Let’s cut to the chase: slow, clunky systems are costing you more than time. They’re draining your team, your budget, and—most importantly—your customers’ patience. And let’s be honest, shoppers don’t stick around when the digital experience feels like it’s running on dial-up.

If you’re an IT leader in retail, you know this better than anyone. You’re not just managing infrastructure anymore—you’re managing transformation. From connecting global teams and securing transactions to enabling hybrid workforces and driving customer loyalty, IT is now the engine powering the business forward.

So, how do you keep up with rising expectations without burning out your team or blowing up your tech stack?

You download The new mandate for retail IT: Streamline. Secure. Scale.—that’s how.

The rise of the strategic IT leader in retail

Gone are the days when IT quietly worked behind the scenes. Today, you’re center stage—tasked with turning complexity into clarity, and chaos into competitive advantage.

The good news? You’re not alone. Retail IT teams everywhere are facing similar challenges:

  • Juggling too many disconnected tools
  • Managing rising security threats
  • Supporting distributed and in-store teams
  • Delivering standout CX across every channel

The 8x8® Platform for CX was built to solve exactly these issues—by unifying UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS into a single, AI-powered solution that simplifies operations, strengthens security, and helps you scale without adding more duct tape to your tech stack.

What you’ll learn in the guide

Let’s not give away all the secrets—but here are two major insights from the guide that IT leaders shouldn’t miss:

1. CX doesn’t just happen in the contact center.

You probably already know this intuitively: up to 60% of customer interactions are happening outside the contact center (Hanover Research, commissioned by 8x8, 2024). Yet many IT environments are still built around the idea that support is centralized in one place. That’s a problem.

Disconnected systems result in disconnected experiences. And disconnected experiences create unhappy customers.

The guide explores how 8x8® Engage gives every team—HQ, store associates, support, and e-commerce— the tools to collaborate in real time, share insights, and actually deliver on the promise of seamless CX. All without the headache of managing multiple vendors or onboarding yet another platform.

It’s flexible, secure, and—most importantly—retail-proof. Built for the peaks, the promos, and the everything-in-between.

2. Securing payments shouldn’t slow you down.

Digital payments are booming (yay). So are data breaches (not yay). Many retailers are still using outdated payment processing systems that leave sensitive information vulnerable—and nothing kills trust faster than compromised customer data.

Here’s where 8x8®Secure Pay comes in. It’s designed to keep transactions fast and frictionless for shoppers—and fully secure for you.

With PCI-compliant voice interactions, encrypted links, and AI-powered authentication (hello, OTP + 2FA), you get the protection you need without dragging out the checkout process. And yes, there are even self-service options that customers actually want to use.

Because secure doesn’t have to mean slow.

What else is inside?

This guide is more than a checklist—it’s a CX strategy primer for retail IT leaders who are ready to take the reins. Inside, you’ll also discover:

  • How to get more from your Microsoft Teams deployment—without adding complexity.
  • How to lower your total cost of ownership by consolidating vendors and licenses.
  • The secret to unifying customer and employee interactions across 55+ countries.
  • Why cloud-based telephony is your next big leap (and why 80% of enterprises are headed there by 2027).

So, why 8x8?

Because we don’t just stitch together tools—we build a single platform that connects your people, protects your data, and powers every interaction with AI-driven insights.

With the 8x8 Platform for CX, you get:

  • Unified communications (UCaaS) with 8x8® Work.
  • Full-service contact center (CCaaS).
  • Flexible APIs and messaging (CPaaS).
  • End-to-end security, compliance, and analytics.
  • A future-ready architecture built to scale with you.

Ready to make your IT stack work harder (so your team doesn't have to)?

Let’s be real—your team doesn't need another tool. You need a better way to run all of them.

If you're ready to move from patchwork to platform, from firefighting to future-proofing, download the guide. It’s packed with insights to help you simplify operations, secure every interaction, and scale with confidence.

Get the guide: The new mandate for retail IT: Streamline. Secure. Scale.

Retail moves fast. With 8x8, your IT can move faster.