Cloud phone solutions, sometimes referred to as hosted VoIP (Voice over IP) are becoming popular with businesses. New Business Magazine asked 4 of RingCentral's most innovative customers (in the UK) what attracted them to their cloud communications technology and how it's benefiting their businesses. Here's what they had to say. Featured in "New Business Magazine" Winter 2013 Issue. (http://content.yudu.com/Library/A2k84e/NewBusinessWinter201/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl)

1. communications
communications
Moving to a cloud phone solution
Cloud phone solutions,
sometimes referred to
as hosted, internet or
VoIP (Voice over IP) are
becoming popular with
businesses. We asked
four of RingCentral’s
most innovative
customers what
attracted them to their
cloud communications
technology and how
it is benefitting their
businesses
Jude Lamb, CEO at MountainSun
Melissa Edmunds, managing director at SafeSip
Where did you first hear about a cloud phone solution?
MountainSun is a chalet business
specialising in 7 day and short breaks.
We’re dispersed over several locations
with our MD in London, our reservations
teams based near Bath and in Cornwall,
the registered address in Essex, and
resort staff in Italy and France. A
traditional PBX phone system couldn’t
transfer customer calls to our staff, so
a friend recommended that we use an
internet based solution. The system
is more flexible for call management
which means we can auto-route calls
to appropriate staff and provide a very
personalised customer service that
differentiates our business.
Steve Collins, general manager at Fargo Systems Ltd
How does an internet based phone solution compare to a traditional land line?
Fargo is a market leader in software
solutions for the transport and logistics
sector. We brought our three locations
together under one cloud phone
solution for efficiency. Our voice calls
and faxes are delivered via the internet
rather than a physical land line and
the phone system is hosted on secure
data centres, which meant we didn’t
need to buy a PBX or have dedicated
support people to manage or maintain
it. The call management and additional
functionality like voicemail to email,
works well for the business.
How do the costs differ and what has been the biggest benefit to your business
SafeSip is an innovative drink cover that
stops spills. We’ve grown from a startup
and realise that costs are a very important
consideration for entrepreneurs. Most
businesses use their home phone or a small
office with a traditional land line, paying
a monthly line rental and metered costs
for calls. We found the price structure for
cloud systems to be more flexible and use
RingCentral which has a very different
approach to charging. There is a single
monthly payment which includes landline
and mobile minutes. There were no capital
costs for a PBX and predictable monthly
payments which helps with budgeting and
managing cash flow. SafeSip is growing
fast so I can move offices without changing
the number and the system scales with us.
As far as benefits are concerned, I had
been working hard to break into the health
sector and I received THE call agreeing to
trial when I was watching my son play rugby
at school. The call automatically routed
through to me and I was able to answer it
immediately and speak to the caller without
them having to leave a voicemail. This call
was a pivotal moment for my business and
I’d say the flexible call management features
you get with a cloud phone system enables
you to never miss a customer.
Noel Sesto, managing director at ControlFreq
What about the UK internet infrastructure?
customers with their premises through
a mobile device and GSM. ControlFreq
now runs entirely in the cloud and the
RingCentral solution complements the
way we work.
‘The system enables us to route calls to available
consultants, which means we don’t need to overstaff’
The UK has invested heavily in
internet infrastructure, high speed and
super-fast broadband which provide
excellent coverage for UK businesses.
Our business relies on connecting
What impact did the system have on your company?
What about moving over to a cloud solution and getting support?
For us, it’s the ability to provide
professional hotline support and
customer service to over 1,200 users in 15
countries. Our consultants are dispersed
geographically and provide support in
two shifts I can adjust settings on the fly to
accommodate the varying work patterns
and availability of each consultant and
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quickly make diverts for holidays and
sickness. Our consultants are experts
in their field and can’t be covered by
temporary staff. The system enables us
to route calls to available consultants,
which means we don’t need to overstaff,
to provide the level of support that our
customers expect.
RingCentral took the time to understand
our business and offered ideas around what
we needed. We started out with a free trial
and the implementation team set us up with
our chosen phone and fax number. All in
all, configuration took around 30 minutes.
We downloaded the mobile app on our
mobile phones and had two further hours of
training which gave us the confidence to take
the solution forward. We have a number of
options for running the business and can work
from home, traveling or in the office. Quality
support was important for us. If support is
needed for anything, a proven market leader
like RingCentral has the infrastructure, team
and expertise to respond and fix things.
MountainSun specialises in 7 day
and short break ski-to-door chalet
hotel accommodation in prime skiing
in the French Alps and
Italian Dolomites
www.mountainsunltd.com
Fargo Systems is a market leader
in software for the transport and
logistics sector.
www.fargosystems.com
Entrepreneur Melissa Edmunds
invented SafeSip, an innovative
silicone drink cover that stops spills.
www.safesip.co.uk
Control Freq is a supplier of
GSM control, communication,
monitoring and detection systems.
The company’s products enable
consumers and businesses to
remotely manage their premises.
www.controlfreqgsm.co.uk
RingCentral is a market leader in
cloud communications.
www.ringcentral.co.uk
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