8×8 announced the availability of 8×8 Express in the UK. 8×8 Express offers a complete business phone system, enabling the UK’s five million micro-businesses to set up a professional cloud communications system in minutes with no additional support required.

With a readily available pre-configured package, 8×8 Express offers even the smallest businesses, with as little as one or two people, a professional phone system that meets the unique requirements of modern workplaces including dedicated business phone numbers, unlimited UK calls, auto-receptionist, voicemail, intelligent call routing, secure video conferencing and team chat, all accessible from desktop and mobile applications.

For smaller organisations, cloud communications enables them to remain competitive in a fast-moving environment, and can also be used as a sales and marketing tool to help maintain a professional brand and gain more customers. Creating connections and positive experiences through their community of contacts is also critical; a recent 8×8 study found that over half of consumers are more likely to recommend a business after having had a positive experience.

“Cloud based solutions for enterprise communications are expected to experience an accelerated pace of growth in the post Covid-19 period than what was forecasted prior to the pandemic,” said Oru Mohiuddin, Research Manager, European Enterprise Communications and Collaboration, at IDC. “It is a growing view that remote working will become a new norm when we return to normal, and communication systems that can facilitate remote collaboration will be key for business success. Frictionless communication, intuitive interface, robust security measures and easy deployment and provisioning will be vital and vendors offering simple one-stop solutions will be the clear winners in the European UC&C market.”

“To remain competitive and thrive, organisations in the UK require consistent and connected communications tools that support the customer experience,” commented Samuel Wilson, Chief Customer Officer and Managing Director of EMEA. “The goal of 8×8 Express is to help eliminate complexity in procuring, setting up and managing a business phone system with no need for additional IT support. Offered at a competitive price, it is tailored to meet the needs of both small organisations and new businesses.”

8×8 Express includes the 8×8 Video Meetings solution, powered by Jitsi open-source technology, which offers effortless team collaboration with HD video conferencing that allows instant screen sharing. For added convenience, guests can join meetings via the 8×8 Video Meetings app on their smartphones or directly via a compatible browser from their laptop or computer, with no additional software to download.

8×8 Express also includes:

• Unlimited calling in the UK
• Call handling including call forwarding, auto-attendant and ring group call distribution
• Voicemail
• Integration with Google Calendar and Office 365/Outlook calendar tool
• 8×8 Virtual Office desktop and mobile apps provide anytime, anywhere access to business phone number, user directory, voice calls, recordings, video meetings and chat across multiple devices
• Secure HD video meetings of unlimited duration for up to 50 participants
• Compatibility with a selected range of Poly desk and conference phones
• A new local number or ability to port to an existing business phone number