Virtual Call Center Featured Articles

8x8 Hosted PBX Phone Service Supports HIPAA/HITECH Regulatory Compliance to Offer a Secure VoIP Experience
While many companies are turning to business VoIP for efficient communication, there are also security concerns and compliance requirements to face. Security is a vital component of any VoIP business phone service to make sure attacks like denial of service, eavesdropping and toll fraud can be prevented, information can be secured and processes can be regulated. 5/20/2013

Appian Turns to 8x8 Virtual Office Hosted PBX to Support Growth
8x8, a provider of virtual office business VoIP solutions, recently announced that business process management (BPM) specialist Appian has selected its cloud-based hosted PBX business phone system to facilitate continued growth. 5/20/2013

Customer E-mail Shouldn't Disappear into the Black Hole of a General Inbox
When it comes to contact center media channels, e-mail has traditionally been the one that receives the least attention. It's conventional wisdom among customers that if you send an e-mail to a company, your chances of getting an answer are slim. Many studies back this up: e-mail is the least monitored and handled form of customer communications. 5/20/2013

Why Automatic Status Codes Improve the Customer Experience
Managing the flow of calls and agent availability in the contact center is nothing short of challenging. If agents forget to set their status to busy when an outbound call is made, the inbound call routed to that agent could result in a frustrated customer who wasn't planning to wait several minutes in a hold queue. 5/20/2013

Voice Automation is a 21st Century Tool for Successful Sales Organizations
Voice automation in the contact center isn't new. But many companies still don't understand how much it can bring to the sales process. 5/20/2013

Thrive Senior Living Saves Big, Improves Functionality with 8x8 Hosted VoIP and Unified Communications
Whether you're in retail, finance, legal, media or customer service, companies from all industries are turning to VoIP to improve their business communications. A recent study from Infonetics Research predicts that $377 billion will be spent on business and residential VoIP services by 2016, driven primarily by SIP trunking, hosted VoIP and unified communication services. 5/13/2013

Debunking Hosted PBX Myths
You know you want to consider the benefits associated with the cloud and have considered a few providers to deliver the hosted solutions you need. The challenge is deciphering the extensive information that is available and making it work for your environment without falling for propaganda or industry myths. 5/10/2013

Ben Taft to Maintain 8x8's Position in Hosted PBX and UC Industry as VP of Inside Sales
A company generating $27.3 million in revenue in one quarter and serving a growing customer base of more than 31,473 needs a strong figure to manage sales, enhance customer relationships and fuel the growth of the business. 5/7/2013

8x8 Recognized for Unified Communications Innovation with Virtual Office Desktop
The key to being a successful worker in today's tech-savvy society is embracing mobility. Accessing contacts, documents and networks on-demand from anywhere is becoming the norm among today's workforce. 8x8, a provider of cloud-based communications and computing solutions, understands this, and offers a number of business communications solutions to today's companies. 5/7/2013

Why the Call Center is Better with 8x8
The standard 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. grind once demanded a commute to work, navigating the busy parking garage to find your coveted space, skirting through the office politics to ensure you aligned yourself with the right side and avoiding the doublespeak that can occur in the break room or around the water cooler. 5/1/2013

8x8 Releases New Version of Virtual Contact Center
Provider of cloud-based communications and computing solutions 8x8 has released Virtual Contact Center 7.1, an upgraded version of its hosted call center software service. 4/30/2013

1-800 We Answer Acquires TMR to Expand Network of Call Centers
The 1-800 We Answer call center network recently bought the market research group TMR Inc. as part of its plans to expand its existing network of call centers based across eight states. 4/25/2013

8x8 Hosted PBX Service Finds a Lost iPhone
Here's a tech-era world problem that happens all too often today: losing a mobile device. With the majority of mobile phone users sporting smartphones, many of them used for work-related communications, it can be a serious loss, whether it's just for contacts, photos, or, worse, sensitive work data. 4/24/2013

8x8 Awarded New Patent for Emergency Communications
Technology innovations have enabled emergency communications to move well beyond the traditional 911 phone call. Text messaging, the Internet, IP communications and more have advanced the ways organizations can respond to disasters and emergency situations. Traditional telephone lines are being complemented or replaced by cell phones, Internet-enabled devices and other technologies, like machine to machine communications. 4/17/2013

VoIP-Based Auto Attendants Benefit Even the Smallest of Companies
While the auto attendant (the automated voice that direct calls at the front of a phone call to a company) is very familiar to anyone who hasn't been living on a desert island for 40 years, it's often the hallmark of large companies or very consumer-oriented companies. There's a reason for this: once upon a time, the auto attendant and interactive voice response (IVR) system behind it was an expensive option. Auto attendant solutions were big, bulky, premises-based solutions that required knowledgeable IT staff members to administer. 4/17/2013

A Hosted PBX is the Perfect Solution for the Virtual Call Center
For businesses, looking toward a virtual call center is a way to not only grow a workforce but cut costs significantly as well. Not only does this deployment model offer lower costs and greater functionality, it can also open up a broader reach for those operating in nearly every industry. 4/11/2013

How 8x8 Improved the Call Center for Blueair
The key to quality service is ensuring customers have what they need before they realize they need it. Waiting in the wings when the unexpected arises is the call center. If agents in that center are slow to respond or standardization is lacking, the service delivered on the front end may be overshadowed by poor service on the back end. 4/11/2013

How to Protect Your Business Communications against a Zombie Apocalypse and Other Disasters
While pop culture waits for the next Zombie Apocalypse, companies and call centers are often nervous about other kinds of disastrous events, usually of the natural variety: floods, snow storms, long power outages, earthquakes, hurricanes and other weather or technological events that can affect the way a business communicates with its customers. 4/2/2013

Cloud-Based PBX and Contact Center Providers Give Businesses Disaster Resiliency
Today, the cloud-based contact center market is booming, while the premises-based sector is struggling to survive. Across the world, in contact centers of all different sizes, end users are adopting cloud-based solutions in order to prepare for the future and always be ready for when disaster strikes. 4/2/2013

Presence Simplifies the Architecture of Contact Centers
Presence Technology is significantly simplifying the architecture of contact centers with the release of a completely web-based agent contact center solution. The new version-9.2- includes significant enhancement to Presence's completely web-based solution called Web Agent. 4/1/2013

West Town Savings Bank Moves to 8x8 VoIP Business Telephone Solution
If you have ever been responsible for setting up a new business, a new office or branch, a new call center or simply an offsite location for the purpose of disaster recovery or overspill, you'll know that getting business phone service up and running quickly is about as easy as getting a candid photo of the Loch Ness Monster. Most companies looking for new service hear a lead-time of at least several weeks: IF they are very lucky, and longer if they are not. 3/26/2013

The Cloud Takes Over the Contact Center
These days, the cloud-based contact center market is booming and showing no sign of slowing down, while the premises-based sector is struggling to survive. Across the globe, in contact centers of all sizes, end users are adopting cloud-based contact center solutions to prepare for the future. 3/21/2013

Auto Attendant Functionality Help SMBs Project Large
Many years ago, I started a small Web development business. It was just me and a friend, but to secure accounts we needed to project large and inspire confidence in our potential clients both that we would be around for awhile and that we were professional enough to do the work that they expected. One of the first steps when we started our business was setting up a toll-free number and an auto-attendant system so clients and potential clients would hear the same sort of professional phone response they expected from much larger companies. 3/21/2013

Meeting the Needs of Today's 'Virtual' Contact Centers
When you think of call centers, you probably think of lots of busy agents at work on telephones. Perhaps these imaginary agents send an occasional e-mail. In most modern contact centers today, the truth is much more complicated. While telephone remains the primary and first choice of customers when it comes to resolving issues, two newer channels have made their way into the mix of call center media: social media and mobile apps. 3/21/2013

Communications Firm Sails through Hurricane Sandy with VoIP Softphones
We knew that Hurricane Sandy was coming, but few of us prepared as well as PCR Educator, based in the DC metro suburb of Rockville, Maryland. PCR Educator, which provides cloud communications for schools, recognized that telecommunications services could be disrupted by the storm, and it was likely that not all of the company's 13 employees would be able to make it into the office during the disaster. 3/21/2013

8x8 Brings Virtual Office Online to the Desktop with Virtual Office Desktop
Provider of innovative cloud-based communication and computing solutions, 8x8, Inc., today released Virtual Office Desktop, a softphone application that integrates with the company's Virtual Office business VoIP and Virtual Office Pro unified communications solutions. Put simply, Virtual Office Desktop brings the same level of functionality found in the Virtual Office Online browser app to the desktop, whether Windows or Mac OS X. 3/19/2013

Giglinx Enters the VoIP Market with Variety of Services Including Hosted Call Center
VoIP has revolutionized communications of late, whether for personal or business use, or even in call centers. Because VoIP eliminates the need for a landline, the VoIP space is expanding at an extremely rapid pace, changing as new innovations make their way to market and smartphones enhance their functions. 3/13/2013

Is the Virtual Call Center the Right Fit?
America is known as the land of opportunity. The market here often affords those with the drive for independence, risk tolerance and financial support necessary to branch out on their own to do so and win. Owning or managing a business often attracts this individual, especially if he or she is in a geographic area with few options for corporate employment. Thanks to the availability of business VoIP technology, anything is possible. 3/12/2013

Will Your Next Customer Leave a Message at the Beep?
Leaving a message after the tone is something consumers have become accustomed to doing when calling a friend or loved one who isn't available at the time of the call. Even then it's not uncommon to try the cell phone when the landline goes directly to voicemail. If that attempt comes back fruitless, Skype may be the next step. 3/8/2013

Sykes Enterprises Rebrands its Virtual Call Center Service
Today, virtual call center technology gives enterprises flexibility in how they staff and manage a call center. With virtual call center technology, enterprises can move agents out of a central office and distribute them anywhere that has an Internet connection. For enterprises that rely on a pool of people to man customer service, sales or technical support lines, virtualizing the call center is the best opportunity to reduce overhead, ensure business continuity and hire the best staff available. 3/7/2013

8X8 Inc. to Present at Three Investor Conferences
Cloud communications solutions provider 8X8 Inc. will be presenting at three investor conferences this month including the Northern Capital Markets 2013 Technology Conference, Sidoti & Company 17th Annual Emerging Growth Institutional Investor Forum and the 25th Annual Roth Conference. 3/6/2013

Major Trends Disrupt the Contact Center in 2013
Today, more and more disgruntled customers are voicing their frustration through social media, enabling their complaints to go viral rapidly. So a new challenge has evolved for contact center managers to find a way to offer the best customer service at the lowest cost. 2/28/2013

How VoIP Has Opened Up the Job Market
The job market is a topic rife with debate. It's a tight economy, but for businesses using VoIP, there are jobs to be had and businesses are looking for talent to fill said jobs. Thanks to technology, these jobs don't require a commute or a physical address. VoIP has opened up the virtual call center market, among others, that's helping businesses and job seekers connect. 2/28/2013

8x8 and SoftBank Join Forces to Offer Virtual Cloud Data Services Around the World
8x8, Inc., a provider of cloud-based business communications and computing solutions, has recently signed an agreement with SoftBank Telecom Corp. In this agreement, 8x8 will license its subscription-based "Zerigo" enterprise cloud software in order to develop additional software for Softbank to offer Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) services to customers. Initially, SoftBank will deploy these services in Japan, but plans to extend the roll out of services to the rest of Asia as well as Europe, the United States and other major markets throughout the world. 2/20/2013

Virtual Office Provider Intelligent Office Unveiled Call Center Services in San Francisco
Intelligent Office, a provider of virtual office solutions, is offering call center services to San Francisco Bay Area-based businesses and organizations. The service enables businesses in technology, medical, construction, retail, services, legal, government, and real estate to gain access to local agents who can deliver an exceptional sales and customer service experience. 2/19/2013

Polycom Recognizes 8x8 as North America Service Provider of the Year
Polycom, Inc., a global provider of open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), has named 8x8, Inc., a provider of cloud-based business phone service and unified communications, "2012 North America Service Provider of the Year." 2/12/2013

8x8 Named to NASDAQ Global Select Market
Years ago, 8x8 Inc., the well known provider of cloud communications and cloud computing solutions, got its unique name from the number of video pixels that are used as the basic building blocks in image compression and video transformation functions. This isn't surprising considering the company has contributed majorly to the advancement of voice and video communications. 2/11/2013

Get Back Your Wasted Call Center Hold Time with @onholdwith
Are you sick of wasting precious minutes of your life on hold with customer service? I know I am. Consider the amount of hours of your life you have spent on hold and how much you could accomplish if you had all of that time back! It is simply not fair that millions of customers are suffering through a terrible call center experience. 2/11/2013

8x8 Receives a 'Respected Four-Star Ranking' from The Motley Fool
Four stars is a big deal. Let's consider the different circumstances that can receive such an honor, like hotels and restaurants. A four-star hotel is one that far surpasses the basic or general amenities to offer a prestigious and evolved overall experience. For example, while a standard hotel offers parking and daily cleaning service, a four-star hotel will offer valet parking, personal dry cleaning and a concierge. Similarly, a four-star restaurant is touted as the cream of the crop. Notable Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel says, "When I slap the four-star sticker on a restaurant, I'm declaring to be one of the very best restaurants of its kind, a place that's maintaining a standard to which every restaurant should aspire." 2/5/2013

Callback, Virtual Queuing Are Changing the Customer Experience
Asynchronous communication has changed how we communicate in fundamental ways, but our call centers have not caught up in many cases. 2/4/2013

How to Maintain a Professional Image in a Virtual Call Center
While there are many benefits of a virtual call center or home office, one of the challenges of this kind of environment is maintaining a professional image. When communicating with customers, it's critical to offer them the same level of service you would in a physical call center that is typically equipped with sophisticated VoIP (voice over IP) and unified communications. 1/28/2013

8x8's Cloud Communications Platform Enhances the Virtual Call Center
A lot of people today are talking about the cloud, but they don't necessarily know how the technology works or understand how it can help their business, especially when it comes to communications. Even if we are sharpening our understanding of this, it can never hurt to learn some more. 1/28/2013

Unified Communications Is Within Reach of Smaller Companies' Budgets
It's safe to say that most small businesses today are well aware that voice over IP (VoIP) is beneficial in that it saves money and creates more flexible telephone service that can be used by employees outside of the main office. Perhaps unbeknownst to many, VoIP services can provide them with features they thought only their larger brethren could afford; however, with the right technology, anything is possible. 1/25/2013

What Makes 8x8 so Great? Just Ask Its Customers
Call centers that operate on a smaller scale unfortunately don't always have access to enterprise-grade phone services afforded by their larger competitors. To compete on a level playing field, however, they simply can't sacrifice functionality. Fortunately, 8x8's got your back, as its renowned Internet phone service can make even the smallest call center appear to the customer base as large as the bustling 1,000 seat competitor. 1/23/2013

8x8's Virtual Office Heads North to Offer Canadians Hosted VoIP and other Cloud Services
Yesterday, industry-leader 8x8, Inc., a unified communications (UC) solution provider based in San Jose, California revealed that it had launched its cloud-based services for our northern brethren, or in other words, Canadian-based businesses and branch offices of U.S. companies, to help them reduce infrastructure costs while increasing productivity. 1/23/2013

I Have a Dream...
Today is an exceptional day. As an American clergyman, activist and leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. is proudly honored today for the awe-inspiring role he played in the advancement of civil rights and his nonviolent approaches to doing so. On MLK Day 2013, the nation also simultaneously celebrates President Obama' Inauguration as the first African American president to his second term. There is so much to be proud of today - so much so, that even call center managers can be inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s infamous speech "I Have a Dream." 1/21/2013

Five Questions You Should Ask About Cloud-Based Contact Center Solutions
If your call center organization is considering taking the plunge into a cloud-based platform, you may have a lot of questions. Chances are, you already know the benefits of a cloud-based contact center: lower upfront expenses, far less maintenance, the ability to work across locations, virtual agents and superior disaster recovery. 1/15/2013

8x8's Contact Center Solution Streamlines Communications for OTI America
A primary focus in the contact center industry just a few short years ago was moving communications to multi-channel environment, where customers could send an e-mail, engage in live chat or even send a text message to get their desired result both quickly and efficiently. 1/15/2013

2013 - The Year for Cloud Migration in the Contact Center
Regardless of the buzz you hear about the cloud (ie. whether it's gaining speed or is just noise), the contact center industry is certainly sporting some solid benefits from cloud migration. Seeing how the call center can sometimes be an organization's biggest resource-drainer, the financial benefits of cloud-based strategies certainly are enough to perk some ears. The question on many call center managers' minds lately has been: Is 2013 the year to make the move, and is this strategy right for all contact center environments? 1/11/2013

Call Center Keeps Costs Low and Spirits High with Disabled Home Agents
Let's face it, call centers can sometimes find difficulty in reeling in high-quality employees. This is because for many, the work is repetitive, tiresome and simply a stop-gap measure until a better job comes along. This is particularly important in outbound call center work, which tends to be even more high pressure and requires more soft skills than inbound work. While many call centers find they can keep turnover down by hiring older, more fixed workers, many more are discovering that by using home agents, they can keep turnover even lower, therefore, translating the call center into a virtual environment is rapidly gaining prominence in the space. 1/7/2013

Fact or Fiction: 8x8 Breaks Down the Call Center and the Cloud
Has your call center embraced the cloud? You probably already know the advantages from constantly seeing or reading about them in the trade press. These can include little to no upfront capital; lower maintenance costs; the ability to build a virtual and distributed contact center environment; the ability to use home agents; and no need for large, heavily air-conditioned IT rooms staffed full of personnel with esoteric skills. But while information about the benefits abound, myths about the drawbacks of cloud-based contact center solutions also proliferate. 1/7/2013

Building a Successful Call Center Strategy for 2013
The call center may not always be the most innovative aspect of a company; however, as with every celebrated New Year, there are opportunities to help change that in 2013. First and foremost, the New Year serves as a wonderful opportunity to embrace a fresh perception of customer service as a whole, migrating from the standard, boring call center to the idea of being one that is key to winning over customers - one that is not a cost, but rather a revenue multiplier. 1/4/2013

8x8 'Hiding in Plain Sight' - From Dark Horse to Knight in Shining Armor
You could say that Voice over IP provider 8x8 is a "dark horse" of sorts, but while the classic definition calls for a dark horse to go from being little-known to something of great prominence, 8x8 is already well-known in the industry - and is only becoming more prominent. People either already know the company and its escalating success or are quickly starting to get the picture. 12/31/2012

How to Know More About Your Customers Before You Even Pick Up the Phone
You heard right - you can actually get to know more about your customers before you even pick up the phone. Throughout history, the single, unwavering factor in the call center equation has been finding ways to gain increased customer insight for satisfaction. Imagine if you could perform a safe and efficient search of your customer on Facebook or LinkedIn before hopping on the phone with them…that could prove quite nifty, huh? 12/24/2012

Looking Back on 8x8's Road to Success in 2012 and Celebrating Post-New Year
The holidays seem like a time when the world takes a moment to slow down, unwind and completely relax, soaking in a healthy combination of no work and catching up with dear loved ones and friends. 8x8 is similarly taking a moment to pause and reflect on the past year, which spells one word: Success. 12/24/2012

Call Center Solutions Provider Gets Comfortable in Leaders Quadrant
In the call center space, there are a wide range of companies competing for dominance. Some offer solutions that are unique, while others try to capitalize on service. Still, others focus on garnering a nod from a third party focused on assessing the industry without bias. For reigning call center solutions provider 8x8, it is a recent assessment by Gartner that has them ready to celebrate. 12/18/2012

Constructing a World-Class Virtual Call Center with 8x8
Assembling dispersed workers to form a cohesive virtual call center team can be tricky. Collaborating across time zones and organizational borders are challenges that are often blamed when something goes wrong; however, most of the time, the culprit is not technological difficulty or the fact that team members aren't all gathered in the same room. The root of dysfunction is that the virtual call center team is not operating as a seamless unit. In order to optimize your virtual call center experience, this needs to be fixed pronto. 12/17/2012

8x8's Tumultuous UC Relationship with Utah Doesn't Stop It from Putting the Customer First
8x8 is trying to reach out to Utah, but it's encountering a problem. The public service commission feels that unified communications (UC) should be regulated the same as landlines, which ultimately limits the flexibility of UC altogether. 12/11/2012

Don't Get Caught in the Boring Call Center Web
Today's enhanced call centers can make many call center managers feel intimidated or overwhelmed with theirs, which may not boast the features, functionalities and operations as those that have capitalized on today's technological advantages. So what's the secret ingredient to fully optimizing your "so-so" contact center? The solution is not right under your nose, but directly above you. 12/11/2012

The Importance of the Voice Greeting in the Call Center, Plus a Fun Holiday Game
The voice greeting - when it isn't conducted by the live agent, it still needs to be perfect, as it sets the tone for the interaction between your automated system and the customer. To achieve the desired level of professionalism, both call centers and virtual call centers need to take the time to think about what needs to be accomplished with this integral aspect of their operations. 12/11/2012

What's Your Call Center Plan for the Holidays this Year?
If you're like many call center managers, the holiday season is undoubtedly important to you. For many businesses, the holidays represent a majority of their sales, and during this time is when repeat customers are either won or lost. Unfortunately, it's also a high volume, high stress time of year. Essentially, right at the time you need to be on your best performance, your challenges are the greatest. 12/10/2012

Telcodepot.Com Spreading Holiday Cheer by Offering a Special Discount for Call Centers
Online VoIP phone systems supplier, TelcoDepot.com, recently launched a special discount offer targeted towards the call center industry. With the launch of this special offer, call centers now have the opportunity to buy their VoIP and other communication equipment at a discounted price to achieve significant savings just in time for the busy holiday season. 12/10/2012

Social Media and Call Center Communications Go Together like Peanut Butter and Jelly
It's no secret that the popularity of sites such as You Tube, Facebook and Twitter has exploded in recent years, so much so that for some of us, they encompass a good chunk of our communication. Social media is no longer just for play, and while it can be fun for some to "poke" and "like" and Facebook chat, social media has inevitably also become a preferred method of business communications. Now, enhancing the satisfaction of customers who reach out to your call center may be as simple as incorporating these very important channels into your marketing mix. 12/5/2012

Virtual Call Center Software Provider Promero Intros Free CTI Connector for Salesforce CRM Users
Promero, an Oracle Gold Partner for Siebel CRM Contact Center Anywhere and Salesforce AppExchange Partner, is now offering its proprietary CTI connector solution free of charge to Salesforce CRM users. 12/3/2012

Why Moving to the Cloud is Ideal for Your Contact Center
The cloud is that intangible technology that has its purpose pretty much everywhere you go, from social to business and even mobile. The benefits of the ethereal cloud, however, are quite tangible and very real, and when it comes to the contact center, the benefits equal plenty. 11/29/2012

Gartner Honors 8x8 as a Market 'Leader' in Magic Quadrant for UCaaS in North America
Gartner Inc., an esteemed information technology research and advisory firm, has recognized 8x8 as a "Leader" in its recent report, 2012 Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) in North America. 11/27/2012

Call Center Provider 8x8 Honored with 2012 Frost & Sullivan Market Share Leadership Award for VoIP Services
Call center solutions providers need to focus on developing options for customers that enable quality interactions, real-time reporting and performance improvements, which thus allows the call center to benefit from an increased customer-base, improved quality of service and even higher revenue streams - all without much having to pay much attention to the underlying technology that enables these improvements. 11/27/2012

Allied Offices Proves Virtual Working is Simply More Practical Today
Over recent years, Allied Offices has noted the rocketing costs of commercial office space, claiming that today, a virtual office presence has become more affordable than the traditional commercial office. Now, working virtually anywhere has now been made significant easier by the company, a specialist in office suites and virtual office solutions in North America, who has just released a new infographic. 11/20/2012

Customers Aren't the Only Ones to Benefit from an Effective Contact Center
Obviously, call centers exist to serve the needs of the customers who call them. What many contact center managers forget to remember, however, is that an effectively operating contact center doesn't just help those who call them, but it also provides a slew of distinct benefits for the company itself. 11/19/2012

Did Cloud Computing in Obama's Call Centers Help Win the Election?
With the presidential race decided and the campaign messages temporarily put to rest, let's take a look at some of the technology that was used by the Obama team to ensure him another four years in office. One tool used by campaigns for years is the call center, but now, as cloud computing continues to gain momentum, the virtual call center is playing an even bigger role. 11/19/2012

Keeping An Eye on VoIP Call Quality in the Contact Center
While many call centers strive to achieve quality - quality of the customer service provided, training of the agent, first-call resolution and warm transfers - not as many call centers worry about the most basic measure of quality: the clarity of the call. 11/15/2012

Hurricane Sandy was No Match for 8x8's Dual Coast Data Centers
If there has been any one thing stressed after Hurricane Sandy swept through the East Coast, it's the vital importance of a secure and dependable disaster recovery (DR) plan. Many traditional landline phones went down in affected areas, leaving businesses with the stark afterthought of how important it is to take action and invest in cloud-based communication services - specifically, those offered by industry leader 8x8, Inc. 11/12/2012

Has Your Call Center Gone Virtual Yet?
If you work at a call center, you might have noticed that many are shifting to a virtual environment - and with good reason. Virtual call centers provide several distinct benefits that can improve business productivity. It's important that call centers keep up with the changes in technology and customer expectations, and going virtual is the way to do it. 11/6/2012

8x8 Demonstrates a Noticeable Shift in the Market
Communications is one of the most vital tools for a company to drive revenue, yet it can still be one of the most expensive. This is especially true for the call center in operation today. In light of this, one call center and virtual call center solution company has found a way, it believes, for businesses to cut their communication expenses in half. 11/5/2012

2012 Holiday Contact Center Tech and Trends: The Gifts That Keep on Giving
While people everywhere begin drafting their holiday gift lists, contact center managers too seem to have a few things in mind to better improve their call and contact centers. While some contact center trends are outdated, there are others that some are eagerly waiting to see in the near future. I was able to recently speak with David Baker, VP of Servion, who detailed some contact center trends and technology to both look out for and nix. 11/5/2012

8x8 Assigned Two New Patents for Communication Technology Innovations
With technological advancements defining new waves of innovation in the information and communications technology (ICT) sphere, patents have been playing an increasingly important role in the economic performance of the companies. In light of this, renowned hosted IP telephony provider, 8x8, has always sought to protect its innovations and intellectual assets through the securing of patents. 11/1/2012

Last Year was 'Snowtober' This Year it's Hurricane Sandy: Strengthen Your Call Center's DR Plan Now
Hurricane Sandy is far from slowing down to wrap up this year's hurricane season with a bang, and behind that, winter isn't very far away. While to most people, it means putting away the summer clothes, putting in the storm windows and raking the yard, to call centers, it means something very different. While most call centers are generally equipped to deal with minor problems - glitches in equipment, absences on the part of some employees, high call volume - the effects of weather on call centers can be devastating. A closed call center due to circumstances such as power outages, flooding, building damage or employees unable to get to work can devastate a business. 10/29/2012

The Biggest Contact Center Problems and Trends, and How it Can Affect You
Even in a shaky economy, the contact center industry is proving growth in many areas, particularly job opportunities. Recent market intelligence dictates that job opportunities will double over the coming years, particularly in the Philippines. According to Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), the biggest problems that the call center industry will see overall include employee retention and slim pickings when it comes to employee selection. 10/29/2012

8x8 Achieves Record Revenue of $26.4 Million in Q2 2013
8x8 has truly been making significant strides within the last year. Not only has the company essentially taken the reins on the IP telephony and unified communications (UC) market, but it also re-located to a new San Jose, C.A-based headquarters which doubles in size to accommodate its high demands. Clearly, the company has cemented its position in the cloud-based business communications landscape, and nothing further proves that fact than its Q2 2013 financial reveals, which show that 8x8 has achieved record revenue of $26.4 million. 10/24/2012

Clarifications and Realizations - How to Cross the Unified Communications 'Chasm'
If anybody should discuss the unified communications (UC) movement it's 8x8, Inc., whose almost unfathomable growth and demand for cloud-based UC solutions has forced them to move to a new facility that's doubled in size to accommodate its expanding customer base, which exploded from 17,000 in mid-2009 to 30,000 businesses today. 10/22/2012

Prayers are Answered with New Contact Center Software - Literally
Most contact centers have traditional hours with ordinary caller inquiries ranging from credit card suspicions or payments to asking general questions. But what if your contact center had no specific working hours, rather, you could remain on the line for as long as you felt compelled to? This is exactly the type of environment experienced in the Christian Broadcasting Network's contact center, which is called the Prayer Center, where agents discuss callers' spiritual needs at any time of the day. While this is an amazing and inspiring organization, the center needed something to help better train their employees who so selflessly devoted the majority of their time to their abundance of faithful customers (pun intended). 10/18/2012

Virtual Call Center - Changing the Face of Customer Interactions
In September, Google+ hosted a real-time debate regarding whether technology was going to make the call center as we know it obsolete. Many experts weighed in on the subject, and although everyone had their own take on the subject, there was a consensus among speakers that customers are taking advantage of newer communication channels such as the virtual call center and self-service options like FAQs. 10/16/2012

Company Closes Call Center in Favor of Virtual Environment
Enterprises have been increasingly transitioning to virtual call center environments for its added benefits and uniquely accommodating work environment. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a St. Louis-based car rental company, has done away with its call center completely, with its employees now working from out of their homes. This move speaks volumes to the virtual call center becoming more than just a trend or phase, but a legitimate, functioning working experience for both the agent and the customer. 10/15/2012

8x8 Making Big Moves to Support Momentous Growth
If you've been keeping up with cloud services provider 8x8, Inc. lately, you'll have undoubtedly noticed the enormous strides it's been taking in its respective fields of business communications needs. Over the summer, 8x8 was named the clear industry leader and number one provider of hosted IP telephony and unified communications (UC) by market research firm Frost & Sullivan, and the company also boasts a long list of prestigious accomplishments. 10/11/2012

The Longer Customers Wait, the Harder it is to Provide Quality Customer Care: Web Callback is the Missing Puzzle Piece
Face it, no one now-a-days likes to wait for anything (did they ever in the first place?) Whether it's waiting for your friend or relative to call you back or text you, waiting for a pick-up at your favorite restaurant or waiting for an important delivery, we all similarly pretend to be respectfully patient when we're well-aware of the bottom line: no one likes waiting. 10/10/2012

The Ups and (Potential) Downs of Virtual Working
I've often mentioned how working remotely can be beneficial to employees by providing them with more flexibility, improved productivity, and savings on gas and travel time; however, there are some factors that need to be taken into account in order to make your virtual call center worker and environment the best that it can be. Virtual call centers are heavily implemented across a variety of businesses today, and you certainly want to make sure you're taking everything into consideration when doing so. 10/10/2012

The Guidelines to Achieving a Fully Optimized Call Center
When managing a call center, your first priority should be the customer, but in order to achieve high customer satisfaction, you must first achieve a fully optimized, smoothly operational business. While some consider call centers to be outdated and inconvenient when compared to more modern forms of customer interaction, many forget to consider just how central call centers are for businesses everywhere. 10/8/2012

8x8 to Reveal Second Quarter Fiscal 2013 Earnings, Conference Call on October 24
8x8, Inc. a provider of innovative cloud communications and computing solutions, will soon reveal its second quarter fiscal 2013 results ended September 30, 2012 after market close on Wednesday, October 24, 2012. 10/4/2012

8x8 Reveals New Virtual Office Mobile 4.0 at ITEXPO Austin
The mobile craze is still blazing for Americans. Forty-one percent of U.S. citizens owned a smartphone last year, and that number has jumped to encompassing half of all adult Americans now owning some sort of smart device, according to Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, which polled over 9,500 adults this summer. Between tablets and smartphones, this has yet to take into account today's youth who possess smart devices, too. Further, one-third of these individuals use their mobile devices to view news stories and other sorts of media at least once a week. 10/3/2012

8x8's Huw Rees to Discuss Speeding Up Adoption of UC Tech at ITEXPO Austin
Unified Communications (UC) is becoming an ever growing part of the technological community. Industry insiders from across the globe are seeing an increased need and an increase call for more advanced versions of the technology every day. Along those lines, VP of business development of 8x8 Inc., Huw Rees will be giving a presentation on the issue of accelerating the adoption of Unified Communications at ITEXPO Austin as part of his keynote address. 10/2/2012

What is the 'Customer Experience?' Hint: It's Not Just Customer Service
While new trends and new thinking in contact center business have brought progress in serving customers - particularly in a changing marketplace - some of the terms, trends and language can be rather confusing. One area of call center business many people find themselves confused is in the difference between "customer service" and "the customer experience." The differences are subtle, but important. 10/1/2012

8x8 Awarded New Contact/Call Center Patent by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
8x8 Inc., a provider of revolutionary cloud communications and computing solutions, has been awarded with a new patent related to its robust contact/call center technologies. The United States Patent number 8,275,116, entitled "Networked Contact Center," was awarded through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this week. 9/27/2012

Win a Free iPad By Visiting 8x8 at ITEXPO Austin 2012 at Booth #801
This week is an especially exciting one, as companies everywhere are prepping for the highly anticipated ITEXPO Austin 2012, the world's largest communications and technology event where enterprise, government and SMB end users, resellers, service providers, manufacturers, developers, media and analysts are united for a week packed with business-building, research and developmental insights, as well as conference sessions, demo products and live services and tutorials on the floor. 9/26/2012

The Virtual Office: Eight Things You'll Find Missing in the Workplace Five Years from Now
Think about it. You constantly see those online ads pop up promoting working from home and you're always hearing some tale about the newest technological development. Together, this creates a heavy mixture leading to the inevitable transformation of the office going virtual altogether. As technology continues to advance, so do we, and in that process, some highly beloved (and shocking) office trends are dissipating. 9/26/2012

8x8 Presenting at Craig-Hallum 3rd Annual Alpha Select Conference
8x8, Inc. has officially revealed its plans to provide further insight and excitement into the world of innovative cloud communications, computing and unified communications by presenting at the Craig-Hallum 3rd Annual Alpha Select Conference on Thursday, September 27, 2012 beginning at 9:20 a.m. Located at Sentry Centers in New York City, this one-day conference will showcase to over 60 small and micro-cap companies that fit the Alpha Select List (ASL) criteria. 9/18/2012

Call Center Success Found Right Under Your Nose
Many companies doing business in America use India for their call center hubs because of the availability of highly educated, inexpensive labor pools and the ability to capitalize on other resource efficiencies, but that trend might be changing, according to this Global Post article. 9/18/2012

8x8 to Highlight Cloud Telephony, UC Solutions at ITEXPO West 2012
8x8, Inc., a provider of hosted IP telephony and unified communications (UC), has revealed that it will be participating in ITEXPO West 2012, one of the world's largest communication and technology events to take place October 2-5 in Austin, Texas. 9/11/2012

Call Center Countdown to Christmas - Preparing for the Rush
The countdown has officially begun. With just about 100 days until Christmas, businesses everywhere are gearing up for the busiest, most profitable time of the year. Successfully navigating the Christmas season requires months of careful preparation and consideration - particularly for the call center, whose business is especially sensitive to fluctuations brought on by holiday demand. 9/10/2012

Premise-based UC Solutions May Be In A Slump, but 8x8 Shows There's Growth In The Cloud
While the U.S. economy is a mix of bright and dark spots, many analysts are suddenly seeing what's being called a "mini tech boom." While no one likes to use the word "boom," particularly as it pertains to tech (we've been there before), it seems clear that the enterprise market is hungry for new solutions that will help them take advantage of modern communications trends. Unified communications is one of these bright spots - particularly hosted services. 9/6/2012

Web Callback: A Critical Development for Call Center Sophistication
What if call transfers and hold times could be eliminated altogether? What if you never had to wait on the line for the next available agent ever again? Needless to say, we've all been there at least once in our lives: listening to that unbearable music with the intermittent interruption of an automated voice thanking you for your patience and assuring you that your call is important to them. We know that, but we still don't like waiting. Not every inbound call center is designed to accommodate every customer's unique inquiry. Now, some are taking notice to make significant improvements to enhance overall experience. 9/4/2012