After reviewing Eloquent’s needs and multiple telephony solutions, Blackstar recommended going with 8x8, which offered better scalability and control than the others. “8x8 gives our clients a lot of value for the money with an all-in-one solution that is simple to implement, use, and maintain,” said Elliot Mace, Head of Sales at Blackstar. Other deciding factors included 8x8’s ease of use, breadth of functionality, cost control, and native CRM integration.
Since implementation, feedback on the new system has been positive across the company. First and foremost, 8x8 is reliable and performative. “It works great on my mobile phone as well as my laptop,” said Nick Donovan, Business Development Executive at Eloquent. “I’m out on customer sites quite often, so I can just take my phone with me and I know I’m not going to miss a call.” In addition, the 8x8 interface is modern and appealing, which makes it an easy and useful tool for everyone.
Several 8x8 features stand out for Eloquent employees. In particular, people found it useful to simply click on a number and dial it directly from a document, web page, email, or other source. Having a list of contacts, with faces and availability displayed, makes collaboration easier. For those on the go, the ability to transfer calls between devices, and receive email alerts when someone leaves a voice message, helps them stay responsive and productive in the field. Finally, 8x8’s integration with Eloquent’s CRM system has led to consistent, accurate data capture around calls.
Nick Donovan recalls an “aha moment” when on a call with a prospective client using another system. He says, “At a critical moment, the video and audio cut out. So, we stopped the call, switched to 8x8, and successfully completed the conversation. 8x8 came to the rescue!”
For Eloquent, the new system has proven a success on multiple fronts. 8x8’s reliability has eliminated frustration for both employees and customers. “It was quite interesting to see the attitudes flip from frustration to satisfaction,” says Donovan.
The switch has enabled the company to achieve its customer service goals, and as a result, Eloquent’s CSAT scores have increased. “8x8 has really helped us to drive our service excellence for our customer base,” says Marshall. “We’re no longer dropping or missing calls, and we have much better internal visibility, regardless of where people are working—in the office, at home, at a client’s site, or elsewhere.”
In the bigger picture, these improvements will help Eloquent to operate more efficiently as fewer customers are calling back and staff don’t have to spend extra time hunting around for voicemails or call information. “8x8 makes our jobs easier,” says Marshall, “which over the long-term, means that customers will spend more time with us because they’re getting better service. Growth and revenue will naturally follow.”