RingCentral and Google Voice
The launch of Google Voice created new functionality for existing and new Google users. The free service gives users a single number which connects their different telephone numbers. This web-based call management service has continued to get the attention of consumers, but to small businesses, RingCentral seems best.
While Google Voice helps you organize an individual’s existing phone lines, RingCentral organizes people and connects them to a central number. It provides its users with a virtual phone system that equips them with all the call management features that they need, at a very affordable price.
If you have an existing Google account, you can integrate it with your new Google Voice number. This way, you can access your voicemail messages through your email inbox. One feature that RingCentral has not launched yet is voicemail transcription. With Google Voice, you may listen to your voicemail messages as digital audio files, or read them as transcribed messages. However, the technology has not fully matured yet, so there are some errors in transcribed voicemails.
An important thing you have to take note about Google Voice is that all your information, as well as messages and calls made through Google Voice become their property. This makes the service best only for individuals and not for offices or businesses. With RingCentral, you can be sure that all information is transmitted through secure connections.
Aside from a unifying single number, RingCentral also offers fax and VoIP services. Starting at $9 a month, you can start using your office phone system from RingCentral. If you do not need as much features as an office, you can rely on Google Voice to help you organize all your calls to all your existing phone numbers, all for free.
The choice between Google Voice and RingCentral primarily depends on your phone setup. While Google Voice seems to be a great deal for busy individuals with multiple phone lines, RingCentral offers more functionality designed for a small business or office.
What others are saying
Why did Apple okay RingCentral?
Monday, August 24, 2009After Apple “declined to approve” Google Voice’s iPhone app, a lot of questions arose regarding the reason behind this decision. Apple released a statement explaining that the reason why they decided not to okay Google Voice was that it “alters the iPhone’s distinctive user experience” by basically replacing iPhone functions and the whole iPhone interface. But then why has RingCentral Mobile, an iPhone app that does the same things as Google Voice (and more), been in the App store for months already? Different speculations and issues stem from this, the strongest being that Apple feels that Google Voice poses a threat, unlike RingCentral Mobile which does not pose such a strong danger. Read more...
Services That Eliminate Telephone Tag
Tuesday, August 11, 2009Everybody is talking about Google Voice, one of the newest phone services that are able to eliminate telephone tag. It is geared towards consumers, while RingCentral, a similar service, is more ideal for businesses. Both call management services feature call forwarding and other call management features, but RingCentral’s features are more advanced, offering more flexibility and making it the better choice for businesses. Read more...
Google Voice: Cool, But Not Really New
Monday, June 29, 2009The launch of Google Voice created a lot of noise, but there aren’t really a lot to be excited about. A lot of its features have been available for quite some time already, and it even fails in a lot of areas. RingCentral, on the other hand, works well for any type of user, especially for small businesses and offices. Google Voice, although free, is not equipped to support the communication needs of telecommuters or small businesses. Read more...