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8x8 Inc.Survey: What the Customer Wants in a VoIP Provider
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8x8 Inc.Survey: What the Customer Wants in a VoIP Provider

September 28, 2011

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By Mini Swamy,
TMCnet Contributor

A new 8x8 (News - Alert), Inc. survey that randomly queried new 8x8 customers, who subscribed to the company’s VoIP service between May 1 and August 19, revealed that the company experienced higher than usual demand for its services in the summer of 2011.


Analysts believed that the tough economic situation did little to deter even small to mid-size businesses from planning for a future that was ‘growth-oriented but cost-effective’. The summer saw many of them turn to 8x8 Inc., the VoIP telephone and cloud communications provider that claims to deliver industry-leading SaaS (News - Alert) applications to businesses of any size with employees in any location.

“Clearly, the economy remains very challenging for small businesses, and they’re realizing the need to scrutinize expenses and prepare for growth by making the right choices now,” 8x8 Chairman and CEO Bryan Martin (News - Alert), in a press release.

As summer was generally not a time when small businesses focused on their operations, 8x8 Inc., investigated the causes for the difference in trend that unusually increased the demand for its services during that period. Almost 55 percent of those surveyed indicated that they were concerned about business expenses in August 2011, compared to 39 percent, who voiced the same concern in June 2011.

Justifying this apparent rise in the number of businesses concerned about a rise in expenses, the survey indicated that many respondents regarded reducing costs, attracting new customers and hiring and affording new employees as top concerns while almost one third of those surveyed stated that they needed to keep pace with growth.

An analysis of the respondent customer base revealed that almost 50 percent had switched to 8x8 from their local phone company and another 25 percent had switched from another VoIP provider. Sixty two percent cited cost savings as the reason behind the switch, 70 percent specified features, 43 percent portability and geographic flexibility while 37 percent cited convenience of hosting and maintenance.

These figures indicated that feature set was even more important than cost savings and Martin regarded this as smart decision making based “on what’s truly best for the company, and not only about what will save them money.”

Martin concluded by saying, “We’re obviously very pleased that so many of our customers seem confident their business will grow. That’s not only good news for us as their communications provider, but also a refreshingly positive perspective on the future of the economy in general.”

8x8 was a Platinum sponsor of ITEXPO West 2011. Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, where 8x8 will again be a Platinum sponsor, taking place Feb. 1-3, 2012 in Miami, Fla. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.



Mini Swamy is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell
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