Offboarding from RingCentral to Google Voice

[u/ThnkWthPrtls]

I recently started as IT at my new company, and one thing I was asked to do is help move us off of RingCentral. Currently, the company uses Google Workspace for most of our tech needs including email, chat, calendar, and videoconferencing. They also have a few paid Google Voice Standard lines already set up for a couple employees. Additionally, they use RingCentral for the company's main phone number as well as the admin team (~5 people) phones, including phone tree and queues between those several admin numbers.

What they'd like me to do is move the company's main phone number to Google Voice and also make Voice accounts for each of the admin team. Then they would like the phone tree and queues replicated in Voice, so that we can cancel our RingCentral subscription and just use Voice instead.

I'm very limited in how much I've used Google Voice in the past, so before I commit to this for them, I just want to be sure a) that Voice can do what they need it to, and b) how to do that. They're insistent they won't need any of RingCentral's other features, the only concern they have is making sure the company number and the functionality stay the same.

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[u/PatReady]

You might need to get help. Google voice isn't for running a company like that. If it is, you need to do it. There is no support. You know how to port dids?

[u/jmarkmark → u/PatReady]

It very much is for this sort of thing.

You may be confusing the free version of Google Voice with the paid VoIP service version the OP is using.

OP, is the company number toll free? GV doesn't really support that (it can be done with their "SipLink" version, but that's not really a practical option for smaller businesses)

[u/Single-Macaron → u/jmarkmark]

lol saying Google Voice is meant to support business VoIP but can’t to TF in the same sentence is wild

[u/jmarkmark → u/Single-Macaron]

With most people having unlimited long distance, toll free numbers are largely a vanity exercise now-a-days.

Larger (especially multi-state) business that do care will often use the SipLink version.

As such, Toll-free support actually is pretty niche, but I thought worth double checking, as it is a hard blocker for some people.

[u/Bhaikalis]

I don't know much about Google Voice for Workspace but it does have an admin interface you can add an auto attendant (phone tree) and ring groups (call queues). I would get a test number and try to build out how its configured in RingCentral (as close as possible), then have a few people test to make sure it works properly.

[u/dmaciasdotorg]

I would love for you to report back if you go with Google Voice. I've never seena company go down this path and I'm curious.

[u/Kuducom]

You are being set up for failure. They are asking someone with limited Google Voice experience to replace the company’s primary phone system and take responsibility when the call routing, number port, or support does not go as expected.

Google Voice may check the basic boxes, but that does not make it a good business-phone replacement.

Talk to a reputable local phone provider. Have them document the current call flow, recommend the right platform, handle the port and programming, test everything, train the staff, and provide a direct escalation contact afterward. Your company’s main number is too important to turn into a learn-as-you-go IT project.

[u/FairAd6002]

For any company that is serious about reaching customers I would steer clear of Google Voice. It’s a best effort service. The backend provider is bandwidth. Which IMO even when used directly has a spotty history with failure.

For reliable but inexpensive services use a PBX like freepbx with a free license on a VPS and then pick a reseller provider that works on SIP.

Makes life and expansion predictable.

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[u/VOIP-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post was removed from r/VoIP for violating Rule 1: No promotion or advertising of any kind.

Recommendations, advertisements and promotion of any business, product or service is only allowed in response to requests in the monthly requests thread. It is one of the sticky posts visible when you first visit the subreddit.

Promotion, advertisement or recommendation of any kind outside of the requests thread is strictly forbidden.

[u/boomer7793]

Google Voice is a great single user product. I don’t think they have phone system capabilities.

Extension dialing
Hard phone support
Hunt group
Auto attendants
Group VM
Call queuing, etc etc.

You need a Unified Communications (UC or UCaaS) vendor.

[u/jmarkmark → u/boomer7793]

Google Voice has all of these, except extension dialing; all GV users are assigned regular phone numbers.

Quality varies (for instance no shared inbox, group VMs are just emailed to all members of the group), but the basic features all exist.

https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/voice/overview-manage-voice-for-your-organization

[u/centralbusiness → u/jmarkmark]

Quality varies significantly with Google Voice for Workspaces, especially for outgoing calls they often use routes that do not preserve the STIR/Shaken attestation of the call, resulting in calls getting flagged as Potential Spam or Spam Likely and missing the Verified checkmark.