dsb.net improves service levels by up to 80% after switching to 8x8

The Challenge: A basic and inflexible cloud service

Prior to 2018, dsb.net had been running an Avaya on-premises system before deciding to move to a hosted cloud solution. However, the company experienced numerous problems with the service, which was rudimentary and inflexible. Calls went into a single queue and the contact center team was unable to prioritize calls or customize the flows to meet their business and organizational needs. Although the team was able to extract reports, they were unable to properly monitor calls or leverage data to make improvements.

“It was just an awful mess,” recalls Lynne Barby, Contact Center Manager at dsb.net.

dsb.net approached a number of other cloud communications companies, including 8x8, to evaluate their contact center solutions. The company preferred 8x8 above the others, and decided to adopt 8x8’s business phone solution for both contact center teams in the UK and South Africa. Other 8x8 platform features were planned to be rolled out at a later date.

The Solution: Rich features that are easy to configure and learn

Implementing 8x8’s cloud PBX solution across two geographically dispersed teams was fast and straightforward. Lynne says, “For a non-technical person who went from zero knowledge to being completely responsible for the whole telephony service, I found rolling out 8x8 to be really simple. The onboarding was wonderful.” Lynne was able to do much of the administrative tasks herself, and when she got stuck, she could turn to 8x8’s knowledge base, 8x8 University, or 8x8 technical support.

When the pandemic hit, dsb.net had to quickly rethink its operations. “We never thought that we could have our contact center work from home,” says Lynne. “But we had the cloud telephony service with 8x8, along with softphones, and it was an easy transition. We just had to set them up with a laptop, and away they went.” Today, the team works in a hybrid model: two days in the office and three days at home.

dsb.net’s has now taken advantage of everything that the 8x8 platform has to offer, such as 8x8 Contact Center, 8x8 Agent Workspace, and 8x8 Work.

The team also piloted 8x8 Chat with a couple of the company’s B2C customers. Lynne wanted her agents to first get used to the chat experience on a few limited channels, but since it has worked so well, she plans to open it up to more consumer clients in the future.

Lynne says, “One of the great things about 8x8 is that you can try things easily in the administration dashboard. I discovered the chat feature this way—I could just play around with it on a test site before deciding to pilot it with a couple of our bigger clients.”

The Results: Dramatic service level improvements

After moving to 8x8, the team has been able to dramatically improve their numbers. Now, they are performing at a service level of 80%, with an average answer speed of 30 secs during busy periods. During slower times, the team easily exceeds their 80%/20-second goal. This has resulted in 50% lower call volumes due to fewer repeat calls as callers now get through to an agent right away on their first try. Faster call handling times and efficiency gains allowed the company to more effectively manage agent resources.

Lynne says, “8x8 gives us proper call routing and queue management, as well as tracking and recording, literally everything we need in one package. This has helped us improve service levels, reduce call volumes, and optimize staffing.”

Going forward, dsb.net is looking at other ways to optimize operations, including 8x8 Contact Center for Microsoft Teams and building self-service tools for customers. Starting with the admin dashboard, Lynne can explore new features herself before deciding what’s the right fit for her team.