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Choosing the right cloud-based phone solution for your business often centers around standard features like call transfers, voicemail, and unlimited text messages. Although these are important features to consider, they shouldn’t overshadow the importance of improving and enhancing your customer support team.

89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience. In turn, roughly 61% of customers say they would switch to a new brand after even one bad experience.

To make sure your business gets the most out of its phone solution, we’ve compiled a list of the six best 8×8 alternatives on the market to help your customer-facing teams turn conversations into conversions.

Should Your Business Look for an 8×8 Alternative?

8×8 is an API solution that integrates voice, video, chat, and contact center functions into one cloud-based communications platform.

Regarding pricing, 8×8 has six pricing tiers. The Express package starts at $15 per user per month, but it includes limited features such as calling in the U.S. and Canada, music on hold, and voicemail. For customer-centric teams looking for a package with added features such as IVR, analytics, and call routing, the options start at $85 per user per month.

Suppose your business is looking for a phone solution that offers more than basic call features and that’s intentionally designed to create a better customer experience from start to finish. In that case, it may be worth considering an alternative.

Top Features Support Leaders Should Look for in an 8×8 Alternative

When looking for a cloud-based phone provider, it’s easy to feel lost in a saturated market. Features are plentiful, and navigating your list of chosen providers can seem impossible without knowing what to look for.

You know what your team needs, but what does that look like in a provider? Here are the top five features support leaders should look for in an 8×8 alternative to find the right fit for their customer-centric team.

1. Warm transfer

No one likes feeling like a broken record, especially not your customers.

The warm transfer feature allows team members to speak to one another on a private line before transferring calls. This ensures that no team member needs to play catch-up at your client’s expense and allows your support team to give accurate and relevant advice without unnecessary delays.

2. Call center analytics

Call center analytics enable teams to stay in the loop with all the critical metrics, such as wait time, missed calls, and call volume, in one place. Essential call center analytics features should also allow businesses to filter information to easily track and monitor specific call data when needed.

3. Business hours

The business hours feature allows your customer support team to set customized schedules to confirm when each of your numbers is available to receive calls. This includes the option to change it depending on individual preferences, schedules, or seasonal changes.

4. CRM integration

To run an efficient and effective customer support team, your team members will need an overview of all relevant business processes without having to hunt down information. Seamless CRM integration is a vital part of the ideal 8×8 alternative. It should integrate with your help desk tools to keep all conversations connected.

5. Activity feed

An intuitive and easy-to-use activity feed is essential to accurately track and manage your team’s call activity. This also allows support leaders to coach their team in real-time and highlights any potential gaps in the system that could use improvement.

The Top Four Alternatives to 8×8

To guide you through choosing the right business phone solution for your business, we’ve compiled a list of the top four 8×8 alternatives on the market. Make an informed decision based on integrations, features, and price comparisons.

Aircall

• Free Trial? Yes

• Number of Entry-Level Integrations: 100+

• Entry-Level Features: Softphone for desktop, Android, and iOS; Warm Transfer; CRM integration; business hours; call center analytics; call queuing; IVR; Activity Feed; plus an additional 50+ features for all users regardless of the pricing plan they’re on.

• Rating: 4.3 stars

• Price: $30 per user per month

GoTo Connect

• Free Trial? No

• Number of Entry-Level Integrations: 1

• Entry-Level Features: IVR, queues, web chat, Facebook integration, standard reporting

• Rating: 4.4 stars

• Price: Starting from $33 per user per month

Nextiva

• Free Trial? No

• Number of Entry-Level Integrations: 2

• Entry-Level Features: Unlimited voice & video calling, voicemail, toll-free numbers, auto-attendant

• Rating: 4.4 stars

• Price: Starting from $25.95 per user per month

Vonage

• Free Trial? No

• Number of Entry-Level Integrations: 20+

• Entry-Level Features: Mobile and desktop apps, unlimited calls, and unlimited team messaging

• Rating: 4.3 stars

• Price: Starting at $19.99 per month per line plus taxes & fees

Why Aircall Takes the Lead as the Ideal 8×8 Alternative

Aircall equips businesses with all the necessary tools to enable better conversations, collaboration, and customer support.

But when looking into business phone solutions for customer-centric teams, it’s vital to also look at how it integrates with your team, processes, and business tools.

Ultimately, you’ll also need a phone system that keeps the focus where it needs to be—the power of quality conversation.

Here are three reasons Aircall’s 15,0000 customers consider Aircall the ideal 8×8 alternative.

1. Collaboration made easy

Good customer service hinges on a team’s ability to collaborate and communicate. Aircall’s collaboration features, such as call commenting and warm transfers, allow your customer support team to stay aligned and up to date about the latest updates of each call.

2. Join the leading app ecosystem for voice

The Aircall app marketplace includes 100+ integrations and talks to all your critical tools and workflows, allowing you to find a new tool or integrate with a service you already use.

All integrations are available to users regardless of their plan and enable customer support teams of any size to utilize CRM, E-commerce, help desk software, and everything in between.

3. Gain better context into your customer’s needs

When your clients need answers, you should be able to deliver specific solutions immediately.

Aircall’s analytics features allow your team to gain real-time updates and insights and better understand and prepare for each individual call.

In addition, Aircall’s Call Whispering feature enables team members to advise behind the scenes and make an impact in the moment.

Consistent clear call quality

When it comes to customer support, nothing can be more damaging than poor call quality. Aircall has built a stable foundation you can trust to carry out all your conversations.

Aircall works with world-class voice carriers and local providers in select markets to ensure excellent quality and reliability on every call.

Cut down on manual data entry

Reduce redundant and time-consuming tasks and gain additional weekly hours. Aircall automatically syncs all call notes and tags to your help desk.

This allows your customer-facing teams to spend less time logging information and more time where it really matters—helping customers.

Start a Better Conversation With Aircall

Fortunately, you don’t have to base your decision on our word alone. Experience Aircall’s responsive and dedicated in-house support for yourself and see how your customer support team can start a better conversation. This one’s on us. Start your 7-day free trial.

Published on January 11, 2023.