RingCentral Online Blog

Georgia Business Uses RingCentral to Link Childcare Providers and Staff

RingCentral Online spoke with Khalidah Kanteh, the CEO of the Georgia-based Fitra Group, which includes a corporate and home-based childcare service.

What is the Fitra Group?

KK: Basically it has a lot of different parts. There are marketing, childcare and import/export sections. With the childcare section, what we do is provide 24-hour childcare for corporations if they don’t have their own on-site childcare, and of course we have licensed day-care providers that provide care for families. We also do business-to-business marketing for other companies. Then there's the import/export section, and that’s mainly for products that we need to facilitate our business.

I noticed that you use the RingMe feature on your Web site. How is that working out for you?

KK: I’m so glad that you mentioned that because the Click-to-Call Me feature has helped us out so much. We actually put it on the day-care section of our Web site (www.24hourchildcare.net), so with the name being so generic we get a lot of people that type it directly into their browsers and when the page comes up, they don’t have to search around for contact information. They just click the RingMe button and they get someone on the phone right away. That really grabs a lot of people.

How do you use RingCentral?

KK: It’s actually worked out very well for us. I think we’ve had it about 2 years or so by now. What we were looking for is something to provide us with the ability to link up with a Virtual PBX so that we could always be in touch with each other and we wouldn’t have to rely on cell phones. We were looking for one number to roll over to each individual person.

To the child care providers?

KK: Yes, the child care providers and the general staff. We have about 16 staff members. We’re in Georgia but our staff are located in four other areas as well: Texas, California, Milwaukee, and New York City.

How many childcare providers do you have?

KK: At this point, about 3,600. What we do is we contract with licensed childcare providers in the state of Georgia. When providers get their licenses they can’t automatically get [business] so they contact us, put their information online, and we get them set up.They roll over to RingCentral when they decide that they’re ready to work for that day. Mainly, if someone wants to work for that particular day, then we’ll go ahead and put their number into the system.

How is your service set up? What do the callers hear?

KK: If someone is looking for someone in one part of town, and they press that particular extension, it’ll forward to one of the staff members who can find them a childcare provider in that area.

What about some of the other features, such as the Call Logs?

KK: Oh, wow, that really helps quite a bit. One of the things we absolutely love about RingCentral is the daily and weekly Call Logs. In the past, we had some trouble doing follow ups with customers who called in. We couldn’t determine who that person at such-and-such number was, but since there’s a daily Call Log we can determine that information based on when they called. It really helps us locate people and follow up with them. We retain customers that way.

Do you use RingCentral to screen callers as well?

KK: Yes, that actually helps quite a bit because I know that in the past we have had telemarketers contact us. They would block their ID and we couldn’t tell who it was so we ended up talking to them or getting unnecessary faxes, but now we can see who it is and it really helps out a good deal.

Do you block them then?

KK: Yes, we do.

How do you use the Internet Fax?

KK: When a parent wants to fax in a registration. For security purposes, some don’t want to do it online.

Is there anything other feature you find particularly useful for your business?

KK: Oh yes, the international calling feature. It’s really wonderful. Our staff actually calls in and tells us the price of calling someone in a different country. They know exactly how much it’s going to be and they can tell how long they’ve been on the call, and that obviously helps out when we’re doing audits. It really helps out quite a bit.

Do you monitor calls?

KK: We did in the beginning. Of course, the person who handles the quality assurance wanted to know what’s going on and who’s doing what. She would monitor calls and see what people are doing and how long they’re on a call.

Do you use the Answering Rules so that calls are forwarded to different phones at different times of the day/days of the week?

KK: We’re looking to hire some people who aren’t in the US to work at nighttime, daytime for them, and still be able to take calls. The Answering Rules will help us in this situation.

RingCentral Helps New Zealand-U.S. Company 'Work with Ease'

RingCentral Online recently spoke with Work with Ease Vice President Eric Atwood about how he uses RingCentral. Eric and his wife, company president Athena Williams-Atwood, operate their business from San Francisco and Warkworth, New Zealand, where they reside.

Firstly, can you tell me a little about Work with Ease?

EA: My wife and I own this business. We work with businesses and organizations to bring more ease into their work environment, which translates to greater productivity, less stress, better results.

How difficult is it to manage a small business in two different hemispheres?

EA: It is surprisingly simple, actually. The technology, the Internet, communications as they are, it’s really simple to run this type of business anywhere in the world, and things like RingCentral make it even easier.

How?

EA: Everything just seems to be integrated. We do everything on the phone and over the Internet so it's really efficient that way; it's just a matter of being mindful of the time difference. We’re a day ahead here in New Zealand. But it’s really been quite easy to transition our business from the states to New Zealand.

So someone in the states, a potential customer, could reach you in New Zealand at any time, just by calling your RingCentral Bay area local number?

Yes. With RingCentral's technology the way it is, and we also use Skype, we like to think that we’re a 24-hour-a-day business, because anything can come in at any time through the Internet. We also almost always follow-up with people the same day. If it’s late at night then we follow-up the next day.

Do you use RingCentral's Answering Rules so that incoming calls are automatically directed to alternate phones during different times of the day? Especially given the time difference between the US and New Zealand...

EA: Yes, we use the Answering Rules so that we can answer calls right away.

And the Answering Rules feature probably helps with managing calls for you and your wife, who is often in the Bay area.

EA: Exactly, yes.

What would you tell people about RingCentral Online?

EA: We’re really happy with it. We’ve been using it for two or three years now and we really like how efficient it is, and it’s very accessible, it’s immediate, and easy to use. We like everything about it. It’s also very reasonable and that’s obviously a very important factor.

Are you in New Zealand right now?

Yes, I’m in New Zealand and my wife, Athena, is in San Francisco now on business. RingCentral is very useful for our way of life. Calls are forwarded to alternate phones in both countries, and when the calls go to voicemail we’ll get a notice on our computer saying that we have voicemail. We’ll get them right away and call right back. Of course, the service has fax capabilities as well, and if someone sends a fax we’ll get that notice, too, right away.

It’s a very efficient tool for us.

Is it just the two of you in this business?

EA: We also have a virtual team.

In the Bay area?

EA: Three are in the Bay area and one is in New Zealand.

Your employees are also on your RingCentral account. How does that work?

EA: Calls to our employees are directed to a combination of their cell phones and home phones. This is absolutely a big benefit. Calls can be forwarded to multiple phones and if you’re unavailable, the technology gets the messages to you.

Tell me a little more about your business. What kinds of problems do your customers want you to solve?

EA: What we’re trying to focus on is how to attract, retain and engage an organization's employees. We found that companies have all types of different challenges from insufficient revenue to a lack of collaboration to an inability to have virtual teams work together efficiently, so there is a range of different challenges that we can meet. Work-place stress and high healthcare costs are also big--we help with that, too--as well as absenteeism and a lack of full employee engagement or morale.

Can you provide an example?

EA: One company was having a hard time getting its employees to buy into the company vision. The employees were just doing their day-to-day jobs so there was a disconnect between what the employees were doing and what the management’s objective was, which was to create an international organization that would obtain an achievable and sustainable impact in the marketplace.

So what we did was to formulate these programs in which the employees and the managers would work together to implement the goals--from specific tasks to long-term business planning. The employees became involved in the day-to-day business planning so the vision became part of their job responsibilities.

You operate another business as well. Do you use RingCentral for that business, too?

Yes, I also use RingCentral for the other business that I have, which is a marketing, copywriting and consultation business.

One final question. You and your wife are both Americans. Why did you decide to relocate to New Zealand and where in New Zealand do you live?

EA: We're in a town called Warkworth, which is about an hour north of Auckland. It's a fairly small town and we really like it. It's near the ocean and there is a lot of wide open spaces and clean air. It's a fascinating country.

Athena and I traveled across New Zealand a few years ago and we fell in love with it, we knew that we were meant to be here. There's just something about the land and the people.

Sounds lovely. Thank you, Eric, for the your time.

EA: Thank you.   

Road Warrior Improves Client Relations, Professional Image with RingCentral

RingCentral spoke with Juanita Johnson, co-founder of NYC-based G & J Consulting Services, a firm specializing in copywriting services and marketing consulting.

What does your company do?

JJ: We provide copywriting services, marketing consulting, and business strategies. We also hold marketing workshops and seminars. It's fun for us to help break down what a company does, help shape it, provide a look, get people interested in what it's offering, and watch it grow.

Why RingCentral?

JJ: Our clientele was expanding rapidly, which is why we contacted RingCentral. We needed a communication system to keep us in constant contact with our clients, and give us a more professional image.

How do you use the service?

JJ: We have offices in New York and New Jersey but we're on the road about one half of every month, so it's very important for us to set up a professional image. Calls to our main number are simultaneously forwarded to my landlines and cell phones as well as to my business partner, Georgia Woodbine. If she's out and unable to answer the phone, I'll take the call and vice versa. We used to give out our private numbers, but no longer wanted to do that.

So RingCentral lets you create a portable office, in a way.

JJ: Yes. It's been so wonderful because I'm so often on the road. I'm on the road right now. It's great to be able to track who's calling. If a caller doesn't leave a message we can see who called by checking the Call Logs, and then follow up.

What's the greatest benefit?

The real benefit to our business is callers' impressions that they're reaching us in our offices at all times, when we may actually be in the car. RingCentral helps us with being professional while we're mobile.

When you're on the road, which RingCentral feature do you appreciate most?

JJ: Oh my God, I really love that Fax from the Web feature! It has been phenomenal and I'm so glad you have it. Because of our traveling, it's great that I can fax out from any office or from wherever I am. And my partner loves the fact that she can type a fax and send it on-the-spot.

Has RingCentral had an impact on your bottom line?

JJ: It's been wonderful for us to get to the calls we need while traveling. As a result, our business has been increasing. Again, it's the ability to "connect" with our clients as much as possible. Before RingCentral, we were just using our cell phones.

And by the way, my partner loves the RingCentral Call Controller. Every time she sees it, she says, "I love this thing!"

Who are your clients?

JJ: Small businesses, start-up companies, and large corporations across several industries. We've been in business for five years, and have a background in marketing, promotions and advertising within the entertainment, publishing, and media sectors. Our clients include authors, writers, singers, tech companies, record labels, churches, designers, consultants, magazines, real estate, and more.

Dozens of Extensions Provide Bettter Customer Care for EventsRegistration.com

RingCentral Online spoke with NaNoshka Johnson, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based EventRegistration.com, which provides end-to-end solutions for events. Dozens of extensions are in use behind their Company Greeting (Sales, Accounting, Information Packet, etc).

What is EventRegistration.com?

NJ: We provide registration services, online and onsite, for conferences, trade shows and events across the country. We do a lot of associations, annual events and regional conferences—we do everything from small matchmaker events to large trade shows.

Why RingCentral?

NJ: RingCentral is great for us because while we have an office in downtown San Francisco, most of our folks work out of their home. In addition, we’re on the road traveling a lot so it gives us the ability whether we’re in our home office, our home-base office, or on the road to be able to connect when we need to.

You use a lot of extensions. Why?

NJ: On the front end, we have about 20 extensions, and that’s probably for about 11 folks who actually answer calls on them, and those calls get forwarded from there, too. We use extensions for everything from customer service for a particular event to an emergency hotline. For example, if you’re registering for a conference online and you’re having issues registering, you’re able to call in to our Urgent Care Line, so people can get services from us within a 2-hour time span.

So you also customize the service for each event you’re handling.

NJ: Yeah, we might dedicate a box for a specific time for a particular event, in which case it might route to a different person than before. We have account managers and project managers, and so on. 

People within your organization are in charge of different events at different times, so you can route calls in a very specific way, on the fly.

NJ: Exactly.

And do you work with contractors throughout the country, and give them extensions as well?

NJ: Absolutely.

And you use the Answering Rules, it sounds like.

NJ: Oh, yeah. We were happy when those came out. We have clients that are on the East Coast and the West Coast.

What other features do you use that you find valuable?

NJ: We use the notification features a lot because, again, we're often on the road or in the middle of a show. Calls are routed sequentially to each person’s numbers down to their cell phone, where they receive text-message notifications of new calls and faxes. Also, we’ve moved mostly to electronic faxing now, so even though we have traditional fax machines we tend to like to use the electronic faxing, especially when we’re on the road.

You also provide unique toll free numbers to your clients?

NJ: We order and assign unique phone numbers to clients for specific events. When you go to a conference, there’s usually a call-in number and we like to keep those separate from our own numbers. 

Brilliant. Any last words?

NJ: I love your service, and I have referred lots of people to it. We always find ourselves leading a little bit on a functionality level on a lot of stuff. We’re a very mobile environment so this is a wonderful product for us.

RingCentral and Ditto on the Move

RingCentral spoke with Harish Rao, interim New York Director and Chief Strategy Officer of EchoDitto Inc., a unique Internet consulting firm with offices in New York and Washington DC. Projects have included blogging, Web sites, and fund-raising for clients such as Air America Radio, Alliance for Security, Dear JonStewart.com, Defenders of Wildlife, Miramax Books, Rock The Vote, and the U. N. World Food Programme. Many of EchoDitto's staff worked on Howard Dean’s innovative bid for the US Presidency in 2004.

You use the click to call button. How?

HR: Yes. We use the click-to-call button on our Google Adwords campaign, and we’re able to track how many people click on it. It's been a useful new business tool.

I have embedded the click-to-call button in my email signature line, and a lot of people like that—clients like that a lot. We also have it on our Web site, and visitors use it to contact us.

How has RingCentral helped your company succeed?

HR: Our company has been growing so quickly that we've been moving to larger offices every eight months and RingCentral has been super useful during the moves. Normally, the service rings our landlines and cell phones, but during the moves it was easy for us to change over to just our cell phones so we never missed a beat.

Even though we have a new office and a new phone system, we will continue to use RingCentral because of the flexibility and ease of use. Read more about why EchoDitto loves RingCentral and VoIP.

Why RingCentral?

HR: We love RingCentral because it is easy for individual employees who move around quite a bit to set up where they get their phone calls and they can do it in a couple of different locations, and on landlines and cell phones. They can receive calls no matter where they are.

What about RingCentral is most beneficial to your company?

HR: The ease of configuration of the tool. We have contractors and interns—about two or three interns a month—as well as employees who travel around the country and the world, and it’s important to be able to configure on-the-fly through a simple online interface. Plus, it fits our image of being technology leaders in our field.

What is EchoDitto? What are you trying to accomplish?

HR: Our firm creates vibrant communities online and empowers people through the creative use of emerging technologies.

City Hunt: What does the Da Vinci Code have to do with RingCentral?

 

RingCentral interviewed Katya Fisher, Marketing and PR Director of NYC-based City Hunt. City Hunt is an "experiential adventure agency" that develops custom-made scavenger hunts, primarily for employees of large organizations such as PepsiCo, Sony, Nextel, Pfizer, Sports Illustrated, United Nations, Time Warner, Deloitte and many others

What is City Hunt all about? How does it work?

Katya: We help employees with something they want to build on, such as teamwork or math skills, by sending them to different areas of the city to solve riddles and clues and play games. They're learning how to work together.

We also do public hunts and pub crawls for the general public.

Can you give you an example?

Katya: The craziest one we did was in Shanghai, China. A micro-electronics company was sending employees to Shanghai to learn about the city and they wanted them to do it in a fun way. We created an entire adventure where employees had to learn about local customs and landmarks--we put clues in fortune cookies and had employees ride rickshaws for transportation. They had to learn how to use chopsticks as part of the game.

Currently we're working with one major company on a product launch, and we created an adventure where journalists actually have to use the product to get through the game.

Is there a trend toward getting employees to play games together, like in the boom years?

Katya: There is a tremendous trend. There was a huge article about interns in the New York Times recently. Companies are now scrambling to get the best interns, and they started to implement these things to attract and train them.

Who founded the company and when?

Katya: Ben Hoffman and Jaymes Dec founded the company in 2001. They both went to NYU and were working for other companies at the time. They created these hunts for a friend's party and it took off from there.

What do these adventures accomplish?

Katya: One big one is team-building. Corporate companies will mix interns with VPs, people from different departments--and they'll have to work together to solve clues. We have one public hunt called the "Da Vinci Hunt" where we incorporated some ideas behind the Da Vinci Code to help people learn about New York City. But for corporate clients, the clues and games are geared toward specific skills the client wants their employees to work on, so if math skills is one, then we'll have trivia questions with mathematical equations. For the United Nations Junior Ambassadors, the clues helped them learn about geography.

Who uses your services?

Katya: Anyone, but mostly major corporations and some private groups.

I'm seeing bachelorette parties.

Katya: Yes, we do some bachelorette parties. For instance, we'll have the women pose as Charlie's Angels. They get their own Bosley to escort them around the city and find the kidnapped finance. They'll go to the more fun places in the city.

How do you organize hunts in other cities?

Katya: The public events are all in NYC, but Ben and Jaymes go to other cities to do special events. They just did a major event in West Virginia, and they're going to Detroit and Chicago.

How do you use RingCentral?

Katya: We use it for our toll free number, 877-HUNT-FUN, and call forwarding. Calls are forwarded to sales, media relations and employee's private numbers. In addition, clues for the games are recorded and assigned to different extensions. While the participants are sleuthing around town, they use their cell phones to dial City Hunt's number and enter an extension to get to the next clue.

I can tell you one instance when RingCentral really helped us a lot. It was during one of the Da Vinci hunts and the participants were Australian students. You have to use your cell phone for this game to call in and get the clues, but none of them had any so we added an extension to our toll free number. We forwarded that extension to the normal number they were suppose to call, so they were able to use the pay phones and get to the clues toll-free. The games went off without a hitch and everyone had a fantastic time.

What do you charge for your hunts?

Katya: Public hunts are $20 to $30 per person. The private hunts range from $50 per person (baccalaureate), to $100, $150 or more per person for larger corporate events.

For more information about City Hunt, visit their web site: www.cityhunt.org or dial 877-HUNT-FUN.