8x8 Launches Virtual Contact Center 8.0 and Integrates with Zendesk
8x8 Launches Virtual Contact Center 8.0 and Integrates with Zendesk by Robbie Pleasant
8x8 Inc.’s Virtual Contact Center has been updated, and version 8.0 is a significant upgrade from previous versions. VCC 8.0 is available now, and provides key features such as virtual queuing, customizable SMTP services, and more, and is optimized for use with mobile devices. Furthermore, 8x8 has also partnered with Zendesk, and combined its VCC with Zendesk’s customer service platform for an integrated contact center solution.
8x8’s Virtual Contact Center (VCC) is a cloud-based call center software offering, available as a single point solution, or as a part of 8x8’s Virtual Office cloud-based telephony and UC solutions, depending on the customer’s needs. It’s designed to improve customer relations, improve call center productivity and management, as well as provide security for a call center environment.
As companies and enterprises are continuing to adopt cloud-based alternatives to PBX and call center systems, there is an increasing demand for VoIP phone and call center services from a single vendor. 8x8’s VCC is designed to provide a powerful interface for agent productivity, creating value more quickly.
Version 8.0 boasts wallboard status information designed for iOS and Android devices, providing mobile off-site call center administration. With Reporting Wizards, supervisors can better understand how the contact center is working, while providing enhanced usability, Contact Directories, Queue Lists, and agent tools for audio messages. It also provides native Customer Relationship Management (CRM), with a new desktop view for consolidating agents’ cases and customers, with automatic logging.
VCC 8.0 customers can use their own company’s SMTP service to control security and comply with industry regulations, rather than the default, pre-configured internal SMTP servers. It also offers multi-browser support, requiring no plugins or downloads to work on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox.
With the release of VCC 8.0, 8x8’s contact center customers can see improved performance and a quick path to value. This is the first in a series of enhancements, so there are more updates on the way to add further features and value to 8x8’s Virtual Contact Center offering.
The 8x8 news doesn’t stop there. The company has recently partnered with Zendesk to develop a bundled cloud contact center solution. This solution combines 8x8’s Virtual Contact Center with Zendesk’s customer service platform, creating an out-of-the-box, single SaaS instance. It provides reporting and runtime data integrations, so contact centers can handle calls in less time, resolve customer issues on the first call more frequently, and track customer issues.
There is no customization required for the 8x8/Zendesk integrated solution, allowing it to be set up and run quickly. Although a lack of customization may make it seem as though it may not meet the specific needs of individual organizations, the benefits it provides are universal to contact centers. Furthermore, because the solutions are so tightly integrated, agents and supervisors within the contact center can gain improved efficiency.
The integration includes a combined 8x8 and Zendesk single screen SaaS environment, a multi-channel contact center, caller identification to find ticket information, along with the ability to automatically identify outstanding tickets and provide relevant customer information, and consolidated reporting with administrative information. These allow for easy management, while providing compliance and data security.
According to Blair Pleasant, co-founder of UCStrategies, “8x8 has been aggressively moving upmarket, and enhancing its contact center offering is key to growth in larger organizations. The product enhancements, as well as the integration with Zendesk, give 8x8 customers more advanced contact center capabilities, enabling these organizations to provide superior customer care."
Between the new Virtual Contact Center and the Zendesk integrated solution, the improved capabilities should help boost productivity and customer satisfaction, which is not only good for the contact center, but for the company as a whole.