8×8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud contact center and unified communications platform provider, today announced the next generation of the 8×8 Phone App for Microsoft Teams, which natively puts calls where users expect them, the Teams calling window, providing intuitive user experiences and enhanced performance. Built on 8×8’s direct routing service, the 8×8 Phone App connects the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) with Microsoft Teams to provide organizations with the most cost-effective method to enable native calling in Teams without additional software, desktop plugins, mobile apps, or requiring per user Teams Phone licenses.
“More than 64% of organizations state that the primary driver for Microsoft Teams phone adoption is having access to an integrated user experience and calling capabilities,” said Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy. “8×8 offers a unique capability to embed its calling capabilities directly within the Teams app, offering both simplified user experience as well as easier deployment and management. This approach enables a native telephony experience, allowing users to remain in the flow of work within Microsoft Teams.”
This upgraded version is part of the 8×8 for Microsoft Teams solution portfolio that includes the solution certified for Teams 8×8 Contact Center, and the premium direct routing as a service solution, 8×8 Voice for Microsoft Teams. With over 350,000 8×8 Voice for Microsoft Teams licenses sold, 8×8 is enabling Teams users with global telephony capabilities, which allows for organizations to optimize costs by assigning licenses based on user role and business need. The solutions are built on the 8×8 XCaaS™ (eXperience Communications as a Service™) integrated cloud communications and contact center platform, providing organizations with global coverage and full cloud telephony replacement in 59 countries.
The 8×8 Phone App for Microsoft Teams streamlines the user experience and administrative overhead by holding calls natively in Teams, unlike other UCaaS integrations that pull users outside of Teams for PSTN calls. By conducting all calls and functions within Microsoft Teams, the 8×8 Phone App provides accurate presence status, call transfers, recording, captions, and transcriptions. Further, the integration is provisioned from the cloud by an administrator without device management tools, allowing for streamlined training, support, and deployment.
Key features of 8×8 Phone App for Microsoft Teams include:
- Cost-effective PSTN calling in Microsoft Teams: Provides organizations with a low-cost PSTN calling option, for virtually all 8×8 X Series license holders, at a fraction of the cost of licensing Teams Phone per user.
- Native user experience that keeps users in Teams: Offers an intuitive user experience that requires no additional plugins or software installed on the desktop or mobile device. This includes the ability to manage all call activities within Microsoft Teams, answer and conduct PSTN phone calls within the native Teams calling window whether on desktop, mobile, or the web, and flip active calls between authenticated Teams devices, while providing complete call history and data across platforms.
- Improved performance: New backend connection method, based on Direct Routing, provides seamless integration and improved user experiences.
- Streamlined deployment: 8×8 Phone App can only be deployed by administrators from the cloud, so no device management or additional configuration tools are required. This deployment method directly in Teams minimizes user friction and maximizes IT efficiency making it simple to manage and support.
- Flexible licensing: For organizations that need the full experience of direct routing through 8×8 Voice for Microsoft Teams and 8×8 Contact Center, the 8×8 Phone App can also be licensed and assigned at the user level. This allows organizations to select the right license for each user based on the specific needs of each job function in the business, optimizing operating costs, and improving productivity.
“At 8×8, we are constantly looking for ways to innovate and provide our customers with the products and experiences that best fit their business and working needs,” said Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8×8, Inc. “With the 8×8 Phone App for Microsoft Teams, we are providing our customers with the familiar Teams user interface coupled with our resilient, secure, compliant, and reliable technology on the backend. By providing a truly Teams native calling experience, we are not only offering a cost-effective option that improves productivity and efficiency, but it also enhances the overall user experience.”
8×8 XCaaS™ (eXperience Communications as a Service™), which includes integrated cloud contact center, business phone, team chat, video meetings, and SMS capabilities, is a resilient, secure, and compliant cloud platform that offers the highest levels of reliability with a financially backed, platform-wide 99.999 percent uptime SLA across an integrated cloud UCaaS and CCaaS solution.
Watch the enhanced 8×8 Phone App for Microsoft Teams in action here.
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