Chapter 1 More tools = more confusion
We all want communications to be convenient. We used to have separate physical devices for phone calls, email and chat, and video conferencing. Over time, communications become consolidated into a single physical form factor, which for the most part was a smartphone or a desktop computer. 8x8 addressed both of those markets by combining video, voice, chat and contact center into a single application facilitating collaboration and communication from anywhere on almost any device.
We all want communications to be convenient. We used to have separate physical devices for phone calls, email and chat, and video conferencing. Over time, communications become consolidated into a single physical form factor, which for the most part was a smartphone or a desktop computer. 8x8 addressed both of those markets by combining video, voice, chat and contact center into a single application facilitating collaboration and communication from anywhere on almost any device.
We all want communications to be convenient. We used to have separate physical devices for phone calls, email and chat, and video conferencing. Over time, communications become consolidated into a single physical form factor, which for the most part was a smartphone or a desktop computer. 8x8 addressed both of those markets by combining video, voice, chat and contact center into a single application facilitating collaboration and communication from anywhere on almost any device.
We all want communications to be convenient. We used to have separate physical devices for phone calls, email and chat, and video conferencing. Over time, communications become consolidated into a single physical form factor, which for the most part was a smartphone or a desktop computer. 8x8 addressed both of those markets by combining video, voice, chat and contact center into a single application facilitating collaboration and communication from anywhere on almost any device.
And while the trend of “work from anywhere” continues to grow exponentially, we also recognize a second parallel trend where organizations aren’t just expecting employees to communicate from any geographical location. They expect them to communicate from any contextual application as well. For instance, if you are a sales rep and spend your day in Salesforce.com (SFDC), you want to be able to make customer calls right from your SFDC application. You don’t want to have to exit SFDC to make that call. You want to use the application you are in all the time to do your work. In fact, you may also want that call recorded and made available for later reference in the context of the customer or prospect you just called.
And while the trend of “work from anywhere” continues to grow exponentially, we also recognize a second parallel trend where organizations aren’t just expecting employees to communicate from any geographical location. They expect them to communicate from any contextual application as well. For instance, if you are a sales rep and spend your day in Salesforce.com (SFDC), you want to be able to make customer calls right from your SFDC application. You don’t want to have to exit SFDC to make that call. You want to use the application you are in all the time to do your work. In fact, you may also want that call recorded and made available for later reference in the context of the customer or prospect you just called.
And while the trend of “work from anywhere” continues to grow exponentially, we also recognize a second parallel trend where organizations aren’t just expecting employees to communicate from any geographical location. They expect them to communicate from any contextual application as well. For instance, if you are a sales rep and spend your day in Salesforce.com (SFDC), you want to be able to make customer calls right from your SFDC application. You don’t want to have to exit SFDC to make that call. You want to use the application you are in all the time to do your work. In fact, you may also want that call recorded and made available for later reference in the context of the customer or prospect you just called.
And while the trend of “work from anywhere” continues to grow exponentially, we also recognize a second parallel trend where organizations aren’t just expecting employees to communicate from any geographical location. They expect them to communicate from any contextual application as well. For instance, if you are a sales rep and spend your day in Salesforce.com (SFDC), you want to be able to make customer calls right from your SFDC application. You don’t want to have to exit SFDC to make that call. You want to use the application you are in all the time to do your work. In fact, you may also want that call recorded and made available for later reference in the context of the customer or prospect you just called.
People want additional capabilities. They don’t want more tools.
So if users have the communications capabilities in the tools they already use, they are more likely to take advantage of those capabilities. Whether they are the tools used for your business processes like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Microsoft Teams, you want new functionality to be available in the context that is most convenient for the job you are doing at any one time.
Context counts.
“For years now, some of the biggest productivity killers — ranked at the very top in certain studies — is getting workers to understand how to actually use the growing wealth of communications tools at their disposal.”
Dion Hinchcliffe
Constellation Research
People want additional capabilities. They don’t want more tools.
So if users have the communications capabilities in the tools they already use, they are more likely to take advantage of those capabilities. Whether they are the tools used for your business processes like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Microsoft Teams, you want new functionality to be available in the context that is most convenient for the job you are doing at any one time.
Context counts.
“For years now, some of the biggest productivity killers — ranked at the very top in certain studies — is getting workers to understand how to actually use the growing wealth of communications tools at their disposal.”
Dion Hinchcliffe
Constellation Research
People want additional capabilities. They don’t want more tools.
So if users have the communications capabilities in the tools they already use, they are more likely to take advantage of those capabilities. Whether they are the tools used for your business processes like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Microsoft Teams, you want new functionality to be available in the context that is most convenient for the job you are doing at any one time.
Context counts.
“For years now, some of the biggest productivity killers — ranked at the very top in certain studies — is getting workers to understand how to actually use the growing wealth of communications tools at their disposal.”
Dion Hinchcliffe
Constellation Research
People want additional capabilities. They don’t want more tools.
So if users have the communications capabilities in the tools they already use, they are more likely to take advantage of those capabilities. Whether they are the tools used for your business processes like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Microsoft Teams, you want new functionality to be available in the context that is most convenient for the job you are doing at any one time.
Context counts.
“For years now, some of the biggest productivity killers — ranked at the very top in certain studies — is getting workers to understand how to actually use the growing wealth of communications tools at their disposal.”
Dion Hinchcliffe
Constellation Research
We call out those three applications in particular because they represent millions of active users every day. Microsoft Teams alone has 75 million active daily users. And those users don’t just need to communicate with other Teams users. Sometimes they have to communicate with people who are not using Microsoft Teams and need the convenience of making a phone call from Teams to a non-teams user, any time, anywhere in the world. User communications don’t only traverse geographical or form factor boundaries, they also cross contextual boundaries.
Communications strategy has become increasingly critical to every organization. That may seem like a silly statement. Haven’t communications always been critical? Of course they have.
We call out those three applications in particular because they represent millions of active users every day. Microsoft Teams alone has 75 million active daily users. And those users don’t just need to communicate with other Teams users. Sometimes they have to communicate with people who are not using Microsoft Teams and need the convenience of making a phone call from Teams to a non-teams user, any time, anywhere in the world. User communications don’t only traverse geographical or form factor boundaries, they also cross contextual boundaries.
Communications strategy has become increasingly critical to every organization. That may seem like a silly statement. Haven’t communications always been critical? Of course they have.
We call out those three applications in particular because they represent millions of active users every day. Microsoft Teams alone has 75 million active daily users. And those users don’t just need to communicate with other Teams users. Sometimes they have to communicate with people who are not using Microsoft Teams and need the convenience of making a phone call from Teams to a non-teams user, any time, anywhere in the world. User communications don’t only traverse geographical or form factor boundaries, they also cross contextual boundaries.
Communications strategy has become increasingly critical to every organization. That may seem like a silly statement. Haven’t communications always been critical? Of course they have.
We call out those three applications in particular because they represent millions of active users every day. Microsoft Teams alone has 75 million active daily users. And those users don’t just need to communicate with other Teams users. Sometimes they have to communicate with people who are not using Microsoft Teams and need the convenience of making a phone call from Teams to a non-teams user, any time, anywhere in the world. User communications don’t only traverse geographical or form factor boundaries, they also cross contextual boundaries.
Communications strategy has become increasingly critical to every organization. That may seem like a silly statement. Haven’t communications always been critical? Of course they have.
But social distancing norms will continue to reduce our ability to meet face to face in the short term, and will likely have an ongoing impact in the long term. Forward-thinking organizations are not just implementing work from anywhere policies, but broader work from anywhere strategies that also consider the importance of the convenience of communications within the context of how employees spend their time at work.
To learn more about how the world of communications is becoming more contextual and why convenience matters, check out this article from Constellation Research, on “Reducing Team Communications Silos”.
But social distancing norms will continue to reduce our ability to meet face to face in the short term, and will likely have an ongoing impact in the long term. Forward-thinking organizations are not just implementing work from anywhere policies, but broader work from anywhere strategies that also consider the importance of the convenience of communications within the context of how employees spend their time at work.
To learn more about how the world of communications is becoming more contextual and why convenience matters, check out this article from Constellation Research, on “Reducing Team Communications Silos”.
But social distancing norms will continue to reduce our ability to meet face to face in the short term, and will likely have an ongoing impact in the long term. Forward-thinking organizations are not just implementing work from anywhere policies, but broader work from anywhere strategies that also consider the importance of the convenience of communications within the context of how employees spend their time at work.
To learn more about how the world of communications is becoming more contextual and why convenience matters, check out this article from Constellation Research, on “Reducing Team Communications Silos”.
But social distancing norms will continue to reduce our ability to meet face to face in the short term, and will likely have an ongoing impact in the long term. Forward-thinking organizations are not just implementing work from anywhere policies, but broader work from anywhere strategies that also consider the importance of the convenience of communications within the context of how employees spend their time at work.
To learn more about how the world of communications is becoming more contextual and why convenience matters, check out this article from Constellation Research, on “Reducing Team Communications Silos”.
Chapter 2 Preview
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters in our Connect Everywhere eBook. If you are eager to learn how we make communications convenient for Microsoft Teams, then click here for a 48-second introduction to see convenient communications in action.
Chapter 2 Preview
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters in our Connect Everywhere eBook. If you are eager to learn how we make communications convenient for Microsoft Teams, then click here for a 48-second introduction to see convenient communications in action.
Chapter 2 Preview
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters in our Connect Everywhere eBook. If you are eager to learn how we make communications convenient for Microsoft Teams, then click here for a 48-second introduction to see convenient communications in action.
Chapter 2 Preview
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters in our Connect Everywhere eBook. If you are eager to learn how we make communications convenient for Microsoft Teams, then click here for a 48-second introduction to see convenient communications in action.
1
More tools = more confusion.
Learn why organizations struggle to integrate communications platforms.
3
Teams can't go it alone.
Embed true voice services inside MS Teams to help users reach outside.
4
Real-world success.
Read how companies have already supercharged their MS Teams environments.
5
As easy as one, two, teams.
Learning the new way to connect will be easier than unlearning the hard way.
6
Set it and forget it.
Deploying 8x8 Voice for MS Teams takes less time than reading this chapter.
