8x8 Artificial Intelligence Updates Seek to Add Partner Value

8x8 is rolling out various artificial intelligence (AI)-themed features across its integrated cloud platform, which encompasses contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS), unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) and communications-platfrom-as-a-service (CPaaS) solutions.

The platform now features a smorgasbord of AI-centric tools that assist users in ingesting, analyzing "and acting on customer interactions to provide a richer experience at every step in the journey," the company's chief revenue officer, Lisa Martin, told Channel Futures.

8x8's recent blitz of AI features is poised to "provide channel partners with additional prospects to help organizations use new AI capabilities to deliver higher-quality customer experience and drive positive business outcomes," Martin said.

Having released such an exhaustive set of AI updates that span its entire cloud platform, Martin said features like its voice support for 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant will enable channel partners to help their customers deploy solutions that best meet their specific business requirements.

8x8's Lisa Martin

In addition to updates to its overall product, 8x8 also recently said Regal.io would join as the latest member of its technology partner ecosystem. Regal focuses on helping companies make data-driven decisions leveraging AI across various verticals spanning health care to education.

"Regal.io’s integrated solution is yet another example of how 8x8 is innovating in the AI space, providing channel partners and their customers with customizable AI solutions that fit their needs and integrate into a single cloud communications platform," Martin shared.

8x8 Artificial Intelligence and the Channel

According to Martin, 8x8 is investing "heavily in its platform," from an AI perspective, hoping to make it simpler for 8x8 channel partners to deploy 8x8 artificial intelligence to "help their customers deliver superior customer engagement across their entire organization."

As for channel partner opportunities, Martin said 8x8's AI-focused and non-AI-centric tools are all geared toward the channel and toward "driving revenue and business success."

As AI Proliferates, More Ethical and Legal Questions Arise

8x8 also recently announced the launch of an AI-fueled housing association solution it designed to reduce property maintenance costs. The solution, deemed, "8x8 Active Assessor," assists housing associations in the United Kingdom. It does so by identifying before something goes awry.

In June and July, 8x8 released another slew of AI-rich features across its entire platform, demonstrating what the company says is a commitment to being one of the dominant AI players in unified communications.

It hopes the channel will use these tools to help improve the customer and user experience, Martin told Channel Futures.