8x8 adds new SellWith8 tier to partner ecosystem

8x8 launches new SellWith8 tier to boost partner ecosystem through exclusive integrations and go-to-market alignment.

Integrated cloud communications platform provider 8x8 has added a new tier to its partner ecosystem, known as SellWith8.

The new tier is designed to help technology partners solve business use cases for customers.

The 8x8 Technology Partner Ecosystem programme allows customer-first organisations to enhance customer experiences by embedding technologies such as AI capabilities, into the 8x8 platform with persistent data to enhance business intelligence, insights, and analytics.

The new tier will also allow partners to sell directly with 8x8, increase go-to-market efforts, improve the depth of integration, and jointly solve customer pain points.

Additionally, partners in the new tier will also gain direct access to the 8x8 product team for roadmap alignment and co-development, joint go-to-market alignment, as well as a highly curated tier of invite-only partners selected for their fit with relevant use cases, capabilities, and security features.

Victor Belfor, global VP for business development and strategic partnerships at 8x8, told CRN: "To meet the continually evolving needs of customers, technology providers need to have adaptability and flexibility within their solutions.

"Technology Partner Ecosystems are critically important for all contact centre vendors, however, the breadth of integration options is only one aspect of a vibrant ecosystem.

"With SellWith8, 8x8 is focusing on the depth of integrations, and the exclusive nature of SellWith8 allows us to provide customers with a carefully curated set of partners that offer deeper integrations into the platform, frictionless onboarding processes, and better user experiences."

Partner selection criteria

Belfor explained there are three main parameters that 8x8 focuses on when selecting technology partners invited to SellWith8:

"The first is relevance. In this programme, we are looking for technology partners who are a good fit for the vast majority of customers in our Ideal Customer Profile.

"We want to generate significant value for both our technology partners and our customers and, for that, we need mass adoption.

"The second is commitment. Participation in this programme requires a significant joint commitment from 8x8 and the technology partner, including extensive go-to-market collaboration, developing a native-like integration, etc.

"The third is they must be uncompetitive. Partners who are invited to participate in this program cannot have products that compete with 8x8's products or with other existing technology partners within the programme."

He added that partners participating in SellWith8 are strategic to 8x8's success, and so it approaches each of these relationships individually.

"SellWith8 partners benefit from a more extensive roster of marketing initiatives to raise awareness and drive leads, including joint opportunities for case studies, webinars, press releases, blog posts, and more.

"For example, we recently hosted a webinar with SellWith8 partner Awaken."

Commenting the new tier, Simon Black, CEO of Awaken Intelligence, one of the inaugural members of 8x8 new tier, said: "The 8x8 Technology Partner Ecosystem has already demonstrated remarkable success in meeting the business needs of customers and the initial customer integrations showcase the beginning of what we believe will be a fruitful partnership, allowing us to expand our use case capabilities and attract new customers."

8x8 has been under big changes at the top in the last year, appointing a new CEO, CFO and CRO in the space of a few weeks in June 2023.