Labels Don’t Matter. Outcomes Do.

The tech industry loves its boxes. You’re either an application company or a platform company. You build the tools, or you provide the foundation. Pick a lane, stay in it, keep the analysts comfortable.

But real innovation rarely fits neatly into one category.

What actually matters is solving real customer problems, not the label attached to the solution.

Real innovation rarely fits neatly into one category.

Samuel Wilson

CEO, 8x8

Quality and Coordination: The Two Sides of Innovationlink to this section

We build applications because some capabilities are too important to outsource. And we build the platform beneath them because even the best tools don’t work without coordination.

Great experiences come from both: quality in the application and cohesion in the platform.

That means integrating the best of what we build—and the best of what our partners build—into something cohesive, reliable, and ready to evolve as customer needs change.

Across the industry, echoed in discussions at events like the Cavell Summit North America, one message is clear: the era of rigid, one-size-fits-all platforms is over. Modern organizations need solutions that adapt as they evolve, not frameworks that lock them in. Flexibility isn’t a feature anymore; it’s the minimum standard for innovation.

Because flexibility matters. Customizability matters. Because a customer's evolution shouldn’t outgrow what we're able to deliver.

What We’re Building Matters…link to this section

Voice is still the most trusted channel when clarity, nuance, or urgency is on the line. But it’s not the only channel that matters. Customers expect to engage across many modes – voice, messaging, chat, outbound, payments – and they expect those experiences to work together.

That’s why we’re designing digital messaging applications that bring channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS directly into the contact center, fully integrated and built for real-world complexity.

Voice, messaging, engagement, and support aren’t things we outsource. They’re capabilities we craft with intent, backed by routing logic, interactivity, and smart workflows.

When a customer sends an RCS message to confirm a delivery or initiate a transaction, that is underscored by logic, interactivity, and routing rules. This isn’t just enabled connectivity; it is something we have purposefully built, refined, and delivered.

Applications translate customer needs into interfaces and processes. When we design a smart dialer, a conversation analytics engine, or a secure payment flow, it’s to solve specific operational challenges.

And customers reflect that in how they use the tools:

• Some adopt advanced voice capabilities.
• Others rely on outbound engagement to boost response and conversion.
• Many unify their service teams on contact center solutions to simplify support.

These systems are mission-critical. They drive revenue, loyalty, and customer experience, powered by applications built for performance, reliability, and clarity.

If we were just an infrastructure company, we would wait on others to do the heavy lifting. But we are not. We know what great communication looks like, and we design our applications around those moments that matter most.

However, because we own the experience, we can ensure it works seamlessly from the UI to the back end, and every workflow in between.

…And the Connective Tissue Matters Toolink to this section

Our platform is the foundation upon which everything stands. Every solution we build, every product we offer, is connected. But platform doesn’t have to be a dirty word. So much of the conversation around platforms carries connotations like “rigid,” “locked in,” “inflexible.” That’s not our approach.

Our architecture is built around APIs, extensive microsystems, a continuous innovation and deployment code factory, and our Technology Partner Ecosystem(TPES). Together, these elements form the foundation that connects everything: our applications, our partners, and our customers.

This architecture allows core capabilities to work together seamlessly, and it gives partners a secure, meaningful way to integrate. Most importantly, it gives customers the freedom to configure, customize, and grow without being locked into rigid suites or forced to stitch together disconnected point solutions.

You can see this platform thinking throughout the customer journey. Take the outbound dialer: on its own, it’s an application. But paired with campaign management from a partner like Regal, it becomes a coordinated, cross-channel motion: targeted, scalable, and built for measurable impact.

Messaging works the same way. Sending an RCS notification is a moment of communication. Combine it with a guided digital conversation, intelligent automation, and secure payment handling from partners, and it becomes a complete, end-to-end experience. Multiple systems working together, powered by a shared foundation.

What you get out of the solutions you invest in should matter to the people providing them. Our application approach—built on a stable, extensible platform—means we can meet customers where they are and grow with them as their needs evolve.

Customers should be able to evolve without rebuilding from scratch every time their needs shift.

A Platform That Ties Our Best (and the Best of Our Partners) Togetherlink to this section

Customers should be able to evolve without rebuilding from scratch every time their needs shift.

Too often, research firms focus on feature lists and box-checking, engine size, knobs on the dashboard, while overlooking the real question: Does this help a business get from point A to point B with less friction and better outcomes?

That’s what a modern platform enables:

• Not just more features, but better cooperation between them.
• Not just applications, but connected solutions.
• Not just capabilities, but meaningful outcomes.

Whether a customer starts with a single capability or adds more as they grow, the experience remains coordinated, resilient, and scalable—without breakage or complexity.

Put it all together, and the model is straightforward: build standout applications, support a strong ecosystem of specialists, and connect everything on a scalable, adaptable foundation.

Let the analysts debate the labels. We’ll stay focused on outcomes because what matters isn’t how innovation is classified, but how it performs for the people who rely on it every day.

Samuel Wilson

Chief Executive Officer, 8x8

Samuel Wilson is Chief Executive Officer at 8x8, bringing 25+ years of experience across finance, investment management, and sales, plus deep company leadership spanning Chief Financial Officer, Chief Customer Officer, and go-to-market roles to drive disciplined growth and customer outcomes.