8x8: Unified Cloud Communications for Global Business Connectivity
8x8 empowers businesses with a secure, scalable cloud platform that unifies voice, video, chat, and contact center solutions to enhance collaboration and drive customer satisfaction
Overview
8x8 is a leading provider of unified communications and contact center solutions, delivering cloud-native voice, video, chat, and API tools from a single secure platform. Serving over 58,000 customers across 160+ countries, 8x8 helps global enterprises enhance customer and employee engagement with reliable, scalable, and AI-enabled communication tools.
Positioning
- Industry Leader: Recognized by Gartner as a 12-time leader in UCaaS and 7-time challenger in CCaaS.
- Unified Platform: Integrates voice, video, chat, and APIs in a single cloud solution.
- Global Reliability: 99.999% SLA with data centers across 35+ regions.
- AI-Powered: Enhances customer experiences with AI-driven self-service and analytics.
- Security & Compliance: End-to-end encryption and certified to the highest security standards.
Differentiation
- Omnichannel routing via native voice and digital support
- Conversational AI for voice and digital self-service
- Integrated analytics for actionable performance insights
- Microsoft Teams-native contact center integration
- Scalable solutions for enterprise-grade remote and global deployments
Ideal Customer Profile
Ideal Customer Profile for 8x8
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Company Size:
- Mid-sized to Large Enterprises: 8x8 is best suited for organizations with 100 to 10,000 employees. This includes companies that require robust communication solutions to support large teams and multiple departments.
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Industry:
- Technology and Software Development: Companies that rely heavily on collaboration tools to foster innovation and development.
- Healthcare: Organizations that need secure and compliant communication for patient care and collaboration among healthcare professionals.
- Retail and E-commerce: Businesses that benefit from enhanced customer interaction and support via omnichannel communication solutions.
- Financial Services: Firms that require high-security communication solutions for customer engagement and internal operations.
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Use Case:
- Global Communication Needs: Companies with a distributed workforce across various geographic locations that need a unified communication solution to ensure seamless collaboration.
- Customer Support Centers: Businesses that operate contact centers and require advanced features like omnichannel routing and AI-driven analytics to improve customer interactions.
- Remote Work Enablement: Organizations transitioning to remote work that need reliable and effective communication tools to maintain productivity and team cohesion.
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Technical Maturity:
- Moderate to High Technical Maturity: Ideal customers should have a basic understanding of cloud technologies and a willingness to adopt new communication tools. Familiarity with integrations, such as Microsoft Teams, may also be beneficial for seamless deployment.
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Budget Range:
- Annual Budget: $50,000 to $500,000 depending on the scale of deployment, features required, and number of users. Larger enterprises may have more significant budgets to accommodate more extensive needs and customization.
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Team Composition:
- IT and Operations Team: A dedicated IT team to manage the implementation, integration, and maintenance of the platform.
- Customer Support Specialists: Teams that will utilize the contact center features to engage with customers and resolve issues effectively.
- HR and Training Teams: Responsible for onboarding staff to the new system and ensuring that all employees are proficient in using the platform for communication and collaboration.
Best Fit
Ideal for Organizations That:
- Require a Globally Integrated Communication Solution: Businesses operating across multiple geographies or with a distributed workforce will benefit from 8x8's unified platform, which offers consistent features and global reliability (99.999% SLA) across 35+ data center regions.
- Prioritize a Single Vendor for UCaaS and CCaaS: Organizations seeking to consolidate their communication and contact center infrastructure under one provider will find value in 8x8's integrated solution, which combines voice, video, chat, and contact center capabilities on a single platform. This reduces complexity and improves operational efficiency.
- Need Advanced AI Capabilities for Customer and Employee Engagement: Businesses looking to leverage artificial intelligence for enhanced customer self-service, intelligent routing, and actionable analytics will benefit from 8x8's AI-powered features designed to improve CX and EX.
- Operate in Highly Regulated Industries or Have Stringent Security Requirements: Enterprises with strict compliance obligations (e.g., healthcare, finance) or those demanding robust data protection will appreciate 8x8's end-to-end encryption and certifications to leading security standards.
- Are Mid-Market to Enterprise-Level with Scalability Needs: 8x8's platform is built for scalability, supporting over 58,000 customers globally, making it suitable for organizations planning for significant growth or managing large user bases.
Offerings
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
8x8's UCaaS platform delivers a comprehensive suite of communication tools designed to enhance employee collaboration and productivity. Key offerings include:
- Business Phone System: Cloud-based voice services with advanced features such as auto attendant, call queues, call forwarding, and voicemail-to-email. Supports over 40 global countries for local calling and international reach.
- Video Conferencing (8x8 Meet): High-definition video meetings with screen sharing, recording, and integrated chat. Supports up to 500 participants per meeting.
- Team Chat & Messaging: Persistent team chat, direct messaging, and file sharing for internal and external collaboration. Integrates with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
- Presence Management: Real-time visibility into colleague availability across devices.
- Mobile & Desktop Apps: Consistent communication experience across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
- Integrations: Out-of-the-box integrations with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), productivity suites (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace), and business applications.
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
8x8's cloud contact center solutions are built to optimize customer engagement and agent efficiency. Offerings include:
- Omnichannel Routing: Intelligent routing of voice, chat, email, and social media interactions to the most appropriate agent.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Self-service options and call flow customization with natural language processing (NLP) capabilities.
- Automatic Call Distributor (ACD): Skills-based routing, priority queuing, and real-time queue management.
- Workforce Engagement Management (WEM): Quality management, workforce management, and performance analytics for agent coaching and optimization.
- Agent Desktop: Unified agent interface with CRM integrations, customer history, and knowledge base access.
- Analytics & Reporting: Real-time dashboards and historical reports on contact center performance, agent metrics, and customer satisfaction (CSAT).
- AI-Powered Self-Service: Chatbots and virtual agents for automated customer support and FAQ resolution.
- Outbound Dialing: Predictive, progressive, and preview dialers for proactive customer outreach.
Communication APIs
8x8 provides a robust set of Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) APIs, enabling businesses to embed communication functionalities directly into their applications and workflows. Offerings include:
- Voice APIs: Programmatic control over calls, enabling features like programmable IVR, call tracking, and conference calling.
- SMS APIs: Send and receive text messages globally for notifications, alerts, and two-factor authentication.
- Video APIs: Embed real-time video and audio communication into web and mobile applications.
- WhatsApp Business API: Integrate WhatsApp messaging for customer service, marketing, and notifications.
- Verify APIs: Secure user authentication using SMS and voice.
- Numbers API: Programmatic management and provisioning of phone numbers.
Enterprise Features & Services
Beyond core UCaaS and CCaaS, 8x8 offers enterprise-grade features and services:
- Global Reach & Reliability: 99.999% uptime SLA backed by a global data center footprint across 35+ regions, providing local PSTN access in over 40 countries.
- Advanced Security & Compliance: End-to-end encryption, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 compliance certifications.
- Analytics & Reporting: Comprehensive dashboards and customizable reports for performance monitoring across UCaaS and CCaaS.
- Professional Services: Migration assistance, custom integration development, and ongoing support for complex deployments.
- Microsoft Teams Integration: Direct routing and contact center integration for Microsoft Teams users, enhancing voice capabilities and agent experiences.
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Introduction
For businesses looking to evaluate or implement 8x8’s cloud communications and contact center solutions, CXponent offers expert guidance to help you make the most informed decision for your communication needs.
Key Features
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Unified Communications (UCaaS): 8x8 combines voice, video, and chat into a single platform, enabling seamless collaboration within teams and improving customer interactions.
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Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS): The integrated contact center allows businesses to deliver superior customer service with AI-powered analytics, omnichannel routing, and proactive outreach.
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99.999% Uptime: With a five-nines uptime guarantee, businesses experience uninterrupted communications, ensuring business continuity.
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AI-Driven Insights: 8x8’s platform includes advanced analytics powered by AI to help businesses improve communication effectiveness, customer satisfaction, and employee productivity.
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Global Reach: The platform supports over 160 countries, making it ideal for businesses with distributed workforces and global operations.
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Use Cases
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Remote Workforces: 8x8 is ideal for organizations with distributed teams or those looking to support remote work. The platform’s unified communications capabilities make it easy for employees to collaborate across geographies.
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Contact Centers: Businesses that rely heavily on customer interactions can use 8x8’s CCaaS solution to deliver seamless customer service across multiple channels. AI-powered routing and analytics improve agent efficiency and customer satisfaction.
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Businesses Migrating from Legacy Systems: Companies transitioning from traditional PBX systems can use 8x8 to modernize their communication infrastructure, reducing maintenance costs and improving scalability.
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Pricing Models
8x8 offers flexible pricing plans, ranging from small business packages to enterprise-level solutions. Pricing depends on the number of users, features, and additional services like support or training. Custom enterprise pricing is available for larger organizations with more complex needs.
Technical Requirements
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Internet Connectivity: Ensure reliable, high-speed internet to support voice, video, and chat communications.
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Devices & Operating Systems: Verify that 8x8 is compatible with your organization’s devices and operating systems, including desktops, mobile devices, and tablets.
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Integration Capabilities: 8x8 integrates with key business systems, including CRM platforms, productivity tools, and customer support systems.
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Security & Compliance: Ensure 8x8 aligns with your organization’s security and compliance standards, especially in regulated industries like healthcare or financial services.
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Business Requirements
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Communication Goals: Determine whether your primary focus is on internal collaboration, customer support, or supporting a remote workforce.
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Feature Prioritization: Identify the features most important to your business, such as AI-powered analytics, global call routing, or omnichannel support.
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Scalability Needs: Ensure 8x8 can scale with your business as you expand operations or add remote workers.
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Budget Alignment: Consider the total cost, including software, implementation, and potential user training, in relation to your budget.
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Implementation Timeline
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Timeline: For small organizations, implementation may take just a few days, whereas larger enterprises with complex needs might require several weeks.
- Considerations: Align stakeholders on your communication goals, ensure IT support is in place, and develop a plan for onboarding and training users to ensure a smooth transition.
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