In 2021, 8x8 published its inaugural State of Business Communications Report. It focused on how IT and contact center leaders had fared with the hastened, pandemic-driven move to remote work and cloud communications.

Fast forward, and our 2024 survey shows that more than half of respondents have suffered buyer’s remorse with the Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions they purchased in response to the pandemic, and they have or are considering switching to another provider.

More than half of business leaders want a combined UCaaS and CCaaS platform

The UCaaS buyers

Fifty-six percent (56%) of UCaaS buyers who purchased their communications solution in response to the pandemic have switched, or are now considering switching, to a different provider. The top two reasons are:

  1. the availability of new solutions (67%)
  2. the desire for a combined unified communications and contact center platform (60%)

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of respondents in this category note that, because of the remote work mandate happening so quickly during the pandemic, they didn’t have the time to research solution providers as well as they should have.

The CCaaS buyers

When it comes to contact center technology, 52% of those who purchased a cloud-based contact center solution in response to the pandemic have switched, or are now considering switching, to a different provider. The top two reasons they gave for switching are:

  1. better pricing (69%)
  2. the desire for a combined contact center and communications platform (57%)

Almost a quarter of the respondents (23%) note that, because of the urgent need to enable remote work during the pandemic, they didn’t have the time to research CCaaS solution providers as well as they should have.

The impact of app and context switching on productivity

The desire for a combined unified communications and contact center solution stands out across the board from those suffering from pandemic-driven technology buyer’s remorse. Before switching to a platform approach to unified communications and contact center, half (50%) of the 2024 survey’s respondents said that their organization was using anywhere from three to five disparate solutions for unified communications and contact center. Meanwhile, more than a quarter (27%) were using six or more solutions.

How does this impact productivity? According to a report from Qatalog and Cornell University’s Ellis Idea Lab, the average employee spends 36 minutes daily switching between tools and apps. Refocusing after switching takes approximately nine-and-a-half minutes. In addition, 45% of employees report this makes them less productive, and 43% say app switching makes them feel more tired.

Benefits abound when UCaaS and CCaaS come together

The 8x8 State of Business Communications research respondents who are now leveraging a combined UCaaS and CCaaS platform have experienced countless benefits—including increased productivity. The top five positive benefits cited are:

  1. Improved employee experience
  2. Streamlined workflows
  3. Greater productivity
  4. Improved customer experience
  5. More consistent customer experience across the organization

Less than one percent of respondents say their organization has experienced no benefits at all from an integrated platform approach to unified communications and contact center.

Learn more about the benefits of integrated CCaaS and UCaaS platforms

Want to read more about the benefits a platform solution provides? Curious about how businesses are improving employee and customer experience, leveraging contact center capabilities across the organization, and using AI with unified communications and contact center?

Read 8x8’s 2024 State of Business Communications Report