8x8 is a business communication service provider based on VoIP technology. Businesses can choose between 3 business communication plans and 3 contact center plans. 8x8 business communication plans allow subscribers to make and receive voice and video calls as well as exchange messages over the internet. These plans are inclusive of unlimited calling within the USA and Canada as well as plan-specific features such as voicemail transcriptions and call monitoring. Subscribers can make and receive calls with 8x8 or exchange messages through smartphone and desktop apps of certain IP desk phones.
8x8 and GoogleVoice offer comparable communication solutions.
Available in 14 countries across the world, Google Voice is a business communication platform that can be easily integrated with other Google service apps. It leverages VoIP technology to allow businesses to communicate internally and externally through voice and video calls as well as text messaging. Google Voice follows a subscription model with 3 plans that include a wide range of features at varied price points. These services can be accessed through a web browser, smartphone app or supported desk phones.
Small businesses with small teams can pick the 8x8 Express plan. For a team of up to 5 users, monthly subscription costs $15 per user. The plan includes unlimited calls within the USA and Canada as well as features such as team messaging and voicemail.
Subscribing to the X2 plan will cost businesses $28 per user per month. This expands unlimited calling to 12 other countries such as France and Germany and gives you access to hot desking, voicemail transcriptions and other such services.
Upgrading to the X4 gives subscribers free unlimited calls to numbers in 48 countries. This subscription is priced at $57 per user. It also includes CRM integrations, supervisor analytics and call monitoring.
8x8 works out to a higher monthly cost as compared to GoogleVoice.
Paying $10 per user per month gives businesses a subscription to the Google Voice Starter plan. A subscription can be used by teams of up to 10 people in up to 10 domestic locations. It is inclusive of voicemail transcription, call forwarding, Google app integration and more.
Businesses must pay a user license fee of $20 per month for a subscription to the Google Voice Standard plan. It has no user limit. Apart from the features of the Starter plan, this includes ring groups, multi-level auto attendant, ad-hoc call recording and more.
The Premier plan is the most advanced plan by Google Voice. It is priced at $30 per user per month and includes all the Standard plan features and exclusive features like automatic call recording.
The 8x8 communication services are accessible through desktop apps, IP desk phones and web browsers.
Like 8x8, Google Voice subscribers can make and receive calls through a web application or deskphone.
Smartphone apps for Android and iOS devices can be used to access 8x8 services.
While they look different, the 8x8 and GoogleVoice apps have similar functions. Google Voice offers a free mobile app for Android and iOS users to make and receive calls.
An automated receptionist can route incoming calls to Express plan user extensions based on caller keystroke responses. The X2 and X4 plans offer similar call routing but allow subscribers to create multi-level call menus. Call flows depend on customer size, location, etc.
GoogleVoice has limited call routing options as compared to 8x8.
IVR and auto attendant facilities are not included in the Google Voice Starter plan. Subscribing to the Standard and Premier plans gives businesses access to a multi-level auto attendant that can be set up to route calls to different agents and ring groups.
To customize greetings, account admins must sign in to the admin console.
Step 1. Select Auto attendant and click on the pencil icon.
Step 2. Choose one of the following: Weekdays/ Holidays/ Alternate from the Call Handling Menus.
Step 3. Choose between Open Hours Menu/ Closed Hours Menu/ Lunch Hours Menu.
Step 4. Select Create Audio Files. You can then call a number to record a new greeting or upload a prerecorded message.
In the case of both 8x8 and GoogleVoice, admin users can customize greetings from the mobile app or a web browser.
Step 1: Select Voicemail greetings from the Settings menu.
Step 2: Click on the Record button to start recording your message.
Though they cannot monitor live calls, supervisors can study status reports to assess agent productivity. They can see which lines are free and busy at any given point of time as well as when and how agents log in to their accounts.
The 8x8 X2 plan gives team supervisors a wider range of options to assess agent productivity and monitor calls. They can view status updates as well as get updates on when agents are free to take a call, busy or unavailable. In addition, they can read voicemail transcriptions from their email inbox to prioritize follow-ups. During audio/video meetings, supervisors can moderate participant mics and camera access.
Subscribing to the X4 plan is the only way 8x8 business communication team supervisors can monitor live calls. They can listen to calls, whisper to agents to coach them, join a call to make it a conference call or take over calls. They can also access advanced call analytics reports.
When it comes to the advanced pans, 8x8's inclusion of live call monitoring gives it an edge over GoogleVoice.
Along with giving team supervisors access to reports on call logs and usage, the Google Voice Starter plan includes access to voicemail transcriptions. This helps prioritize responses and follow-ups. Agents can also transfer calls to other agents or supervisors if required.
Subscribing to the Standard plan gives businesses access to eDiscovery. This helps them find specific conversations from calls, text messages and voicemail records. The plan also includes ad-hoc call recording. This allows them to assess calls at a later date.
Automatic call recording is an inbuilt feature of the Premier plan. Subscribing to this plan also includes access to advanced call reports and all the Starter and Standard plan features.
X2 and X4 subscribers can record all incoming and outgoing calls for compliance and quality control.
Both the 8x8 and GoogleVoice starter plans do not include call recording.
Call recording is available only to Standard and Premier plan subscribers. It is available on an ad-hoc basis for the Standard plan and automated for the Premier plan.
The cost of making international calls varies from country to country. Rates are set on a per minute basis with call durations being rounded up to the next minute. For example, rates for calls to Italy start from $0.03 per minute while rates for calls to India start from $0.06 per minute
Irrespective of the plan chosen, there are similarities in the way calls are billed for 8x8 and GoogleVoice subscribers. GoogleVoice subscribers can make and receive unlimited calls between other Google Voice accounts and numbers within the USA and Canada. Per minute international call billing rates vary by location. For example, calls to Cook Islands are billed at $0.8 per minute.
Businesses can set up an 8x8 account through the service provider’s website. For this, you need a valid email address. Once the registration process has been completed, you can set up user profiles and start using the 8x8 service through iOS and Android smartphone and MAC and Windows desktop applications, the web browser or IP desk phones. The latter are available on the 8x8 website.
While there may be differences in the steps involved, both 8x8 and GoogleVoice accounts can be created online.
All subscriptions can be set up from the Google Voice app or web browser. You can use your existing google account. Once the account is set up, services can be accessed through desk phones with Obi Edition firmware, web browsers or a smartphone application.
