8x8 Lets MOBI Go 24x7

Though MOBI, an Indianapolis-based provider of mobile device management services, runs most of its business in the cloud, it was shackled with an on-premises contact center and phone system that was severely limiting its ability to handle customer concerns. The systems also lacked the advanced features—such as call recording, reporting, analytics, and remote access for agents—that MOBI needed. Call quality was often poor, and the company was also vulnerable to severe weather and power outages.

That was until April 2015, when MOBI’s management decided to follow its own business model and move customer communications to the cloud. Now 8x8’s Virtual Contact Center, Virtual Office, and Cloud PBX phone solutions provide the advanced features MOBI needs to ensure business continuity when disaster strikes.

“The bread and butter for a company like ours is the ability to take calls reliably,” says MOBI systems engineer Jerome Liwanag. “We’re just happy to have a reliable service now.”

8x8 has also supported MOBI through a rapid growth spurt that saw its Indianapolis call center expand from 50 to nearly 150 agents, and the addition of 10 agents in Bulgaria to support a growing customer base in Europe. The company recently added 24-hour service in its contact center, something Liwanag says wouldn’t have been possible without 8x8.

“The 8x8 solution is very reliable, flexible, and scalable,” he states.

At the same time, MOBI has seen its call volume increase significantly. Before working with 8x8, MOBI fielded about 172,000 calls a year. In the year since, call volume has climbed to nearly 364,000.

MOBI can also now service 24 countries, 54 wireless carriers, and 19 languages with the 8x8 solutions.

“We’re signing a lot of new customers, and we’re seeing a lot more activity with existing customers,” Liwanag adds. “And with 8x8 we don’t have to do anything differently.”

The MOBI team particularly appreciated 8x8’s willingness to customize its platform and develop new features to enhance MOBI’s contact center solution. 8x8 has agreed to develop concurrent call and chat for MOBI, which is also looking to implement 8x8 Virtual Office Meetings, a conferencing and collaboration tool, and expand its use of 8x8 Virtual Office to its sales department.

From an administrative perspective, a major benefit of the 8x8 products is that MOBI contact center managers can run reports and manage the queues themselves, without IT assistance.

Agents also like the system, which allows them to easily switch states if they need to wrap up a call or take a break. However, the 8x8 feature MOBI agents like most is the ability to work from home.

8x8 call recording and monitoring have improved training for MOBI employees, particularly new contact center agents. Before new agents take actual calls, they listen to recorded calls to get a clear idea of what the company expects from them in terms of customer care.

Managers can also use 8x8 monitoring tools to listen in—and jump in—if an agent needs coaching or assistance during a call.

Another benefit of 8x8’s technology is its open application programming interfaces (APIs), which enable customization of standard features. For example, MOBI used the API to modify the standard contact center wallboard and create a call board instead. It is also looking to integrate the solutions with its Salesforce.com CRM system.

8x8’s API also allows MOBI to integrate other technologies, such as Teleopti Workforce Management (WFM) for Contact Centers, into its platform. Seamless integration with Teleopti lets MOBI bring in call statistics captured by 8x8 to more accurately forecast staffing needs and schedules.

“The openness of the 8x8 system is fantastic,” says Liwanag. “It lets us develop our own tools so we can manage our contact center in whatever way best suits our business.”

And the cost structure hasn’t hurt either. “It’s roughly the same costs to run our systems in the cloud or on premises, but now we have better, more reliable service,” Liwanag says.

The Payoff

With 8x8's Virtual Contact Center, Virtual Office, and Cloud PBX solutions, MOBI has been able to do the following:

• increase call volume from 172,000 calls a year to 364,000 calls a year;
• increase agent counts from 50 to 160;
• add 24-hour service; and
• expand service to 24 countries, 54 wireless carriers, and 19 languages.