Once a decision was made, The Workplace Depot implemented 8x8 right away. “Everyone was a bit nervous at first,” says Shantel Wakelin, Sales Manager at Workplace Depot. “We didn’t know what it was going to be like. But overall, the quality has been great and we’ve had very little issues with the new system. In addition, using the system is so simple and straightforward.”
Employees have the 8x8 Work app on their personal phones, which makes it easier to take calls while moving around the office or working remotely. Says Wakelin: “Yesterday, I was running late to work and a call came through on my phone absolutely seamlessly. The app makes it a lot easier when we're working from home and we just need to quickly pick up a couple of calls. It's really handy.”
Several 8x8 features have been particularly helpful. The multi-level auto attendant feature allows teams to create custom call experiences through multiple menus, giving customers self-service options to meet their needs quickly and efficiently. The Ring Group feature distributes incoming calls amongst the sales and support teams to help them balance workloads and handle higher call volumes.
Wakelin’s favorite feature, however, is 8x8’s analytics and reporting. “In the past, we had to keep a tally chart in a notebook,” she says. “Every time we picked up a call, we had to write down the details. Now, we automatically get all the data we need, which is a massive time saver.”
Post-implementation, 8x8’s support team has helped The Workplace Depot discover more ways to optimize its use of the platform. Needham says: “We have a good relationship with our account manager who regularly makes suggestions on how we can make better use of 8x8 features and capabilities. And whenever we need help with anything, she’s there for us.”
As The Workplace Depot grows, new employees need to learn the company systems. With 8x8, onboarding has been straightforward and simple—new hires have been able to get up and running quickly. “Everyone, from the sales team to the accounts team to the warehouse team has been very comfortable with the phone system,” says Needham.
Customers have been comfortable with the 8x8 solution as well. They no longer get transferred from one department to another, as calls are automatically routed to the right person to help. “It saves so much time for our team and we can manage our time much better. As a result, we are able to improve our customer service,” says Wakelin.
“I’d recommend 8x8 because the quality and service are second to none,” says Needham. “Communications are vital to our business. Most of our sales come from the internet, but our customers still prefer to pick up the phone from time to time. Those calls are worth so much to us, and 8x8 gives us the agility and analytics that we need to keep customers coming back.”
