Customer experience (CX) has emerged as a critical differentiator for businesses across industries. It represents the sum total of all interactions a customer has with a business and extends beyond single transactions to encompass the entire customer journey. Not surprisingly, exceptional CX has been linked to increased customer loyalty and higher spending, making it a key driver of sustainable business growth.
The inverse is also true. Poor CX can have far-reaching repercussions for businesses, driving away customers and eroding revenues. Businesses are in danger of losing as much as $4.7 trillion globally in consumer spend due to poor customer experiences. What’s more, 60% of consumers say they would actually buy more if companies treat them better.
Recognizing this, 8x8 has several announced enhancements to its eXperience Communications as a Service (XCaaS) integrated cloud contact center and UC platform. These enhancements are designed to significantly improve agent, administrator, and customer experiences.
Leveraging AI for Self-Service
One of the key enhancements is the AI-Powered Self-Service through the 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant. It offers businesses a powerful, user-friendly, conversational AI solution that enables them to create automated self-service interactions across digital channels.
The AI Assistant can handle routine tasks, reducing agent workload and providing customers with quicker resolution times, thereby improving their experience. Moreover, it offers personalization of customer interactions, contributing to an enhanced CX that drives customer satisfaction, loyalty and, ultimately, spending.
“Taking advantage of AI-based technologies for self-service has shown great potential, but in practice have been frustrating to deploy and use,” said Gary Boucher, Acer Program Manager. “We chose 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant because of its robust features and ease of use. The overall simplicity belies its complexity on the back end. Additionally, it offers us the option to escalate to live assistance, when necessary, with a seamless handoff from the automated interaction to the contact center agent.”
Deepening Agent Visibility
The updated 8x8 Agent Workspace Dashboard provides agents with a single view of both their fellow agents and queues. This enables them to see coworker availability and service demand levels with a single click, fostering improved communication and collaboration among agents, leading to better customer service.
Integrating for Improved Productivity and CX
8x8 has enhanced its integrations with both Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce Sales Engagement. By embedding communications and contact center functionality into key workflows, these integrations allow agents to personalize every interaction, fostering improved customer engagement and retention.
Enhancing Mobile Administration
The 8x8 Mobile Admin enables administrators to execute everyday operational tasks directly from their mobile devices. This increases operational efficiency and boosts confidence in 8x8's services by providing immediate visibility into incidents and updates, including activity metrics for inbound and outbound call volumes.
“8x8 Mobile Admin surpassed our expectations, providing valuable insights into business statuses at a glance no matter where our team is located,” said Mark Weingarten, VP of Patient Services at Affiliated Physicians. “We can now track and manage all of our active sites, users, and ring groups without having to be tethered to a desk and laptop. This will save us time to focus on other business initiatives.”
Ensuring Audit Transparency
8x8's Admin Console now offers a Unified Communications Audit History, allowing system administrators to access historical configuration details, including what changes were made, when, and by whom. This feature ensures complete audit visibility, providing transparency and accountability that contribute to maintaining a high standard of customer service.
Meeting Regulatory Compliance with SMS 10DLC Registration
The new SMS 10DLC Application-to-Person (A2P) Registration functionality allows U.S. and Canadian organizations to comply with new SMS requirements and improve message deliverability. With the growing use of mobile and SMS as a customer communication channel, this capability allows businesses to stay compliant while ensuring messages reach customers, thereby enhancing the overall CX.
Boosting Compatibility with New Certifications
8x8 has also expanded its range of compatibility with new phone and accessory certifications. The inclusion of Yealink T5 series desk phones, Poly Edge E series desk phones, Poly and EPOS headsets, and SYNC series of USB accessories, enables businesses to use a wider range of devices with the 8x8 service. This flexibility contributes to improving the quality of customer interactions, which in turn leads to better CX.
Financially Backed Uptime
The 8x8 XCaaS platform comes with a financially backed, platform-wide “Five Nines” uptime SLA. This level of reliability ensures that businesses can deliver consistent and uninterrupted service to their customers, reinforcing customer trust and satisfaction.
With the rapid evolution of customer expectations, it is more critical than ever for businesses to deliver superior CX. 8x8's latest enhancements to its XCaaS platform offer businesses the tools and resources needed to significantly improve their customer experiences. Leveraging the power of AI, deep integrations, and improved mobile administration capabilities, businesses can meet and exceed customer expectations, driving loyalty and spending.
Edited by
Erik Linask
