More Than 200 Agents in 25 States Use 8x8
Virtual Contact Center to Provide Customer Support for Tech
Companies and City Governments
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), a provider of cloud-based unified
communications, contact center and collaboration services, today
announced that Direct Interactions, a Seattle-based outsourced call
center provider, is utilizing its cloud-based Virtual Contact
Center solution to create home-based employment opportunities for
disabled veterans and military families.
The idea behind Direct Interactions’ socially responsible
mission came from co-founder and President Matt Storey. He and his
business partner, CEO Jonas Nicholson, had set up a number of
offshore call centers in the 1990s and realized the same technology
could empower Americans with disabilities and military families by
enabling them to work from home.
“I wanted to prove that with the right technology and
opportunities, I could compete as a knowledge worker in today’s
economy,” said Tom Gonzalez, seven year veteran of the Navy SEALs.
“With Direct Interactions, I am part of team solving problems for
customers and setting an example that just because a person had a
disability, it doesn’t mean we can’t excel in the modern
workforce.”
Direct Interactions’ 200 agents work from home, providing
customer support for technology companies, city governments and
organizations interested in demonstrating their commitment to
corporate social responsibility.
Nicholson noted that the company’s work-from-home model gives it
many competitive advantages. “Because our agents work from home, we
can recruit top talent nationwide and be selective about whom we
hire,” he said. “Another advantage is that our agents stick around
longer than the average call center rep. The average turnover rate
is around 50 percent, but with our agents it’s less than 10
percent.”
Over the next three years, Nicholson plans to expand its
workforce to 1000 agents nationwide. At the same time, Nicholson
hopes other companies will be inspired by Direct Interactions,
which has been recognized by the State of Washington and various
nonprofits for its efforts in creating jobs for people with
disabilities.
“Working from home is a winning trend, and so is hiring people
with disabilities,” said Nicholson. “We would like to see more
companies copy us, and are happy to advise anyone interested in
using 8x8 technology to build a more inclusive workforce. 8x8’s
reliability and superior voice quality make them a great technology
partner.”
“Profitability is not the only driver behind today’s
businesses,” noted 8x8 CEO Vik Verma. “Being a good corporate
citizen is increasingly important to executives, employees,
customers and shareholders alike. Using 8x8’s cloud-based Virtual
Contact Center, companies can remove barriers to employment and
create opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people by
allowing them to work almost anywhere.”
To support its highly distributed model, Direct Interactions
relies on 8x8 Virtual Contact Center technology to centrally route
calls to agents’ homes without sacrificing call quality. In
addition, 8x8 provides online tools that make it easy for agents to
manage customer interactions efficiently and deliver a high-quality
customer experience.
“One of the biggest challenges of the home agent model is
finding ways to help the supervisors monitor customer
interactions,” said Nicholson. “8x8 provides tools that let them
listen to calls, record calls, and run reports so they can tell
when agents need more training.”
Although many of the company’s home-based agents are disabled,
they don’t require any special equipment to use 8x8 Virtual Contact
Center technology.
“Early on, one of our key requirements was that our contact
center had to be compatible with a screen reader because many of
our agents have visual impairments,” said Nicholson. “8x8 was more
than accommodating in enabling our agents to use their own
technology to read what’s on the screen and navigate the contact
center functions. Basically, our agents just need a phone, a
computer and a high-speed Internet connection. The rest of our 8x8
contact center is in the cloud.”
As contact center experts, Nicholson and his business partner
have implemented dozens of “mini” 8x8 contact centers for clients
over the years, including CRM integrations. This can take from a
few hours to a couple of days, depending on the complexity of the
deployment.
“We’ve integrated 8x8 with Salesforce.com. The advantage of
Virtual Contact Center integrating with a CRM is that we reduce the
average call-handling time and put account information right at the
agent’s fingertips,” said Nicholson. “Customers appreciate it when
the agent doesn’t have to spend time looking them up and already
knows who they are.”
About 8x8, Inc.
8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) is the trusted provider of secure and
reliable cloud-based unified communications and virtual contact
center solutions to more than 40,000 small, midsize and distributed
enterprise organizations operating in over 40 countries across six
continents. 8x8's out-of-the-box cloud solutions replace
traditional on-premise PBX hardware and software-based systems with
a flexible and scalable Software as a Service (SaaS) alternative,
encompassing cloud business phone service, contact center
solutions, and web conferencing. For additional information, visit
www.8x8.com, or www.8x8.com/UK or connect with 8x8 on Google+,
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Direct Interactions
Inc.
Direct Interactions delivers customer interaction solutions that
utilize staff that work from home. The “home-sourcing” model is a
cost effective alternative to offshore and conventional call
centers. Direct Interactions utilizes innovative technology and
rewarding business practices to reduce the costs of operations and
gain a competitive advantage for our clients. By providing the most
worker-friendly environment possible, Direct Interactions is able
to attract the highest caliber talent.
Direct Interactions is a proud member of the WSBLN, and the
Neurological Vocational Services Unit at Harborview Medical Center
and the University of Washington Medical Center. More information
is available by contacting Direct Interactions at (866) 773 3622 or
visiting www.directinteractions.com.
8x8, Inc.Tim Polakowski, 408-883-8434tim.polakowski@8x8.com
8x8 (NYSE:EGHT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
8x8 (NYSE:EGHT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024