Welcome to the ultimate RingCentral guide, designed to help you determine whether the RingCentral suite offers everything your company needs to execute, optimise, and fufil its communication business functions.
RingCentral, initially founded in 1999 by Vlad Shmunis, is a company that set out with a vision to revolutionize business communications through cloud technology.
Headquartered in Belmont, California, RingCentral has grown to become a leading provider of cloud-based communications solutions worldwide.
RingCentral evolved from a simple business phone system into a comprehensive UC platform, combining tools for voice, video, team messaging, SMS, fax, and contact center solutions.
The platform, both from inception and through subsequent feature updates and expansions, is designed to meet the diverse communication needs of businesses of all sizes, from SMBs and startups, to large enterprises.
Like many big players in the UC sphere (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Workspace), RingCentral now features a selection of AI-powered tools, including AI-assisted summaries, real-time transcription, and intelligent virtual agents.
Equally, the company is continuing to expand its AI capabilities, including steps into the Agentic AI sphere and AI copilots.
RingCentral’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction has earned it numerous awards and recognition in the industry.
The company is consistently ranked as a leader in UC and contact center solutions by industry analysts and experts.
Equally, its position has seen it make some milestones that reverberate throughout the whole industry, like signing one of the industry’s largest-ever deals.
If you’re looking for a workplace solution that aligns with, and empowers, hybrid and remote teams, transforms creativity, and helps deliver strong customer experiences, all without compromising security and compliance, RingCentral could be the ideal platform for you.
With its comprehensive suite of communication tools, AI-powered features, and flexible deployment options, RingCentral offers a compelling solution for businesses looking to enhance their communication and collaboration capabilities.
RingCentral Guide: The Core Features of RingCentral
RingCentral is a cloud-based communications platform that provides businesses with a comprehensive suite of tools that combine customizable workspaces with customer experience tools and a collaboration platform.
At the heart of the RingCentral ecosystem is RingCentral MVP, which includes features for:
- Messaging: RingCentral offers group messaging spaces, chat, and file sharing. Users can engage colleagues with polls, tasks, and team calendars. The messaging feature supports real-time communication and collaboration, allowing teams to stay connected and informed. Users can create channels for specific projects, teams, or topics, and easily share files, links, and other information. RingCentral messaging also integrates with other RingCentral features, such as video conferencing and phone calls, allowing users to seamlessly transition between different communication modes.
- Video: RingCentral supports HD video conferencing, with virtual backgrounds, screen sharing, and recording. The platform can host meetings with up to 500 participants, depending on your plan. Features include meeting recording, screen sharing, and webinar capabilities. RingCentral video conferencing provides a range of tools to enhance the meeting experience, such as breakout rooms, polling, and Q&A sessions. The platform also supports integration with third-party applications, allowing users to easily share content and collaborate on documents during meetings.
- Phone: RingCentral provides cloud phone system capabilities, with features like call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, call queues, and call management. The platform offers a range of advanced calling features, such as automatic call recording, call screening, and call analytics. RingCentral phone system also integrates with other RingCentral features, such as video conferencing and messaging, allowing users to seamlessly switch between different communication modes.
- Collaboration: For creative collaboration, RingCentral offers screen sharing and annotation tools. It also integrates with popular business apps for workflow. RingCentral collaboration tools allow teams to work together on documents, presentations, and other projects in real-time. The platform supports features such as co-editing, version control, and commenting, making it easy for teams to collaborate effectively.
- Contact Center: RingCentral’s contact center solution allows companies to manage customer interactions across various channels, including voice, chat, email, and social media. Features include omnichannel routing, agent management, and analytics. RingCentral contact center provides a range of tools to enhance the customer experience, such as automated call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR), and customer relationship management (CRM) integration.
- Whiteboarding: RingCentral also has digital whiteboarding capabilities which enables team members to collaborate visually. RingCentral Whiteboard provides a shared canvas for teams to brainstorm, sketch ideas, and collaborate on visual projects. The platform supports features such as drawing tools, sticky notes, and image import, making it easy for teams to create and share visual content.
On top of the RingCentral MVP, the platform also offers solutions such as RingCentral Engage for digital customer engagement and RingCentral Developers for custom integrations and app development.
RingCentral Engage provides tools for managing customer interactions across various digital channels, such as social media, email, and SMS.
RingCentral Developers allows businesses to create custom integrations and applications that extend the functionality of the RingCentral platform.
RingCentral Guide: Advanced Features
Being a major player in the UC sphere, RingCentral is constantly evolving and updating its platform with new technology to keep it abreast of its competitors.
Such evolution has seen it drastically change since its 1990s founding, with some of the advanced features now offered by RingCentral including:
- AI-Powered Capabilities: RingCentral has integrated AI into its platform. This includes AI-assisted meeting summaries, real-time transcription, and smart noise reduction. RingCentral AI features are designed to enhance productivity, improve communication, and automate tasks. For example, AI-assisted meeting summaries can automatically generate summaries of meetings, saving users time and effort. Real-time transcription can convert spoken words into text, making it easier to follow along with meetings and webinars. Smart noise reduction can eliminate background noise during calls, improving call quality and clarity. Additional innovations have seen the company release new solutions, with a crux being they’re powered by AI, like RingCentral’s event solution Studio. Beyond AI assisting tools or AI-augmented solutions, RingCentral is releasing new AI features that go beyond copiloting and actually handle processes themselves. This has come in the form of new releases like the RingCentral AI Receptionist, which uses AI to handle voice calls, answer queries, and escalate or reroute calls.
- Team Huddle: This feature allows for spontaneous video meetings, for quick in-office interactions for remote and hybrid teams. Team Huddle provides a virtual space for teams to connect and collaborate in real-time. The feature supports features such as screen sharing, file sharing, and chat, making it easy for teams to work together on projects and tasks.
- Advanced Analytics: RingCentral provides analytics and reporting tools, offering insights into call quality, usage patterns, and team performance. RingCentral analytics provides a range of metrics and reports to help businesses track and improve their communication performance. For example, businesses can track call volume, call duration, call quality, and agent performance. The platform also supports custom reporting, allowing businesses to create reports that meet their specific needs.
- Open Platform: RingCentral’s open platform allows for customization and integration with business applications, enhancing workflow efficiency. The company offers APIs and SDKs for developers to build custom integrations. RingCentral open platform allows businesses to connect RingCentral with other business applications, such as CRM, ERP, and marketing automation systems. This can help businesses streamline workflows, improve data accuracy, and enhance collaboration.
- RingCentral Rooms: RingCentral Rooms transforms meeting spaces with video conferencing capabilities. RingCentral Rooms provides a complete video conferencing solution for meeting rooms, including hardware, software, and support. The platform supports features such as one-touch meeting start, wireless screen sharing, and remote management.
- Outbound Contact Center: RingCentral also has outbound contact center features like predictive dialer. RingCentral outbound contact center provides tools for managing outbound calls, such as predictive dialing, call scripting, and lead management.
- Multilingual Support: RingCentral offers multilingual support, catering to a global user base. This includes real-time translation services and support for multiple languages in messaging, video conferencing, and other features.
The RingCentral Ecosystem: The Flexibility of RingCentral
One of the things that makes RingCentral appealing to companies looking to upgrade their cloud communications strategy is its versatility and flexibility.
Alongside its capabilities to offer APIs and SDKs for developers to build custom integrations, RingCentral has partnerships with technology leaders and offers integrations with business applications like Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and others.
This allows businesses to incorporate RingCentral’s communication tools into their existing workflows.
For example, integrating RingCentral with Salesforce can allow sales teams to automatically log calls, track customer interactions, and update customer records.
Additionally, RingCentral has an app gallery with pre-built integrations for apps focused on productivity, CRM, helpdesk, and more.
This provides a wide range of popular business applications that can help businesses quickly and easily connect RingCentral with other systems, without the need for custom development.
However, if you can’t find an app you need, developers can use RingCentral’s developer platform to build custom integrations.
RingCentral Guide: The Use Cases for RingCentral
RingCentral has proven itself to be a versatile platform, catering to a range of professional needs across sectors.
From internal communications, to outbound calls, here are some of the top use cases for the RingCentral ecosystem:
- Enhancing Collaboration: RingCentral makes it easy to host and participate in engaging meetings with video and audio, screen sharing, and team messaging. The platform’s AI features, such as real-time transcription and meeting summaries enhance collaboration. These collaboration tools enable teams to work together effectively, regardless of their location or even language, thanks to real-time translation capabilities. The platform supports features such as screen sharing, file sharing, and chat, making it easy for teams to collaborate on projects and tasks.
- Enabling and Optimizing Hybrid Work: RingCentral’s suite of tools is designed to empower hybrid, remote, and in-office employees. Features like Team Huddle and the mobile app ensure that teams can stay connected and productive regardless of their location. RingCentral mobile app allows employees to access RingCentral features from their smartphones and tablets. This can help employees stay connected and engage in huddles or even leverage Rooms capabilities in hot-desk offices with only minimal equipment required.
- Improving Customer Engagement: For businesses focused on customer experiences, RingCentral offers tools designed to enhance customer support and engagement. The RingCentral contact center platform provides omnichannel communication capabilities and integrates with CRM systems. RingCentral contact center enables businesses to provide personalized and efficient customer service across various channels, such as voice, chat, email, and social media.
- Supporting Small Businesses: RingCentral offers scalable solutions that can grow with small businesses. From phone systems to unified communications, small businesses can choose the features they need and expand as they grow. RingCentral offers a range of pricing plans and features to meet the needs of small businesses. The platform is designed to be easy to use and manage, making it a good choice for businesses with limited IT resources.
- Healthcare Communications: RingCentral is compliant with HIPAA and has solutions designed specifically for the healthcare industry. RingCentral healthcare solutions are designed to meet the unique communication needs of healthcare providers. The platform supports features such as secure messaging, video consultations, and appointment reminders.
- Financial Services: RingCentral provides secure and compliant communication solutions for the financial services industry. Features include call recording for compliance, secure file sharing, and multi-factor authentication.
RingCentral Security and Privacy
As mentioned above, RingCentral has a number of certifications and standards that helps it keep its communications in line with regulations like GDPR, PCI DSS and SOC 2.
But it’s not just about keeping compliant. With UC platforms communicating more and more important sensitive company information each day, RingCentral has taken measures to ensure security.
The platform uses encryption for all data—calls, video and messaging — both in transit and at rest.
Equally, it employs a range of other tools RingCentral to protect user data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
Some key security features include:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Role-based access control
- End-to-end encryption for messaging and file sharing
- Detailed audit logs
- Data loss prevention with third party integrations
But it doesn’t end there. RingCentral has a dedicated security team that monitors the platform for threats and vulnerabilities.
RingCentral security team is responsible for ensuring the security and privacy of RingCentral users and data.
The team monitors the platform for security threats, responds to security incidents, and develops and implements security policies and procedures.
This is essential as in an age of large technological growth, the cyber threat, augmented by AI, is growing and evolving.
RingCentral Pricing and Plans
In the same vein of flexibility it offers in its platform, RingCentral offers pricing plans to suit different business needs and sizes.
While specific pricing can vary based on the number of users and specific features required, here’s a general overview of their main plans:
- Essentials: Starting at $20 per user per month, this plan includes things like business phone or toll-free numbers, unlimited calls within the US and Canada, and team messaging, mobile and desktop apps, document sharing, call logs, but only 100 inclusive minutes per user.
- Standard: Starting at $30 per user per month, this plan includes everything in Essentials, plus some notable additions like video meetings with up to 100 participants, call management, basic call recording, multi-level auto attendant, internet fax and integrations with Office 365, Google Workspace, and more.
- Premium: Starting at $40 per user per month, this plan includes all Standard features, plus some notable features like automatic call recording, advanced analytics, popular CRM integrations, developer platform and custom integrations and support for up to 200 video participants.
- Ultimate: Starting at $50 per user per month, this plan includes all Premium features, plus device status reports, unlimited storage, and additional security features, unlimited storage, potential to upgrade to unlimited business calling within EMEA in addition to 4000 inclusive minutes per user.
RingCentral also offers custom enterprise solutions and separate pricing for its contact center solutions. Contact center pricing varies depending on the number of agents and features required, but feature things like Interactive Virtual Receptionists, advanced quality management solutions, proactive outreach and access to 30+ digital channels.
Getting Started with RingCentral
Getting started with RingCentral is straightforward.
Not only does the company offer a comprehensive onboarding process, but should you be migrating from one UC system to RingCentral then you find out how to make the transition with limited downtime or implementation hiccups.
Also, for those wishing to dip their toes in before making the big decision to migrate, RingCentral offers a 14-day free trial for most of its plans, allowing you to test the features before committing.
Once you have your account, you can download the RingCentral app for desktop (Windows or macOS) or mobile devices (iOS or Android).
The platform also offers a web application for browser-based access.
Once onboarded, RingCentral provides documentation, tutorials, and customer support to help you set up and optimize your system.
They also offer professional services for more complex deployments or customizations. RingCentral customer support is available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat.
Is RingCentral Right for You?
RingCentral could be an excellent choice if you’re looking for a unified communications platform.
It’s contact center solutions, complied with its strong capabilities in conferencing and webinars and events make it a particularly convincing solution for companies that deal a lot with external communications.
Equally, with packages that offer strong basics but go up in things like video participant allowance or call allowance, it’s therefore particularly well-suited for businesses that:
- Need a scalable solution that can grow with their business
- Are looking for integration capabilities with other business tools
- Require advanced features like AI-assisted summaries and analytics
- Prioritize security and compliance in their communications infrastructure
The Future of RingCentral
When picking a UC provider and aligning a number of your business’ vital functions to them, its important you feel that this company will continue to evolve so that you can feel the benefit through added features or capabilities.
RingCentral is regarded highly in this area. As a leader in the cloud communications and collaboration sphere, the UC provider does not have time to rest on its laurels and is constantly innovating to position itself as a contender.
The company’s recent advancements in AI integration, with its RingSense AI Assistant or customizable AI agents for its contact center solutions, or strategic partnerships, both working as a partner to underpin a company’s solution or integrate theirs, highlight its position as a long-term UC solution.
Additionally, its position has allowed it to create seamless integrations with platforms like Microsoft Teams and Webex so you can still interact with users, customers or clients who are operating on a different system from you.
As flexibility continues to define the future of work, RingCentral’s unified platform—combining messaging, video, calling, and contact center solutions—positions it to play a pivotal role in reshaping how teams connect, engage, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
RingCentral Guide FAQs:
How do I schedule a meeting in RingCentral?
To schedule a meeting in RingCentral:
- Sign In: Log in to your RingCentral account via desktop, mobile, or the Outlook plugin.
- Navigate to Meetings: Click Schedule in the desktop app or tap Schedule on mobile.
- Enter Meeting Details:
- Desktop: Set the meeting topic, start time, duration, timezone, and select video/audio preferences (e.g., VoIP, Telephone, or Both).
- Mobile: Edit the topic, set date/time, timezone, and choose audio/video settings.
- Customize Options:
- Enable Require meeting password or Enable join before host.
- Use Schedule for Me to host meetings on behalf of others (if permissions are granted).
- Calendar Integration: Sync with iCal, Outlook, Google Calendar, or copy/paste the invitation.
How do I troubleshoot common issues in RingCentral?
Audio/Video Problems:
- Ensure your microphone/headset is selected in RingCentral settings.
- Check for network issues (e.g., double NAT, packet loss) using RingCentral’s VoIP quality checker.
- Update audio/video drivers and disable conflicting browser extensions.
Connection Issues:
- Use a wired Ethernet connection for stability.
- Verify internet speed (minimum 5 Mbps upload/2 Mbps download).
- Whitelist RingCentral domains and ports in your network settings.
Browser Issues:
- Use supported browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) and update to the latest version.
- Try incognito mode or clear cache/cookies if issues persist.
