Item: 8x8 Work
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with 8x8 Work

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use 8x8 X Series across most of our chain of car dealerships and associated businesses. We intend to gradually extend it to the whole organization as pbx systems age out. We chose 8x8 because it seemed to be a solid middle-ground between the most expensive options in the market and some of the smaller operations. After a bad experience with a PRI outage, we were looking for something VOIP so that we weren't dependent on a single carrier's circuit into our building. It was intended as a business continuity play in case of major outage or facility disruption such as a fire. We began implementation early in 2020, and it turned out to be a great pandemic solution. As people were sent to work-from-home they could take their voice communications with them. When facilities had to be closed for disinfection, people could take their communication with them. When people had to quarantine due to COVID exposure, they could still be seamlessly connected to the business.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The 8x8 Mobile app works great for us. It allows people to remain in touch off-site or while working outdoors.
Programming is fairly easy. It's not too hard to figure out how to customize 8x8 to meet our needs.
A few people have found the messaging capability very helpful, and the addition of rich messaging in late 2020 was great.
The ability to fax has been helpful in specific circumstances.

Cons

Call queues don't quite have all the functionality of a traditional pbx. If you use call queues extensively, check that 8x8 can meet your needs.
Setting up an SMS campaign is a nightmare. Be sure to involve support and get their help.
Do you need a few extra numbers to accommodate future growth? They are ridiculously priced at $1/month each. Most carriers charge a few bucks for 20.
Programming some functionality that should be straightforward has to be done with goofy work-arounds.

Return on Investment

Mobility very helpful in dealing with the pandemic.
We don't measure ROI, but up front costs are much less than traditional pbx.
Not a true SaaS solution - you can buy more licenses, but you can't reduce licenses during contract period. Very disappointing.
Moving to an automated attendant has reduced our staffing needs.

Usability

It works pretty well, and it is great to have the app and desktop and phone all on the same page. Users seem to figure it out pretty well, the lone exception being setting up voicemail greetings. That process should be easier than 8x8 makes it.

Alternatives Considered

RingCentral, Vonage Business Communications and GoTo Connect

8x8 seemed to be a more established business platform than Vonage, which seemed to still be a little stuck in its consumer roots. We also checked out RingCentral which was pricier and we didn't particularly like the fact that it would have a virtual answer instead of just ringing for the caller. GoTo Connect seems roughly equivalent to 8x8 on the price/value scale.

Key Insights

Do you think 8x8 Work delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with 8x8 Work's feature set?

Yes

Did 8x8 Work live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of 8x8 Work go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy 8x8 Work again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Sage 50cloud Accounting

Likelihood to Recommend

Keep in mind that, as with all hosted voip, charges are by extension. Whereas with a traditional PBX there's no recurring cost to having a bunch of little-used phones around, with voip each of those has a monthly cost. Organizations with heavy ring-group configurations may want to look elsewhere due to technical difficulties. In a traditional, straight-forward office environment, 8x8 should be a great solution. It's also great for distributed organizations because the hosted nature puts everyone on the same footing without pbx hardware in multiple locations. 8x8 is also good for flexibility when staff are moving between home and various locations.

8x8 Work Feature Ratings

Using 8x8 Work

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Technical support not required Well integrated Quick to learn Feel confident using Familiar	Unnecessarily complex Inconsistent

Easy Tasks

Making phone calls is straightforward
The sms capability works well once set up.

Difficult Tasks

Managing voicemail greetings is difficult
managing auto-attendants is more cumbersome than it should be

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - Mobile interface seems to work very well.

Comments

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8x8 is About 80% Great