Introduction
8×8 rose to prominence providing reliable, cost-effective cloud communications solutions, including key offerings like VoIP phone services, call center software, and video conferencing. However, it has its share of setbacks ranging from seemingly higher costs, limited configuration options, sporadic outages impacting critical services and occasionally poor customer support responsiveness leading to frustration for some midmarket and enterprise clients reported in online reviews.
Finding alternatives enabling uninterrupted customer engagements with feature diversity matching evolving organizational needs drives the market for services competitive with 8×8. This guide highlights the key capabilities and defining characteristics of top 8×8 alternatives meriting consideration.
Ringblaze
Overview
Offering enterprise-grade products for a competitive fraction of enterprise prices, Ringblaze delivers a comprehensive business communications solution handling telephony, contact center operations, conferencing, and API integrations.
Benefits
Its phone plans scale affordably from basic voice lines supporting a dozen employees to unlimited calling suits better accommodating SMB budgets. Interactive voice response (IVR) further steadies customer engagements alongside call and contact center monitoring.
Video meeting capacities supporting up to 100 participants per conference also outsize comparable offerings while screen sharing and recording foster collaboration. Client dashboard and endpoint integrations including CRMs, helpdesks and other instruments maintain continuity.
Ideal For
The extensive features suite served with quality support makes Ringblaze suitable for small businesses planning long-term growth across various communications capabilities seeking reliable infrastructure without overspending early on.
Ringover
Touted as an elite alternative for cost-conscious growing enterprises yet accommodating smaller operations, Ringover packs an exhaustive range of communications functionalities spanning telephony, call routing, IVR menus, call center management and video conferencing within customizable packages.
Comparison
Contrasted with 8×8, Ringover impresses through more transparent reliable pricing, faster resolution velocities, multi-channel onboarding and implementation guidance contributing to smoother transitions. Enterprise-level packages meet advanced needs while economical tiers align affordability.
From a feature perspective, native integrations through RESTful APIs and CRM connectors streamline workflows alongside intelligent call routing, visual dashboards simplifying insights extraction and administrative oversight.
Verdict
Altogether, Ringover makes a compelling case cementing status as a premier unified comm leader equipping organizations with extreme configurability absent the complexity.
Nextiva
Overview
Positioning itself as a customer-centric carrier blending reliability, transparency and automation, Nextiva furnishes mid-large entities robust cloud communications functionalities from VoIP dialing to omnichannel contact centers backed by exceptional reliability ratings achieving 99.999% uptime reputedly outperforming others as corroborated through customer sentiment.
Contrast With 8×8
Side-by-side comparisons with 8×8 reveal Nextiva edging ahead on pricing clarity, support responsiveness, intuitive self-service portal access and continuity assurances during outages through failover. Unique differentiators like unlimited domestic SMS allocating usage credits, permitting threaded messaging chains unified across devices and toll-free minute bundles surpassing rivals cement virtues.
Considerations
While scaling conversations pose no bound, smaller groups may find sufficient capabilities in other bantam-tier platforms with core telephony needs unrequiring expansive features of Nextiva. However, the overarching transparency and signature vocal customer service merit notable mention.
Vonage
Presenting itself as a new-age carrier furnishing modern communications solutions, Vonage innovates through cutting-edge integrations, smart network enhancements and global connection capabilities catering from modest sized firms to the largest multinationals.
Highlights
Two standout provisions setting it apart include:
Unmetered self-service SMS enabling high-volume contours unlike allotted message bundles prevalent elsewhere. Virtual numbers likewise establish multi-country footprints retaining single accounts not considering the geographic dispersion.
Support & Setup
Some reviewers nonetheless occasionally complain clunky do-it-yourself setup sequences and delayed onboarding assistance diverging from proclaimed strengths like around-the-clock in-house technical support and online community access.
Scalability Growing Pains While principally positioning itself as an elastic solution adjusts to customers and their international ambitions, some critique finite provisions like video call attendee caps struggling at larger scales. Lack of deep CRM tools integration likewise surface compared to all-in-one platforms.
Ooma
Delivering sophisticated cloud-hosted VoIP solutions blending reliability, flexibility and affordability, Ooma built an avid customer base among solopreneurs and micro business owners appreciating quality pure-play phone services skipping unnecessary complexity.
Hardware
Its proprietary internet gateway appliance ensures consistent call quality once configured while doubling as a WiFi router. Plug-and-play peripherals ease setup motivating adopters even remotely managing deployments minimizing technician visits.
Pricing Perks
500 bundled domestic minutes on cheapest tiers stretch budgets further accommodating modest usage sizes. However, metered charges compiling international dialing accrue rapidly necessitating close tracking for costlier long-distance habits.
Verdict Ooma rightfully warrants recognition furnishing enterprises unparalleled VoIP excellence focused purely on optimizing core telephony afforded through premium handsets.
KrispCall
Positioning Carving an impression delivering straightforward cloud telephony malleable around early-stage ventures while upholding enterprise-tier relevance as customers scale, KrispCall convinces primarily through transparent pricing and features diversity absent the bloat.
Support Reliability Setting it apart, KrispCall pledges reliable email support response within an hour any day earning plaudits for attentiveness exceeding expectations and rectifying issues promptly. Such guided interactions make navigating powerful offerings accessible.
Pricing & Tools Generous provisions allowing up to 4 concurrent calls even on entry-level paired with voicemail transcriptions, call analytics and CRM integrations standardize otherwise premium add-ons competitors charge extra for. Unlimited plans add mobility conferencing and support queues suitable expanding.
Verdict
KrispCall deserves shortlisting by bootstrappers equally as growing teams eyeing basic or advanced voice plans valuing responsive support at friendly rates.
Bitrix24
Preamble Promising a free full-featured alternative to popular premium services like 8×8, Bitrix24 consolidates everyday business operations capabilities including voice calling, video conferencing, document sharing, task management, CRM, marketing and analytics under a single umbrella.
Capabilities Contrast Stacking up against 8×8, Bitrix24 impresses by matching VoIP dialing and automatic call recording while allowing more video call participants and equipping mobile apps supporting collaboration on-the-go. Integrated team workload dashboards additionally simplify tracking.
Limitations However, vanilla free plans grapple with finite user accounts, cloud storage allocations and CRM records. Premium upgrades unleash more venturesome tools for leads tracking, work automations and API customization attractive scaling.
Summary
Bitrix24 warrants consideration from cap-ex conscious micro firms fulfilled simply integrating communications amongst existing productivity platforms, but larger entities may desire wider interoperability and customization.
Conclusion
As this guide presented, companies rethinking existing communications functionalities embodied through generally satisfactory but imperfect giants like 8×8 possess several strong challengers delivering unified messaging, call management and conferencing tools built for limitless scaling meeting ever-complex engagement requirements through refined customer-centric responsiveness cementing authority in cloud telecom domains.
Ringblaze, Ringover, Nextiva and others highlighted stand poised serving both modest customer bases and multinational conglomerates through configurable packages bundling essential capabilities augmented by emerging offerings continually raising bars. Carefully weigh unique differentiators like unlimited SMS allotments, transparent pricing models and complementary app ecosystem integrations choosing replacement solutions surpassing status quo.