Leading provider of integrated cloud communication solutions, 8×8 recently announced a new offering for the age of hybrid work. The 8×8 team has made enhancements to the contact centre, chat, voice communications and meeting components of its offering, along with updates to 8×8 Work Chat for Web. The upgraded offering combines multiple tools along with the industry’s first platform-wide SLA to assist companies in enabling hybrid work.
Now that 82 percent of companies plan on offering a hybrid work environment, the newest 8×8 capabilities will support teams in staying productive wherever they are. The announcement builds on the Spring 2021 release of the 8×8 cloud contact centre and communications integrated product, to support the “new normal” of the workplace.
Empowering the Hybrid Workforce
The combined cloud contact centre and collaboration solution from 8X8 supports hybrid teams in collaborating and communicating on any device, anywhere. Features include:
- Access to 8×8 Work for Web: The beta version of 8×8 Work for Web delivers secure unified communication and collaboration experiences from any operating system or device. The browser-based environment provides video meetings, team chat, and voice communications with the same intuitive user-friendliness as the 8×8 work app.
- Join meetings from mobile browser: Users can now use the 8×8 Meet feature in Chrome or Safari browsers on Android or iOS devices without a mobile app.
- Video background customisation: Participants can blur their background or replace it with an image for improved control and privacy.
- Response to specific chat messages: Inline messaging makes it easier to keep track of conversations and reply to specific messages without interrupting flow.
- Silence for incoming calls during video meetings: Call notifications can appear silently to reduce disturbances to meeting audio.
- Manage audio quality: A Call Quality Indicator can provide a real-time insight into connectivity, along with other call quality metrics during a call.
- AI and Machine learning: The 8×8 Otto bot is available now as part of the 8×8 Admin Console, assisting administrators in performing system changes and getting real-time support.
- Leverage Microsoft Teams direct routing: 8×8 Contact Centre for Microsoft Teams allows support agents to collaborate with other experts on Teams for faster issue management. 8×8’s Voice for Teams app is now generally available, assisting users in accessing features directly in Teams.
- Make communication and engagement faster: The new 8×8 for Salesforce FastTrack deployment option helps companies to customize their screen pop workflows quickly and cost-effectively with Salesforce objects.
- Capture voice of the customer: 8×8 is enhancing contact centre performance across digital and voice channels with the option to view and deliver comprehensive agent evaluations, with coaching available for SMS, chat, and social.
Even More Updates to 8×8
On top of all those updates to the agent and customer service experience, 8×8 is also providing peace-of-mind on a global scale to users through a leading, highly available global cloud technology platform, backed by an SLA that applies to the entire cloud contact centre and UC environment.
There’s also the 8×8 Trust Centre, which shares security measures, uptime guarantees, compliance standards, and status transparency for monitoring service conditions. Plus, 8×8 promises expanded global coverage with enhanced in-region data residency. With the new addition of Argentina, 8×8’s Global Reach expands to 43 countries for PSTN services and global calling.
As the hybrid work model continues to expand, the 8×8 approach to customer, product, and team-first functionality will help businesses to transform in the way that suits them.
