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

24 newbusiness.co.uk

NB60 - RINGCENTRAL ADVERTORIAL.indd 24-25

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

newbusiness.co.uk 25

15/11/2013 16:19

Moving To a Cloud Phone Solution

  • 1.
    communications communications Moving to acloud 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 24 newbusiness.co.uk NB60 - RINGCENTRAL ADVERTORIAL.indd 24-25 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 newbusiness.co.uk 25 15/11/2013 16:19