Part of our Ultimate Fuze Buyer’s Guide
Today, more companies are making the move away from on-premise PBXs, into the flexible and agile world of cloud. Cloud-based communication solutions allow organisations to access the latest technology and services in a highly scalable, low-cost way.
Two of the biggest companies in the cloud communications and collaboration environment today are Fuze, and 8×8. Fuze has been around since 2006, offering an intuitive Unified Communications as a Service platform to mid-sized and large enterprise organisations. 8×8, on the other hand, emerged in 1987 as an IT company, and gradually found its way into the VoIP market in 2002.
Here’s your guide to the offerings available from Fuze and 8×8.
The Financials
Since launching under the name “Thinking Phones” in 2006, Fuze has seen phenomenal success as a world-leader in Unified Communications as a Service. The company has achieved numerous major accolades with leading publications like Forbes, Gartner, and Deloitte. As a private company, Fuze doesn’t publish revenue information and financial results online. However, in 2018, the company announced that it had seen an increase of 500% in active users.
8×8 was founded initially as a company creating semiconductor products for the graphics and coprocessor chipset spaces. In 1999, 8×8 launched its family of VoIP products, and in 2002, the organisation became an entirely VoIP focused brand. 8×8 is a public company, and in the fourth quarter of 2018, they announced:
- A service revenue increase of 20% year-over-year to $75.3 million
- A total revenue increase of 19% year-over-year to $79.3 million
- Operating activity earnings of $2.7 million
Gartner Says:
Both Fuze and 8×8 have earned a place on one of the industry’s most highly-commended reports: the Gartner Magic Quadrant. The two companies appear in the Magic Quadrant for UCaaS or Unified Communications as a service. Fuze was placed to the forefront in the “visionary” section of the MQ, recognised for their innovative solutions and disruptive technology.
Alternatively, 8×8 achieved a “Leader” position for the 7th year in a row with the Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service. Their completeness of vision and commitment to state-of-the-art technology set them apart from the crowd for another year.
Glassdoor Says:
Fuze and 8×8 are both relatively small companies compared to some of the larger market leaders like Cisco and Microsoft. Fuze only has around 700 employees, according to their last count in 2016. On the other hand, 8×8 has a slightly larger staff of around 1200 people. Employees on Glassdoor.com rate Fuze at a 4.4 out of 5 for satisfaction levels, while 8×8 has a slightly lower, but still impressive rating of 3.9 out of 5.
Portfolio Comparison
Fuze and 8×8 specialise in delivering products for unified communication, collaboration, and customer contact over the cloud. Both companies provide highly flexible and scalable solutions that can grow according to the needs of their end users.
Fuze vs. 8×8: UC and Collaboration
Fuze’s primary product is its Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) platform. Through that platform, Fuze can provide everything from high-quality global voice to instant messaging, real-time screen sharing and more. Fuze’s collaboration and UC portfolio includes:
- Fuze Web
- Fuze Real-time collaboration and content sharing
- Fuze HD Audio and Video Conferencing
- Fuze Enterprise Voice and Modern Messaging
- Fuze Enterprise Voice
8×8, on the other hand, has its own VoIP solution in the form of “VoIP for Business.” The VoIP for business solution comes with a single point of access for employees to manage all of their customer interactions in an immersive and innovative environment. For collaboration, 8×8 also provides the “X Series.” The X-Series is a selection of cloud solutions delivering progressively richer options for collaboration, including meetings, voice, instant messaging, and contact centre services.
Fuze vs. 8×8: Customer Contact
Both Fuze and 8×8 also offer contact centre solutions for companies looking for ways to differentiate themselves through customer experience. The Fuze Contact Centre solution works seamlessly with the rest of the Fuze UCaaS platform, providing a truly cohesive and unified experience for external and internal communication. The Fuze contact centre also features intelligent routing and workforce management.
8×8 also offers a virtual cloud-based solution for customer contact in the 8×8 Virtual Contact Centre. The 8×8 cloud contact centre is a robust and scalable solution just like Fuze’s offering, capable of improving agent productivity and customer service.
Target Market and Regional Availability
Fuze delivers its cloud-based communication and collaboration solutions to companies in countries all across the globe. On the other hand, 8×8’s reach is a little shorter at the moment, with sales teams only available in Australia, France, the UK, and the United States. On the other hand, while Fuze only caters to mid-sized and large enterprise companies, 8×8 serves businesses of all sizes.
Pricing
Fuze and 8×8 do not share pricing for their products online. If you’re interested in setting up a cloud contact centre or UC system with either Fuze or 8×8, you’ll need to contact a local sales team for a customised quote.
Finishing Thoughts
Both Fuze and 8×8 offer very similar options for cloud communications and contact centre solutions. However, while 8×8 caters to a wider range of company sizes, Fuze has a broader reach from a global perspective.
