Paolino Da Silva is the recently appointed Go-to-Market Country Manager for 8x8 in France, where the UCaaS and CCaaS markets are growing rapidly. To mark Paolino’s appointment, we sat down to interview him about the needs of French businesses, their expectations surrounding AI, his outlook on 8x8—and Voltaire, too.

8x8: How do you view the current state of the communications marketplace in France?

Paolino Da Silva (PDS): The market in France is currently dynamic and growing. Changing customer expectations and the emergence of new technologies, particularly those using AI, have created a strong demand for innovative and effective customer experience management solutions. According to IDC data, the UCaaS market will grow by 7% per year over the next five years and the CCaaS sector will grow by 8% per year. The growth of 100% cloud solutions will continue at the expense of on-premises solutions.

8x8: What excites you most about the UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS space?

PDS: The key challenge for businesses is to deliver an exceptional customer experience while providing an optimal employee experience through integrated, scalable solutions. At 8x8, we have natively consolidated UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS solutions into our single 8x8 platform.

That excites me because it meets a clear need for unified communications between different departments within a company, whether it’s a telephone switchboard, an administrative department, or customer service. As a result, companies no longer need contracts with several providers to manage all their communications channels.

”Before my own professional success, what counts is the professional success of the people around me.”

The three things French companies want

8x8: What do you think are the greatest needs for buyers today in France, especially contact center buyers who are navigating the need to innovate quickly?

PDS: There are many needs that depend on different companies’ strategies. But three important ones stand out. First, companies need flexible, scalable, and easy-to-integrate technology that only cloud-native contact center vendors can provide. 8x8 offers this technology through its network of reseller partners, experts in customer experience project management and IT integration.

Second, they need to improve agent productivity and increase customer satisfaction by streamlining communications from the contact center to any department. And third, they need to create business value and reduce costs by using AI services coupled with enterprise business applications and unified communications solutions.

According to the latest data, the UCaaS market will grow by 7% per year over the next five years and the CCaaS sector will grow by 8% per year.

8x8: Within business, what are the expectations around AI?

PDS: Expectations of AI, particularly generative AI, are very high in companies that want to personalize the customer’s experience and automate repetitive tasks. They are looking for AI solutions that can help predict customer behavior, provide relevant recommendations, and optimize business processes.

At 8x8, for example, we enable contact center agents to make better decisions in real time using data collected during every interaction. We can transcribe, summarize, and evaluate all exchanges between a customer and an agent. And our powerful and user-friendly 8x8 conversational AI solution, 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant, enables automated self-service customer experiences across all channels and is always available, regardless of language or region.

8x8: What was it that attracted you to 8x8? How do you think your previous experience will benefit you here?

PDS: I was immediately attracted to the management's open-mindedness, their passion for technology to enhance the customer experience, and their obsession with end-user satisfaction. From my previous roles, I’m bringing a valuable strategic and operational perspective to the 8x8 team. In the past, I’ve worked for a start-up in the data protection SaaS industry, few leading CCaaS providers, and business process outsourcing companies (BPOs) of all sizes.

How to be a SaaS leader

8x8: What do you think is key to being a successful leader in today’s SaaS landscape?

PDS: It all depends on the structure you find yourself in. The important thing is to adapt quickly to the challenges you face—spreading your passion, being inventive, projecting yourself, being agile, anticipating, and always remaining positive even when times are tough.

8x8: What are your thoughts around 8x8’s single platform offering for CCaaS, UCaaS, and CPaaS?

PDS: It's a unique, 100% cloud-based communications platform that blurs the boundaries between different communications systems within a single company. As such, it is the perfect answer to the need to unify all corporate communications, whatever the business, the functions and whatever its size. It integrates easily with the market's leading CRM solutions and Microsoft Teams. The embedded AI platform enables companies to create value for their employees and customers, while reducing recurring costs. Companies also benefit from a single contract and a single project contact for the entire solution.

8x8: What are you passionate about professionally and personally?

PDS: Professionally, I'm obsessed with customer satisfaction. I'm always 200% committed to the success of my customers' projects. Personally, I enjoy spending time with family and friends at my home in Honfleur, Normandy, over a glass of Burgundy and a plate of seafood. I also love traveling in the USA, especially in Wisconsin and Wyoming.

8x8: What does success look like?

PDS: Success is achieved through hard work, perseverance, rigor, faith and luck, so that your customers and partners give you their full confidence.

8x8: We really appreciate you taking the time to chat with us today, Paolino. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

PDS: Thank you very much. Yes, I'd like to add that I love the spirit of 8x8. It reminds me of this quote from Voltaire, French writer and philosopher: "I decided to be happy because it's good for my health." People are happy to be together here.

If you want to work with 8x8 in France, contact Paolino.