RingCentral is a cloud phone system with communication solutions for small and large businesses across industries. It allows businesses to unify communication via voice and video calls, messages and faxes onto a single platform for more transparency and control. RingCentral services are packaged into 4 MVP (messaging, video, phone) plans and 4 contact center plans. Exclusive video communication plans are also available. Some of the features included in the MVP plans are the provision of a business/toll-free number, unlimited calling to select destinations, team messaging and document sharing. These services can be accessed by mobile and desktop apps or desk phones.
8x8 is a business communication solution comparable to RingCentral.
Designed to help businesses unify all communication through voice, video and text to a single platform, 8x8 is a popular VoIP service provider. Businesses can choose between the Express, X2, X4, X6, X7 and X8 plans. Depending on the plan chosen, they can make unlimited calls to numbers in the USA and Canada and access other services such as call monitoring, team messaging and analytic reports. These services can be accessed through desk phones that support IP services or free applications for smartphone, laptop and desktop devices.
The RingCentral Essential plan offers phone and message facilities for up to 20 users. It is priced at $19.99 per user per month inclusive of unlimited calls within the USA and Canada, limited toll-free minutes, call management and phone system administration and call log reports.
The Standard plan is an upgrade from the Essential plan with no limit on the number of users. Pricing ranges from $22.99 to $27.99 per month per user based on the number of users. This includes message, phone and video features like unlimited audio conferencing, unlimited internet faxes, and more.
The Ringcentral Premium plan offers message, phone, video and an open API with a single sign-on and a range of quality control features such as call recording, advanced call handling, CRM integrations and real-time analytics. Pricing ranges from $32.99 to $34.99 per user per month.
8x8 is similar to RingCentral because it also offers 3 monthly subscription plans but the 8x8 subscription fee remains static irrespective of the number of users.
Paying $15 per user per month for a team of up to 5 users gives businesses a subscription to the 8x8 Express plan. This allows them to make unlimited calls to numbers anywhere in the USA or Canada and access basic features such as voicemail and audio/video conferencing.
If you're not satisfied with the Express plan, you can upgrade to the X2 with a $28 monthly user license fee. This allows you to speak to people in 14 countries with no worries of being billed and gives you access to advanced features like app integrations and voicemail transcription.
Subscribing to the X4 plan at $57 per user per month gives businesses access to a wide range of advanced features. This includes CRM integration, supervisor analytics and call monitoring. It also includes unlimited calling to numbers in 48 countries.
Ringcentral services are available through a desktop app for Windows and Mac devices as well as a web browser. It also supports desk phones.
Like RingCentral subscribers, you can use either the 8x8 desktop app, IP deskphone or web browser to make and receive calls.
The Ringcentral app can be downloaded and used on Android and iOS devices.
Like RingCentral, 8x8 unifies all business communication in a single smartphone app.
IVR/ auto attendant features are not available in the RingCentral Essential plan.
A multi-level auto attendant facility is available in the Standard and Premium plan to route calls to different teams based on the caller's keypad inputs in response to a recorded menu.
The universal availability of call routing through an auto attendant gives 8x8 an edge over Nextiva. When calls are placed to an 8x8 plan subscriber, the caller is greeted by a menu and directed to a user extension based on their keystroke responses to a menu. With the X2 and X4 plans, you can customize submenus as well to further improve the caller’s experience.
Admins can choose a default greeting or create greetings on the RingCentral app or from the web browser.
Step 1: Click on edit from the Review Company Call Flow menu in the company set up section.
Step 2: Click record to create a new greeting. You can record a new message or upload a recording.
Greeting customization options by RingCentral and 8x8 are comparable. Depending on your operational hours, you can customize greetings from the admin console.
Step 1. Sign in as admin and navigate to the Admin console.
Step 2. Select Auto attendants and then Edit.
Step 3. Choose from the options Weekdays/ Holidays/ Alternate and Open Hours Menu/ Closed Hours Menu/ Lunch Hours Menu.
Step 4. Click on the Create Audio Files button. You can upload a recorded message or call a number to record a new message.
While RingCentral Essentials plan users cannot listen to live calls, they can access voicemail transcriptions and read previews in their email inbox. This feature is available in English, French, German and Spanish.
In addition to being able to read voicemail transcriptions, RingCentral Standard plan users can also get reports on call analytics. You can get a holistic view on the number of calls made and received each day, as well as reports on the number and duration of calls handled by individual users.
RingCentral Standard and Premium plan users with admin access can monitor agent activity through desk phones that support presence. Along with being able to listen to live conversations, you can speak to an extension while they are on call without the other party hearing, join conversations to convert calls to conference calls or disconnect extensions and take over the call. You must note that the mobile applications do not support the call monitoring feature.
Like RingCentral plans, call monitoring is plan specific for 8x8.
8x8 Express plan supervisors can assess agent productivity by studying status reports. This includes reports on which devices are free or busy and when and how agents log in to their accounts. They cannot monitor or record calls.
As X2 plan subscribers, business team supervisors can assess agent productivity through voicemail transcripts and status reports. These voicemail transcripts can be accessed through email inboxes and help supervisors prioritize cases. The status reports tell supervisors which agents are free to answer a call, which agents are busy and who is unavailable. They can also use advanced moderator calls during audio and video conference calls.
Along with access to all the device reports and moderator controls offered by the Express and X2 plans, X4 plan team supervisors can also view advanced call analytics. This is the only 8x8 business communication plan inclusive of live call monitoring. It allows supervisors to listen to calls, whisper to agents, join calls or take them over.
Ringcentral does not offer a call recording facility for its Essential plan.
The Ringcentral Standard plan offers call recording on demand.
Call recording is automated for the Ringcentral Premium plan.
Both RingCentral and 8x8 take a similar approach to call recording.
Call recording is not included in the Express plan features. Upgrading to the X2 or X4 plan can give you access to this feature.
RingCentral charges a per minute rate for all international calls to destinations other than the USA and Canada. This is dependent on the type of number being called and the destination. For example, calls to landline numbers in Bombay, India are billed at $0.059 per minute while calls to mobile numbers in Hong Kong are billed at $0.039 per minute.
While RingCentral limits free calls to numbers within the USA and Canada, 8x8 users can make free calls to other locations as well based on the plan chosen.
The cost of international voice calls varies from country to country. For example, calls to Sweden are charged a $0.03 per minute rate while calls to Nepal are charged a $0.39 per minute rate
A RingCentral account can be set up online with your email address or Google account. From the dashboard, you can easily create extensions, custom call handling rules and more for all users. Services can be accessed through applications to be downloaded on smartphones, laptops and desktops on the company network or the user’s own device. RingCentral also works on desk phones that support VoIP connections. You can use your own deskphone or browse through and order desktop, cordless, receptionist, conference and other deskphone devices available on RingCentral.
As with RingCentral, an 8x8 account can be set up online with your email address. You can then define user roles, operational hours, etc. from the 8x8 dashboard. Next, download smartphone and desktop applications or configure your deskphone to work with 8x8. Free applications are available for all Android, iOS, MAC and Windows devices. If your existing deskphone does not support 8x8, you can check out the supported IP desk phones on the 8x8 website.
