8x8 Profile: Russell Tilsed

We caught up with Russell Tilsed, Vice President of Sales for EMEA and discussed how VoIP led him to 8x8, the reward of seeing tech help customers on the ground, and the necessity of an electric screwdriver.

8x8: Can you give some background on yourself and what you do at 8x8?

Russell Tilsed: I’ve been at 8x8 for almost 12 years now, so a long time. I’ve had a few roles along the way, but now I’m the VP of Sales for EMEA, which means all of our commercial, enterprise, public sector, and client sales teams report to me.

I joined after my business started reselling hosted VoIP and were eventually acquired by another company who were themselves acquired by 8x8. I remember when I was first shown hosted VoIP. I got a cold call from someone saying they wanted to meet me and show me something. We met, he dumped this phone on my desk, and he was able to make this phone, in Solihull, near Birmingham, appear as an 0207 number.

I said, “hold on, how’re you doing that?”. He explained hosted VoIP to me and how there could be a whole business telephone system using it, and I told him, “We’re going to start reselling that.” So, it's due to hosted VoIP that I ended up at 8x8.

Helping Scotland’s public sector be world-leading

8x8: What do you find most rewarding about your job? / What’s your favorite thing about your career?

RT: There are two things: seeing how the technology has evolved, but also seeing how it has evolved to help people and customers.

So, something which stands out recently which I’m proud of is 8x8’s help with Scotland’s test and trace system during the pandemic. Scotland had one of the best test and trace systems in place. In the WHO Europe region, it ranked second out of 33 in its response due to avoiding 86% of expected deaths and averting 27,000 deaths. We provided them with all their telecom and contact center systems that were used to book appointments and call potentially infected people.

But being able to help with that is a consequence of 8x8’s ongoing work with the public sector, which we started back in 2015. So, in many ways, the opportunity to help is the culmination of that. We were the right people in the right place at the right time.

8x8: What makes you laugh the most?

RT: This question makes me laugh!

But, aside from that, I’d say bad workmanship in building and DIY. Sometimes you can look at the way something has been made, fixed, or bodged and it raises so many questions about the person’s thought process.

What’s coming next in the agile workplace

8x8: We’re seeing the evolution of the agile workplace. What do you think businesses need to focus on in the next few months?

RT: Without a doubt, businesses need to focus on employee experience and how they invest in it to maximize their position in the market. If companies don’t put time and effort into creating a good employee experience, then they shouldn’t expect their employees to deliver great results and a great service for customers.

This requires ensuring workers are part of good teams, which means making teams that are diverse and well-bonded. But it also means giving people the right tools for the job. Ultimately, we need to lighten the cognitive load on employees. Too many tools unnecessarily burden employees, which is only made worse when those tools are disparate and dysfunctional.

8x8: 8x8 is a leader in cloud communications. What other innovative use of cloud platforms have you seen, or do you predict for the future?

RT: Where do we go with this question without talking about AI? Everyone’s talking about it because it’s important, but I think it’s important to say something different, too.

In general, the cloud communications platforms that are succeeding are those focusing on bringing together customer and employee experience. In my opinion, there are too many point solutions out there, and it’s the nature of a point solution to fix only one problem.

We need solutions that address all the problems which may arise, solutions that integrate customer and employee experience in a way suitable for the needs of the users, and which don’t silo all of the valuable data which communications create.

For example, today’s workforce is made up of four or five generations, each of which has preferences about how they communicate as customers. Some may be comfortable using an in-app chat to apply for a small bank loan, where others would prefer to use the phone or go in-store. Those preferences also apply inside of work, where some people may be more or less comfortable using the messenger to communicate, whereas others may prefer video calls. Being able to offer tools that accommodate those differences on a single platform which redeploys the data they create to improve employee and customer experience is key.

Customers direct our future

8x8: How do you stay current on innovations and trends?

RT: That’s simple. We talk to our customers and our potential customers. We let them talk and tell us their problems. This gives us insight and opportunities. We can understand their challenges, create solutions, and see how those challenges may direct future trends.

8x8: What piece of technology could you not live without?

RT: This is a great question, and my answer is simple: my electric screwdriver. Doing and undoing screws is a laborious task. If you’ve got more than a handful of screws to drive, then you’re dead in the water without one. You won’t be able to make anything.

I say this having almost entirely built my office. Pouring the concrete foundation was the only thing I outsourced; everything else I did. It was a difficult task but making one yourself has its perks. I could install good speakers, acoustic dampening, and a hidden screen that raises from the ground—all great bits of tech, but the screwdriver takes it.

8x8: What advice would you give your younger self?

RT: There’s a Ronald Reagan quote that I like to recall now and again. He once said, “I don't believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. But I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.”

I think that’s telling us we should go out and do things, make things happen, and not settle for inaction. That’s what I’d tell my younger self.

8x8: And finally, what leaders inspire you/have inspired you?

RT: My sales manager at my first job after university. He always made sure that everything I did, or was asked to do, was aligned with my own personal goals—career development, growth, and financial. I think that was invaluable to me, and I now try to take that approach with others.