8×8 – Virtual PBX — Affordable, but Advanced Business Communications

It’s a brand new decade in the 2000′s, and 8×8 Inc., is already serving over 23,000 customers with advanced business communications solutions that are outrageously affordable, amazingly easy to use, and incredibly advanced. We’ll take a look at their VOIP phone service, web conferencing and unified communications offerings for your home and small business on up to medium and enterprise capabilities — watch the visual DEMO, below.

First let’s understand what VOIP is, and also how a “virtual PBX” helps you do business. Think of VOIP as simply being able to call over the internet. This not only cuts your costs by rescuing your business from the monopolized land line companies, but also sets up the opportunity for you to enjoy PBX features without the expensive in-office equipment.

If you’ve worked for a corporation of some size, you will have seen the equipment that allows employees to have extensions, routes to the correct extension, and also comes with voicemail and other helpful business features. That’s what a “virtual” (it is controlled in the cloud on a remote computer) PBX does, and 8×8 inc. is a great provider in this service area. We like their helpful support, and while they are not at the “cheap” end of the VIrtual PBX provider market, your costs are quite low for professional communication options.

Watch 8×8 Virtual Office Overview:

8×8 Home Office Solutions

8×8 Business Basic is a great small office or home office phone service packed with features and priced for the cost-conscious entrepreneur. A single phone line includes voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, findme/follow-me, simultaneous ring, call forwarding, 7-digit local dialing and more. Also, local and long distance calling—Unlimited calling to the US and Canada, and low international rates. Includes calling to US and Canadian cell phones. Includes a free Uniden 160P phone.

8×8 Virtual Meeting: Need to meet with customers and colleagues across the country, deliver sales presentations and demos, or hold training sessions? 8×8 Virtual Meeting is a flexible online conferencing solution that turns ordinary phone calls into productive meetings for 30% less than the most popular alternatives. Starts at $29.95 mo. for 15 participants — scale up as your business grows.

To take a closer look: Go directly to the 8×8 Business Services Plan pricing page to get an overview of costs and options. You may then chat live with 8×8 directly as you review that page. For a small home office, a good combination of options would be: Unlimited extension, a metered FAX option, and VIrtual Attendent to answer calls professionally for you — approximate cost: $80 mo. plus related fees. Use an IP enabled phone, or call with a “soft phone” from your computer. 8×8 also offers an Android Phone App. — ask their support rep. about it.

More Features for You When You Grow

For a small to medium sized business, 8×8 offers the following add-on services:

  • Voicemail, local and long distance service
  • Auto attendant — A powerful automated 8×8 VoIP business service that replaces the need for a receptionist.
  • Integrates with SalesForce.com
  • Call over “soft phone” (see below) with iPhone and Android phones
  • Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Forwarding
  • Conference Bridge

There’s no on-site hardware or software required. You just need your existing Internet connection and our IP phones. Once you’re setup, most Virtual Office features are one click away. Remote and in-house employees all use the same phone system so conducting business and connecting employees has never been easier.

Frequently Asked Questions about 8×8

Who is 8X8 Inc.? Since 1987, 8×8 has contributed to the advancement of voice and video communications and has been awarded 76 US patents with additional patents pending. Today, 8×8 focuses its research, development and marketing efforts on the small to medium sized business market with its flagship offering, 8×8 Virtual Office, and a variety of additional business VoIP, web conferencing and unified communications solutions.

What is Fax Over IP? 8×8 Fax Plans are real time VoIP fax services which utilize the T.38 standard Fax protocol to deliver a more reliable IP fax service.

What is a Virtual Number? A Virtual Phone Number is a second number that when called, rings to a primary 8×8 line. Virtual Phone Numbers can be from most area codes in the US, thereby providing enormous savings to people phoning you from that selected area code.

What is a Softphone? A softphone is a PC-based application that allows subscribers to make and receive calls directly from their personal computers without the need for a regular phone.