In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, many companies are eager to transition their on-premises solutions to cloud-based unified UC providers.
This shift towards modernization is a clear indication of their desire to stay competitive and efficient.
However, for certain industries, particularly those in legal and finance sectors, the transition isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
These industries often find themselves in a unique position where they must balance the need for cutting-edge technology with the necessity of maintaining traditional processes.
One such traditional process that continues to hold significant importance in legal and healthcare sectors is faxing.
While fax machines may seem outdated to many, they still play a crucial role in these industries. For instance, faxing a deed to show completion for a client remains a common practice in legal transactions.
This reliance on fax technology creates a dilemma for companies looking to modernize: how can they embrace new technologies without abandoning the processes that are still essential to their operations?
The challenge lies in finding a solution that allows these companies to have their cake and eat it too.
Is it possible to modernize while still retaining the ability to use older, yet necessary, processes?
Many organizations have found that UC providers like RingCentral meet most of their needs, but they hesitate to make the switch due to concerns about losing critical functionalities.
They fear ending up with two separate systems instead of a truly unified communications platform.
To address these concerns and help companies make informed decisions, we’ve compiled an article that not only answers the burning question about fax capabilities but also explores other niche yet crucial aspects of RingCentral’s communication package.
From faxing to pagers, we’ll delve into the features that may have fallen through the cracks but could be pivotal in your decision-making process.
RingCentral’s Fax Capabilities
RingCentral has recognized the ongoing need for fax services in certain industries and has integrated robust faxing capabilities into its UC platform.
This integration allows businesses to modernize their communications while retaining the ability to send and receive faxes, effectively bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary business practices.
RingCentral’s online fax service, often referred to as eFax, eliminates the need for physical fax machines and dedicated phone lines.
Instead, it leverages cloud technology to handle all faxing needs digitally. This approach not only saves office space and reduces maintenance costs but also provides a more efficient and secure method of managing faxed documents.
One of the key features of RingCentral’s fax service is its flexibility in sending faxes. Users can send faxes through multiple methods, including email-to-fax, which allows them to attach files, add a cover letter, and send faxes directly from their email client.
Additionally, the RingCentral mobile app enables users to send faxes from anywhere, providing unprecedented convenience and mobility.
The system also offers enhanced security measures, which are crucial for industries dealing with sensitive information. Outgoing faxes are transmitted over an encrypted connection, and incoming faxes can be stored securely in a password-protected online account.
This level of security helps businesses comply with various regulatory requirements, including HIPAA for healthcare and FINRA for finance.
RingCentral’s fax service goes beyond basic functionality, offering features that cater to power users. These include the ability to select groups for FaxOut, block faxes from senders without caller ID, and integrate with popular cloud storage services like Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive.
These integrations make it quick and easy to fax documents from desktop or mobile devices, streamlining workflow processes.
For businesses concerned about missing important faxes, RingCentral provides instant notifications via text, email, or desktop app whenever a new fax is received.
This ensures that critical communications are never overlooked, even in a fast-paced business environment.
Perhaps one of the most significant advantages of RingCentral’s fax service is its integration with the broader UC platforms.
Every extension can receive both voice calls and faxes, as RingCentral allows you to use any phone number assigned to an extension for both voice and fax communication.
This eliminates the need for separate fax numbers and contributes to a more streamlined and efficient communication system overall.
Beyond Fax: Pagers and Bridged Call Capabilities
While faxing remains a critical function for many businesses, RingCentral’s capabilities extend to other niche communication needs, including support for pager-like functionality and compliance with new texting regulations.
Pager-like Functionality
Although traditional pagers are less common today, the concept of instant, reliable messaging remains crucial in many industries, particularly healthcare.
RingCentral addresses this need through its robust SMS and messaging features. While not a direct pager replacement, RingCentral’s system lets you make real-time announcements to both deskphones and overhead paging devices.
The paging feature is available to all RingCentral MVP subscribers and is compatible with Polycom, Cisco, Unify, Alcatel, Avaya, Mitel, and Yealink phone models.
To set up an account to receive text messages, users can utilize RingCentral’s SMS features. This allows for quick, efficient communication that can mimic the urgency and reliability of pager systems.
The RingCentral mobile app further enhances this functionality, allowing users to receive instant notifications on their smartphones, effectively turning them into modern, multi-functional pagers.
Bridged Call Appearance
RingCentral’s Bridged Call Appearance (BCA) feature is a powerful tool that enhances call management and collaboration within organizations.
BCA allows multiple devices to share the same phone line, enabling teams to handle calls seamlessly and improve communication efficiency.
This is especially important, for instance, in a legal firm where a team may be working on a project together and thus are all able to attend to the client’s need in a timely way even if some staff are busy.
Key features and benefits of RingCentral’s BCA include:
- Shared Line Capability: BCA enables a primary number to appear on multiple phones, allowing delegates to act on behalf of the phone number owner (e.g., an executive).
- Call Management: Delegates can make calls on behalf of the primary user, hold calls, pick up calls within the group, and join ongoing calls.
- Flexibility: BCA creates flexible call handling options between delegates and primary users, allowing teams to work according to their preferred processes.
- Improved Productivity: Executives can better manage their time by assigning assistants to handle calls on their behalf, ensuring important messages are attended to even when they’re unavailable.
- Absence Coverage: Employees on leave can delegate their number to team members, ensuring continuity in communication.
Setting up BCA in RingCentral is straightforward. Administrators can configure delegated lines or BCA through the RingCentral Admin Portal.
This feature allows a primary number to appear on different phones, creating a standalone extension shared among multiple users.
The implementation of BCA can significantly enhance a company’s call flow and improve the overall caller experience. It’s particularly beneficial for businesses with high call volumes or those requiring efficient management of executive-assistant communication workflows.
RingCentral’s BCA feature, combined with its other advanced call management capabilities, provides businesses with a powerful toolset to streamline their communication processes and ensure that no important call goes unanswered.
Embracing the Future By Revolutionizing the Past
The transition to modern, cloud-based unified communications doesn’t have to mean abandoning traditional, yet still crucial, business processes.
RingCentral’s comprehensive suite of services demonstrates that it’s possible to embrace cutting-edge technology while still accommodating legacy needs.
The robust fax capabilities offered by RingCentral serve as a prime example of how modern UC providers can bridge the gap between old and new.
By digitizing the faxing process, RingCentral allows businesses to maintain this essential function while benefiting from the efficiency, security, and flexibility of cloud-based systems.
Moreover, RingCentral’s ability to provide pager-like functionality through its SMS features, and its proactive approach to bridged calls showcase how familiar processes can be taken with you to a new platform.
But what will have changed is the ability for businesses to consolidate their communication tools into a single, unified platform, reducing complexity and increasing efficiency.
For businesses grappling with the challenge of modernization while maintaining essential legacy processes, solutions like RingCentral can offer a compelling path forward.
