8×8 XCaaS refers to an integrated cloud-based communication solution from the company, which combines Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) into a single solution.
The company officially launched the product in May 2021, aiming to erase the boundary between UCaaS and CCaaS by using cloud-based integrations. “XCaaS eliminates communications silos, brings the employee experience and customer experience back together, and helps drive the cloud communications industry forward significantly,” 8×8 CEO Dave Sipes mentioned as part of the press release.
8×8 XCaaS has seen a positive response from the market. Recently, the company secured a contract that will onboard nearly 6,500 users onto the platform. Interestingly, 8×8 witnessed a strong growth curve in Q4 of 2021, with sales increasing by 15 percent. The XCaaS offering could further add to this momentum throughout 2022.
What Are the Key Features of 8×8 XCaaS?
The primary objective of the solution is to streamline the link between internal and external communications. Therefore, it will have all the features of a UC solution along with the tools available in a cloud-based contact center, bundled into one platform. This also includes connectors for key business applications. Its key features include:
- Contact center capabilities
It will support both inbound and outbound interactions through AI-powered workflows. 8×8 already has a robust contact center offering, complete with workforce management, analytics, and a native CRM. All of this will be available as part of 8×8 XCaaS.
- A business phone
The platform equips companies with a cloud-based phone system that integrates with apps like Microsoft Teams and CRM solutions. Customers can gain from unlimited calls, SMS, fax, and call management analytics and administration.
- A video conferencing tool
Companies can use 8×8 XCaaS to conduct video meetings with up to 500 participants. It also supports rich content sharing and collaboration, and there are no meeting or minute restrictions. The video conferencing interface is also available on the web, and one can secure the experience through optional end-to-end encryption.
- Team chat experience
XCaaS enables real-time messaging via its mobile and desktop applications. Like most chat platforms, users can launch audio and video calls directly from the conversation. They can also share files, send documents, and create private, invite-only, or public chat rooms.
- CPaaS APIs
8×8 XCaaS’ API module offers the same functionalities as CPaaS. Customers can choose from several APIs such as SMS, voice, chat, video, and call analytics. The 8×8 developer community Open Lab provides access to new APIs and features.
The Benefits of 8×8 XCaaS
8×8 has conducted significant research that demonstrates the demand and benefits of XCaaS. It improves employee experiences, boosts productivity, enhances customer satisfaction, builds business resilience, and drives sales. The 8×8 XCaaS solution, in particular, offers the following benefits to its customers:
- High availability – It has a platform-wide service level agreement (SLA) to ensure consistent and globally available service delivery for employee and customer communications. It enforces consistent security, privacy, compliance, and data residency policies for both functions through a singular framework.
- Seamless collaboration – It creates a single organization-wide directory of contact information. As a result, employees can view their real-time presence on every interface and benefit from contextual transfers across voice, video, and chat.
- More accurate analytics – 8×8 XCaaS derives insights from all components through a cross-platform analytics module. It also has artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract real-time insights on interactions and a complete view of customer journeys. Natural language processing (an AI technique) makes it easier to provide real-time feedback.
- Reduced IT efforts – IT admins can deploy the solution, onboard new users, and enforce policies in bulk, thanks to a unified administration console. It supports a single pane monitoring and reporting system, even when organizations mix and match users to UC and CC licenses.
- Simpler integrations – Customers can gain from a shared integration library, including over 50 third-party applications. Importantly, 8×8 pays special attention to Microsoft Teams integrations, further extending the capabilities of its XCaaS offering.
Getting Started with 8×8 XCaaS
There are two main reasons to adopt XCaaS in 2022. First, it equally focuses on customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX), which is crucial when the world is going through the Great Resignation. Second, a pre-integrated solution on the cloud reduces cost and effort overheads when managing business communications remotely.
8×8 XCaaS follows a modular and tiered pricing model, where organizations can pick and choose which features to make available to which users. Three licenses are available for team communications, costing $15, $24, and $44 per user per month. As an add-on, there are three contact center licenses to choose from, priced at $95, $105, and $133 per user per month, respectively. The company also promises up to 25 percent savings for those who opt for an annual plan.
8×8 is a popular cloud-based communication solution trusted by leading companies like McDonald’s, Regus, and others. Organizations can request a quote, and remember to read our review of the platform before you invest.
