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Whether you’re picking out your first next-gen business calling software or looking to upgrade to a better 8×8 alternative, it helps to know what’s available on the market. We’re here to help you make sure you choose the best VoIP solution for your sales and support needs.
Aircall
Justcall
Ringover
Dialpad
CloudTalk
Talkdesk
RingCentral
Positives
8×8 was established in 2002, making it one of the oldest VoIP providers on the market today. Nowadays, it hosts over 3 million business users, primarily in the SME (small-to-mid enterprise) space. So, what won over 8×8’s existing customers’ hearts?
Competitive Pricing
Packages start at just $24 per user/month with basic features.
In-Depth Analytics
Sophisticated reporting for agent efficiency and caller interactions.
Omnichannel Support
Quick and easy access to all channels for a unified experience.
Wide Ecosystem
Offers 65 native integrations for CRMs, Helpdesks, and more.
G2 Reviews proof
The exceptional features and capabilities are what I appreciate most about the 8×8 Contact Centre. First and foremost, its omnichannel support enables us to interact…
8×8 is super easy to use and navigate. I can easily see incoming calls and can communicate with my team effectively throughout the day.
Our most significant gains as we have scaled markets and operations were achieved with the precision and analytics VCC provided out of the box. We partnered with 8×8…
Negatives
Unfortunately, 8×8 doesn’t fit everyone’s needs. So, what are some downsides that might convince you to look for your next VoIP provider elsewhere?
Confusing UI
A steep learning curve requires extensive onboarding and training.
Global Availability
Only offers international and toll-free numbers in 55+ countries.
App Performance
Slow, unresponsive design and complex troubleshooting.
Limited Features
Provides a comparatively barebones experience to other solutions.
G2 Reviews proof
From the application to the customer service. WAY more bads than goods in my opinion. The application is just bad. It will constantly have new bugs, crashing issues, calls…
Customer lack of service department does not know how to use your system, therefor their advice is always to look it.
The mobile version is zero, the software is not intuitive on a computer either, customer service is bad, salespeople sell resiliable options that are not, the termination…
100+
$24
160+
$25
35+
$30
60+
$21
70+
$19
25+
$15
160+
$75
90+
$20
1
$19
10+
$149
0
$0 Plan + $99 Device
If you haven’t heard it yet, CloudTalk is the Next Generation Business Calling Software for data-driven sales and support teams. But let’s talk about what you’re really interested in – why you should choose CloudTalk as your 8×8 alternative.
"With CloudTalk's Analytics I now get to see every step of the way. We can find discrepancies between our agents and gain a much better understanding of our teams' setup."
Nelly Donnelly Service Delivery Manager
See customer story
"CloudTalk improved our team's cost and efficiency. The script feature allows us to lead the calls in a much more systematic way, as well as all the action buttons to trigger actions directly into our backend."
Yohann Bensadoun Global Supply Growth
See customer story
"Our call volume tripled in only 2 years, from around 10,000 calls to 30,000 per quarter and with CloudTalk, we can now handle all of this communication easily. It was an excellent choice."
Frederico Lopes Head of Customer Service
See customer story
"We have seen a significant increase in our outbound call volume since we started using CloudTalk and we can now reach out to more prospects and customers than ever before."
Elay Sasson Call Center Manager
See customer story
Poor call quality can be costly, let alone an outage. 42% of people never call back if they experience lag or delay. But with CloudTalk, you don’t have to worry about either. Enjoy crystal-clear call quality anywhere, anytime, and ensure your messaging always lands.
Don’t let landlines and borders (the other kind of land line) limit your company’s growth. Port your numbers or choose new ones from CloudTalk’s market-leading country coverage of 160+ local, national, mobile, and toll-free numbers and expand your influence.
As companies grow and needs change, so do tech stacks. But CloudTalk’s prepared for that. Add new apps as you go via an Open API, or choose from the 35+ native integrations featuring resilient infrastructure and 2-way synchronization, and enjoy faster, more reliable experiences.
Why let your agents waste time on tedious tasks if you can automate for even better results? Optimize your workflows with intelligent features, including Smart Dialers, Automatic Transcriptions, Case-Sensitive Analytics, and AI to save time and make more money.
Who else is on the market?
8×8 is an evergreen telephony solution focusing on integrations and analytics. The provider is well-suited for enterprises, but lower-tier subscriptions also work for smaller organizations. There are many benefits 8×8 can offer its subscribers.
First of all, the provider has done a great job building an Analytics system that can effectively track large-scale business processes. 8×8’s reporting system centralizes all data in a single place, so managers can make their teams more organized and speed up their workflow. You’ll also get real-time reports.
Then, we have the solution’s comprehensive integrations with software like Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and many more. Furthermore, 8×8 users get unlimited calling to 40+ countries. 8×8 telephony software comes with a smart dialer, click-to-call, and call recording.
If you own a business that works globally, there are a few things about 8×8 you might want to consider:
A crucial restriction, mainly for big international companies, is that there are regional constraints on unlimited calling. Users with the basic Express plan can only use unlimited calling in the US and Canada.
Physical location required: You need an office where you want to call to get a number from there.
Geographical restrictions for SMS: You can only use the SMS feature within the US, and 8×8 does not cover costs for mobile numbers in Brazil.
Integrations: 8×8 doesn’t partner with telco companies, so users won’t have native integration with specific solutions like WhatsApp. Non-native integrations must be set up by the tech team.
Features: 8×8 lacks features like call tagging for more efficient calling processes, call masking for protecting your personal information, and API for connecting with the tools you love. Automation tools like IVR, skills-based routing, or automated callback come only with high-tier plans. You have to pay extra to get a call recording.
Flexible for any business.
Aircall is an advanced calling solution used by 15,000+ clients. It’s designed to speed up sales processes, boost communication with prospects, and close more deals. You can Automatically dial multiple candidates in a back-to-back queue and surface crucial contact information directly within the phone interface.
Aircall excels when it comes to automation. The provider also features many useful integrations, including Intercom, Pipedrive, and Zapier. Furthermore, it offers Advanced automation tools, user-friendly apps, and reliable customer support.
Aircall lacks some essential video-calling features. Webinar hosting and screen-sharing capabilities are severely limited on the platform, which can lead to a fair amount of frustration for users.
Aircall is a calling software primarily targeted at small businesses using the phone to conduct sales and support business daily, but certainly not all of them. Think about how frequently your team uses smart dialers. You might consider looking elsewhere if they’re a core part of your day-to-day work.
Ringover is a cloud-based phone system that offers a range of features to enhance business communications, including call recording, IVR, and analytics. The software provides multichannel communication options, including voice, chat, and video.
Ringover’s pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses, and its customer service can be slow to respond. Additionally, some users have reported issues with the software’s call quality and reliability.
Ringover is a good choice for businesses of all sizes that require a multichannel communication solution with advanced analytics and reporting tools.
Justcall is a cloud phone system that provides businesses with a seamless calling experience. It’s a VoIP solution that offers advanced features and tools to manage customer communications. The company was founded in 2016 and has since grown to serve over 6,000 customers globally.
Justcall doesn’t offer some of the more advanced features, such as auto-attendant, call tagging, or skill-based routing. Additionally, while it does offer some integrations with popular CRM platforms, it doesn’t offer as many as some other competitors.
Justcall is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses that need a reliable phone system with advanced features. Its integrations with popular CRM and helpdesk platforms make it a great choice for sales and customer service teams.
Unless you’re new to the VoIP telephony market, you’ll surely have heard of Dialpad. It’s a reliable, unified telephony solution with simple built-in AI and advanced analytics. A live chat, phone hotline, and knowledge base make it a great deal for customer support teams.
Dialpad’s main advantages are voice intelligence and uptime between 99% and 100%. You’ll get conference video calls, sentiment analysis, voicemail transcriptions, call tracking metrics, Speech-to-Text for an automatic call recording, and much more.
With Dialpad, you can call the US and Canada for free and from anywhere in the world. Inbound and outbound calling within your country is also free of charge. The provider has a modern, well-organized UI, plenty of training videos, and a well-built mobile application.
While Dialpad offers a Power dialer, it lacks a Smart and Predictive dialer. The Power dialer feature is limited, as it only works with Salesforce. Unlike the CloudTalk app, the Dialpad app only allows users to dial phone numbers manually.
The Preferred agent feature only works through API.
Dialpad also lacks a visual flow editor for its Call flow designer. Furthermore, you can’t send SMS messages outside of the US and Canada, although this feature will soon become available to those in the UK.
The provider offers a limited integration stack, and Voicemail drop comes only with Dialpad Sell.
Any size of sales organization looking to drive agent efficiency and speed up ramp times.
Talkdesk is a cloud-based contact center solution that enables businesses to provide customer support via phone, email, chat, and social media. It offers a range of features such as call routing, IVR, and workforce management and is used by companies of all sizes.
Talkdesk doesn’t offer conference calling or auto-attendants, which may be a disadvantage for sales teams. Additionally, some users have reported that the platform can be slow and prone to technical issues. There’s also no free trial available.
Talkdesk is a good choice for businesses of all sizes that need a flexible and scalable contact center solution. It’s especially useful for businesses that want a wide range of integrations and analytics tools.
When you think about VoIP telephony solutions, RingCentral is among the first ones that come to mind. It’s no wonder the company has been on the market for over 20 years and has built quite a reputation.
RingCentral has a great variety of features and offers HD-quality voice and video. The provider is a good fit for enterprises since it provides an omnichannel experience, lead qualification tools, management, collaboration, and performance features – all in a single software.
Despite all the positives, RingCentral lacks many essential tools that modern businesses require.
Features like native sentiment analytics, Speech-to-Text transcription, smart dialers, or Skill-based routing are only included in Contact Centre Solution. The same goes for some agent management features, like monitoring.
The Call recording tool and Toll-free numbers are only available as add-ons for an additional cost.
Furthermore, RingCentral’s implementation can take as much as 90 days and involves an implementation fee. RingCentral UI is also not always the friendliest to work with.
RingCentral MVP is a flexible cloud-based solution ideal for businesses of all sizes.
Nextiva is a big player in the VoIP market, providing services to more than 15,000 customers. Nextiva is widely regarded as user-friendly — users can start calling within minutes thanks to a simple and intuitive setup process. Furthermore, the system is hosted by Nextiva, which makes maintenance of the software Nextiva’s responsibility.
Nextiva offers various advanced features, including conference calling, voicemail transcription, multi-level attendant, and much more. The provider also integrates with solutions like Zendesk, ConnectWise, or MS Teams.
Nextiva’s HIPAA-compliant virtual faxing makes it a great solution for healthcare workers. Medical employees can share information without having to worry about data breaches.
Furthermore, 24/7 support means agents are always on hand to assist you.
Although Nextiva is a well-known VoIP solution, there are some issues you should know about when considering this provider:
Integrations: Nextiva is missing certain integrations, like Slack or Zapier. With Zapier, users can connect their VoIP telephony system with thousands of non-native systems.
Prices: Many consider Nextiva’s prices high, especially for small businesses.
Businesses need a robust, secure, and reliable enterprise phone system that works across every device and has advanced features like video conferencing, mobile apps, call recording, and more.
Five9 is a cloud-based contact center solution that offers a range of features for customer service and sales teams. These include omnichannel support, workforce optimization, reporting and analytics, and more.
Five9’s pricing can be higher compared to some other contact center solutions in the market, which may make it less attractive to some businesses. Additionally, some users have reported issues with the platform’s call quality.
Five9 is suitable for mid-sized and large enterprises that require an all-in-one cloud contact center solution with omnichannel support, advanced workforce optimization features, and robust reporting and analytics capabilities.
Ooma is an ideal solution for smaller companies with up to 500 employees or a home phone service. It is mostly used for call logging, alerts, and escalations.
Although the setup is very simple, and you can seek assistance from guides or customer support, no in-person training is involved. Ooma also doesn’t offer predictive dialers and telemarketing management. These features speed up your workflow and make your sales efforts much smoother.
Ooma is best for smaller businesses looking for a basic VoIP service.
Yes, 8×8 is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and business communication solution primarily aimed at companies in the SME (small-to-mid-sized enterprise) space.
It allows you to make calls and send messages over the Internet and offers a variety of additional automation and smart features.
Only in certain cases. The standard X2 plan comes with unlimited voice calls in 14 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more. However, you’ll have to pay the appropriate rates for calls to other countries.
8×8’s pricing starts at $25 per user/month with the standard X2 plan. The X4 plan costs $44 per user/month. The pricing for the X6, X7, and X8 plans is only available per request.
Yes, on its page, 8×8 offers 3 types of APIs – Communication, Meeting-as-a-Service, and Contact Center APIs.
Yes, you may use the 8×8 Work for Mobile app to make and receive phone calls, send and receive instant messages, and access your 8×8 line from your Apple iPhone or iPad, Android phone or tablet, or even an Amazon Fire tablet.
8×8 offers coverage, including international, toll-free, and local numbers in 55+ countries. These include core regions like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more.
8×8’s main customer base is composed of SME customers (small-to-mid enterprises) but can work for clients and companies of all sizes, including freelancers, SMBs, and enterprises.
8×8 offers 65 native integrations for various tools, including CRMs, Workforce Management, Communicational AI, and more. Here are a few examples.
CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshdesk, MS Dynamics 365, Pipedrive, Zendesk, etc.
Conversational AI: Cognigy, Logicdialog, Assist-Me by converse360, Syndeo, etc.
Workforce Management: Nice, OpenText, Calabrio, Alvaria, CommunityWFM, etc.
IT Operations: Microsoft Teams, Azure, Slack, Okta, PremierCX, Citrix, etc.
Schedule a demo today and find out for yourself.
