8x8 Adds Virtual Office for Solo Shops

8×8 Inc. announced Wednesday the launch and availability of its new 8×8 Virtual Office Solo service, an all-in-one, business VoIP telephone and cloud communications solution designed specifically for single-person businesses, such as entrepreneurs, home office workers and mobile professionals.

The service includes business-class features, such as voice mail, call recording and archiving and call forwarding, plus Internet fax and unlimited local and long-distance in the United States and Canada for  $7.99 per month plus taxes and fees.

There is no hardware or software to buy or maintain. Instead, Virtual Office Solo is accessed through a web-based soft client that allows the user to place and receive calls over the 8×8 network using a PC headset or other device such as a mobile or home phone.

Incoming calls automatically can be forwarded to any handset. Call handling rules can be customized to send calls to preferred device if Internet service is down, for specific callers or calls from a specific area code, or even based on the time of day.

The system includes free downloadable mobile apps that enable users to place and receive calls through iOS and Android devices while displaying their Virtual Office Solo phone number as the Caller ID. This allows users to conduct business while keeping their mobile phone number private.

Virtual Office Solo also includes a built-in Internet fax service to send and receive fax documents. Users also get access to 8×8’s Virtual Meeting video web conferencing service to host unlimited telephone and web-based meetings for up to 15 simultaneous participants. The system also includes call waiting, music on hold, caller ID and three-way calling.

Existing contacts can be imported from Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. Users can click to initiate communication with any contact by phone or social media chat.

8×8 Virtual Office Solo is accessible from any Windows or Mac-compatible web browser with Java 10.0 or higher support; no additional software downloads or added plug-ins are required. Customers can port their existing phone numbers over to the Virtual Office Solo platform.  Additional direct numbers are provided for the Internet fax service and dial-in phone conference service.

Virtual Office Solo users can ramp up to the full Virtual Office platform, which includes complete hosted PBX extension-dialing, auto attendant, customizable music on hold and more.

Virtual Office Solo can be ordered online and installed in less than two minutes.