What Is 8×8? Phone System Review and Pricing

Read our 8×8 review to see why over two million companies use this phone system…

What Is 8×8?

8×8 is a business phone system that integrates video conferencing, instant messaging, and phone calls into a singular platform, which is known as unified communication as a service (UCaaS). Founded in 1987, 8×8 is now used by over two million businesses worldwide.

With the rise of remote working, UCaaS systems like 8×8 are becoming wise investments because they enable users to access a platform and communicate with colleagues, customers, and clients from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. These systems are scalable, too, meaning you can easily add more users as your business grows.

What Are 8×8’s Features And Benefits?

Does 8×8 have 10/10 features? Not quite, but we were certainly impressed with some of its offerings during our research enough to hand it the top spot in our best virtual phone number apps ranking. Check out our favorites below…

✓ Reliable Uptime to Ensure Call Quality

Boasting a 99.999% SLA (service-level agreement) that ensures a reliable uptime and excellent call quality, 8×8 can pretty much guarantee your calls will almost never drop or dip in clarity. This means you can contact as many customers as you like without fear of losing the line or mishearing important information. From our research, we found that 8×8’s uptime is ever so slightly higher than most competitors’, including GoToConnect whose uptime is 99.9%.

✓ Integrations to Streamline Your Workflows

8×8’s system will streamline your workplace communications on its own, but you can also install third-party integrations to the system to take this even further. Some of our favorite available integrations include Microsoft Teams, CRM (customer relationship management) software Salesforce and Zendesk, plus the instant messaging service Slack.

✓ Secure and Compliant Certifications to Protect Data

We were impressed with 8×8’s compliance standards to say the least, which should give you and your business more peace of mind when it comes to keeping your data safe. To name a couple certifications, 8×8 is FISMA compliant and meets its advanced encryption standards, while it also meets the FCC requirements for protecting Consumer Proprietary Networking Information.

Want these features for your business? We can put you in touch with Canada’s best phone system companies who’ll offer you free, bespoke quotes for you to compare.

To get started, simply use our free comparison tool (it only takes a minute) and we’ll match your business with companies that best suit your requirements. They’ll then contact you with more information on how their service can help your business, and provide no-obligation quotes for you to compare. Our service is quick, easy, and totally free.

How Much Does 8×8’s Phone System Cost?

Costs always come into consideration when making business decisions. It’s a fact. That’s why we’ve reviewed the latest 8×8 phone system pricing plans to help you decide which plan is right for your team, or whether any of the plans are in fact suitable for your business.

It’s worth noting that the Express plan comes with a one-month free trial, and that all prices are charged annually in USD.

What is 8×8’s most suitable plan for your business? Let’s dissect 8×8’s phone system pricing plans to help you decide…

Express

In our expert opinion, the entry-level Express plan is suitable for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Starting at just $12 per month per user when billed annually, it’s about half the cost of GoToConnect’s lowest plan, which costs CAD$31.20 per month per user. When you also consider that the Express plan comes with a one-month free trial, it’s superb value for money compared to its competitors.

X2

With the ability to call up to 14 countries – including Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom – and to integrate your 8×8 system with third-party software, the X2 plan is a step up from the Express plan. Costing $24 per user per month, the X2 is suitable for small to medium-sized companies, or any business with customers or clients in Europe, Australia, or New Zealand.

X4

The natural choice for medium to large businesses, the X4 adds unlimited voice calling to 33 more countries and comes with call quality reporting. This plan also allows your supervisors to monitor and join calls, making it a great choice for companies with contact centers.

However, at $44 per user per month, the X4 isn’t quite as affordable as RingCentral’s equivalent Premium plan, which costs $34.99 per user per month – so you might want to look elsewhere if you need a cost-effective option for your large or enterprise business.

Is 8×8 Right For My Business?

What is 8×8? And is it right for your exact business? In this section, we’ll present some common questions and scenarios – followed by appropriate answers – to help you decide whether 8×8 is right for you.

Does 8×8 cater for small businesses?

Yes. 8×8 is one of the best phone systems for small businesses. We know not every small business is on a tight budget, but 8×8’s phone system price plans start at just $12 per user per month, which we’re sure would intrigue any small business owner. For small businesses with more than 10 employees, we’d recommend the X2 plan costing just $24 per user per month instead, offering the ability to integrate your system with third-party CRM and messaging software.

Is 8×8 suitable for large businesses?

For large or enterprise companies, there are more cost-effective options out there than 8×8. For instance, RingCentral offers a similar plan to 8×8’s X4 plan that costs about $10 less per user per month. For businesses with large teams and contact centers, that could well make a huge difference.

What Do 8×8 Customer Reviews Say?

While we are industry experts, it’s important to show you what real customers like yourself think about 8×8. After all, the more opinions you read, the more insight you have to make an informed decision for your business. So, we searched online for genuine 8×8 reviews. Overall, we found positive feedback – though some users said the customer support could be improved…

“I have been using 8×8 since 2006, as both a business and residential customer, and I’ve had a consistent and reliable service the entire time.”

• Marketing company (August 2021)

“8×8 is a fantastic product when it works. However, getting support can be a bit painful, especially when major issues arise.”

• Consultancy company (June 2021)

“Truly exceptional. We needed a new telephony system that would accommodate our new field sales and billing department. Because of the high turnover, and the changing times caused by the pandemic, mobility was a requirement. 8×8 solved this issue for us.”

• Infrastructure and Operations company (June 2021)

Expert Verdict

8×8 is a great value option for small and medium-sized businesses, with generous price plans starting at just $12 per user per month. However, it’s not ideal for large or enterprise companies, because there are more cost-effective options than 8×8’s highest plan.

With this in mind, it would be a smart idea to compare quotes from trusted phone system companies that best suit your exact needs. We can help you there.

Simply use our free comparison tool and tell us what you require, and we’ll match your business with suitable companies. They’ll then contact you with more information and no-obligation quotes for you to compare. Don’t forget that our service is totally free.