CEO Chat: Is UC Dead? 8x8 CEO Says No!

UC Today

In this insightful UC Today video, Dave Michels of TalkingPointz sits down with Samuel Wilson, CEO of 8x8, to delve into the rapidly evolving landscape of unified communications (UC) and contact centers (CC).

With over seven years at 8x8 and a diverse background in finance, customer experience, and business strategy, Samuel provides a unique perspective on the industry's trends and future directions.

In this engaging conversation, Dave and Samuel discuss the critical developments in the unified communications and contact center space. With a year under his belt as the official CEO, Samuel shares his journey and insights into 8x8’s innovative strategies and market trends.

Unified Communications and Contact Centers Integration: Samuel highlights the natural convergence of UC and CC, emphasizing the efficiency and synergy of having a single provider for both services. He discusses 8x8’s decade-long presence in this integrated market and the addition of CPAS in 2019, predicting that more companies will follow this path.

The Future of Digital-Only Contact Centers: The conversation touches on the increasing importance of digital channels in contact centers. Samuel reveals 8x8's plans for a digital-only contact center offering and explains the significance of blended interactions, where agents can handle both voice and digital communications seamlessly.

Generative AI in CCaaS: Addressing the rise of AI, Samuel explains how 8x8 leverages generative AI from major players like OpenAI and Google to enhance transcription and analytics. He believes that integrating AI into their platform offers significant value without the need for separate AI vendors.