Phones is a new capability built into Tekmetric that connects your phone system to your shop workflow. It links your existing RingCentral account with Tekmetric and surfaces customer identity, vehicle history, and active repair orders in real time during calls, bringing call activity and shop context together in one place. This guide walks through how to set up Phones with your RingCentral account.
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⚠️ Beta Program Notice
Phones is currently in a closed beta program and is available by invitation only. During this phase, access is limited as we work closely with early participants to refine the phone experience. Pricing and packaging for a future product release are still being finalized and will be shared at a later date.
Setup Guide
Connect RingCentral Integration
- Log in to Tekmetric and ensure you’ve selected the correct shop location/account.
- Navigate to Phones in the side menu
- Select Connect RingCentral
- You’ll be redirected to RingCentral to:
- Log in
- Authorize the integration
- Confirm account access
If you don’t see the Phones option in the side menu, please make sure your employee account has the Phones permission enabled.
Phones Settings & Mapping Users
Once you successfully authorize the RingCentral connection, you will automatically be redirected to the Phones Settings tab. This tab only appears after you successfully authorize the RingCentral integration.
In the Phones Settings tab, map each Tekmetric user to their corresponding RingCentral extension and click Save to save your changes.
- Depending on your RingCentral configuration, we recommend mapping individual RingCentral accounts/extensions to each Tekmetric user whenever possible for the best call handling and notification experience.
- Some RingCentral extensions may require unique email addresses, meaning they must be authorized individually using their own RingCentral login credentials. You can authorize additional accounts by clicking Add RingCentral Account.
Inbound Call Notifications
Once setup is complete:
- Inbound calls will automatically be displayed in Tekmetric
- A call pop notification will appear with:
- Customer information
- Vehicle details
- Active repair orders (ROs)
- If the caller is a new customer, Tekmetric will provide the option to create an appointment instead.
Note: there may be a delay of several hours while the RingCentral connection is being established. Once this process completes, call pop notifications will begin routing as expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a specific RingCentral plan to use Phones?
No — Phones capabilities works with all RingCentral plans, including Core.
No upgrade is required for the integration itself. We recommend selecting your RingCentral plan based on your shop’s communication needs, such as call volume, number of users, and any messaging requirements.
Do I need to enable RingCentral messaging (SMS)?
Not necessarily. SMS is only required if you want to send text messages directly through RingCentral.
If you already use TekMessage, enabling RingCentral SMS may be unnecessary and can create overlapping messaging workflows. We recommend choosing a single messaging system to avoid duplication.
Are there other phone provider integrations supported besides RingCentral?
At this time, Phones capabilities are only integrated with RingCentral.
We may expand support to additional phone providers in the future, but no other integrations are available or planned for currently.
Can I migrate my phone service to RingCentral without downtime?
Yes. RingCentral supports a parallel run approach, which allows your existing phone system and RingCentral to operate at the same time during migration. This lets your team configure and validate the setup before fully switching over.
You can also begin using RingCentral before your numbers are fully ported. During setup, RingCentral assigns temporary Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers, which allow full system configuration, testing, and usage ahead of the final number transfer. Once porting is complete, your existing business numbers automatically replace these temporary numbers.
What phones are compatible with RingCentral?
RingCentral supports a wide range of VoIP desk phones. You can view supported devices here:
Compatible Phones for RingCentral
What is the impact to TekMessage texting when switching to RingCentral?
If your shop is currently using TekMessage, there may be a brief interruption in texting during the number porting process to RingCentral.
This is expected during the porting transition period. In most cases, this interruption lasts no longer than 48 hours. Once the port is complete and rehosting is completed on RingCentral’s side, messaging functionality will resume as normal. We’ve also observed that some customers do not experience any downtime at all during this transition.
Who do I contact if I need help during migration?
If you need help during setup or porting:
-
RingCentral Support – For any questions related to RingCentral setup, configuration, or porting, please contact your RingCentral account representative.
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Phones Feature Support – For Tekmetric integration or setup questions: phones@tekmetric.com