

Read our RingCentral Engage Review

RingCentral Glip

Glip is RingCentral's team collaboration application. Intended to help companies stay connected, despite dispersed teams and remote workers, Glip offers multiple modes of communication, including file sharing, task assignments, video conferencing and instant messaging. Like many of RingCentral's products, Glip also integrates with leading cloud applications like DropBox, Github, Evernote, and Asana.

Features include:

Real-time video and voice conferencing
Instant messaging
Drag and drop file sharing
Task management and scheduling system
Easy application integration

Read our RingCentral Glip Review

RingCentral Meetings

RingCentral Meetings is a comprehensive video conferencing service available as part of the brand's unified communications strategy. Meetings combines team collaboration features like file sharing and real-time messaging, with immersive, high-quality video. With Meetings, companies can collaborate with up to 100 participants at once. You can even expand your Meetings experience with RingCentral Rooms. Features include:

Instant screen and file sharing
HD video
Content sharing through Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox
Mobility - connect on any device
Instant messaging

Read our RingCentral Meetings Review

RingCentral Fax

For companies in verticals that demand the use of fax for compliance and regulatory reasons, RingCentral offers their cloud-based solution. RingCentral Fax supports organisations that need to send and receive fax documents anywhere, at any time, using any device. You can create faxes in the RingCentral desktop or mobile app, attach files from Google Drive, Microsoft Office, or Dropbox, and submit them via email. RingCentral also provides companies with their fax number or allows them to use their existing number if they prefer. Features include:

The option to send faxes as emails
Vanity, local, or toll-free numbers
Instant fax alerts
Security
Online fax logs

RingCentral Professional

RingCentral Professional is RingCentral's virtual attendant and inbound call routing service. Designed for companies that need to maintain a professional image on the go, RingCentral professional offers easy mobility through instant and local toll-free numbers. By removing the reliance on the landline, RingCentral gives company executives the freedom to work anywhere, at any time, on the device they choose.

Features include:

A wide selection of available phone numbers
Customised greetings and voicemail
Cloud-based fax
Call management features
Mobile and desktop apps

RingCentral Global Office

Thanks to RingCentral, employees anywhere in the world can all enjoy the benefits of the same secure communications network. The Global Office system connects global workforces using a unique unified communication system that offers features like voice, instant messaging, and file sharing, no matter where your employees are.

Features include:

Multi-location office management
Access to 80 countries
Simple scalability
Mobility on any device
Integration with RingCentral Meetings and Glip

Read our RingCentral Global Office: Worldwide UC overview

RingCentral APIs and SDKs

RingCentral also supports developers who want to build their communication strategy from the ground up using the "RingCentral Connect Platform." RingCentral APIs are available for SMS, Voice, Meetings, Data, Fax, Bots, and countless other features. The RingCentral for Developers platform includes: