The cost of chaos—and the simplicity of one platform.

The cost of chaos and the simplicity of one platform.

Why simplifying your communications stack is the smartest way to lower costs—and drive outcomes that matter.

Why simplifying your communications stack is the smartest way to lower costs—and drive outcomes that matter.Contents

It's time to take things to the next level!

If IT and CX leaders want to improve performance across teams, customer touchpoints, and the business as a whole, they must ask one critical question: Are our current systems helping us move faster and smarter, or are they just barely holding things together?For many organizations, the answer leans toward the latter. Over the past decade, the drive to meet rising customer expectations led to a rapid buildup of tools and technologies. Every new channel brought another point solution: chatbots, voice analytics, call tracking, reporting add-ons, self-service portals, and layer after layer of software stacked on top of aging systems—all in the name of staying current.But here’s the catch: staying current doesn’t mean staying connected.Most of these tools weren’t designed to work together. They create more friction than flow. And while they might check a box in a feature matrix, they also introduce complexity—more integrations to manage, more logins to juggle, and more data getting lost between platforms. Meanwhile, your agents are navigating a maze just to do their jobs, and your customers are stuck repeating themselves.

Worst of all, every new tool adds to the cost, whether it’s obvious or not. From redundant licenses to lost productivity and hidden support overhead, these fragmented stacks quietly eat into budgets without delivering the outcomes they promise.

So yes, that patchwork of solutions is costing you. The only question is: how much?

What your stack is really costing you.

On the surface, your UC and CC setup might seem under control. You’ve got licenses, subscriptions, and support agreements—line items that look manageable. But the total cost of ownership (TCO) goes far beyond what shows up on the invoice.

Think of your communications stack like an iceberg. The visible costs—platform fees, carrier contracts, per-seat pricing—are just the tip. Beneath the surface lies about 90% of the TCO equation: infrastructure upkeep, third-party integrations, vendor management, internal support, custom workarounds, and ongoing admin overhead. And it doesn’t stop there.

Every disconnected tool adds weight. Redundant capabilities, siloed data, and patchwork workflows drive up complexity and drag down performance. Your teams spend more time navigating systems than serving customers. Training takes longer. Reporting gets murky. IT is stuck firefighting instead of innovating.

Even in cloud-based environments, many organizations are still juggling separate platforms for UC, CC, messaging, and analytics—each with its own costs, constraints, and quirks. Multiply that across departments, regions, and business units, and suddenly your “modern stack” looks more like a liability.

That’s the reality of total cost of ownership: it’s not just the price you pay to buy or license software—it’s the ongoing cost of complexity. And the longer your tools stay fragmented, the more that cost adds up.

So yes, your stack might be technically “working.” But the real question is: how much are you losing beneath the surface just to keep it running?

The expensive reality of doing nothing.

It’s tempting to stick with what you have—especially if it’s already paid for. Maybe the contracts are still active. Maybe the team knows the quirks. Maybe it feels “good enough” for now.

But duct tape doesn’t scale.

Trying to keep aging systems afloat by bolting on new tools and layering in short-term fixes doesn’t just slow you down—it adds risk, inflates overhead, and drains already stretched IT and CX resources. Every workaround creates more work. Every patch introduces new points of failure. And every disconnected tool chips away at the experience you’re trying to deliver, for employees and customers alike.

Meanwhile, the business keeps moving. Expectations keep rising. And that stack you’ve been maintaining? It starts to crack under the pressure.

When conversations break down between systems, they break down between people. Agents can’t see the full picture. Teams repeat work. Customers get bounced around or asked to repeat themselves. Loyalty erodes. Productivity stalls. And the tools you thought were saving you money start costing you far more in missed outcomes than you’ll ever see on a balance sheet.

Doing nothing might feel safe, but in reality, it’s the most expensive choice on the table.

Take a minute and ask yourself:

Does the current stack serve my business needs? Does it meet current customer expectations, and can it stay flexible enough to evolve as expectations evolve?
Are employees happy with the stack? Do users have the tools they need to do their best work?
Is it setting the business up for success and adding to my competitive advantage?
Does the current system drive customer loyalty and revenue?
What financial impact do the questions listed above have? What happens when tools hinder teams?

Rewire your stack for simplicity and scale with 8x8.

You don’t need another tool. You need fewer.

That’s where 8x8 comes in—not just as a provider, but as a partner. Our approach starts with understanding where you are today: what systems you’re using, what they’re costing you, and where complexity is holding you back. From there, we help you map a smarter path forward—built on simplicity, clarity, and cost control.

With 8x8, you can consolidate your UC and CC into a single, intelligent platform. No more stitching systems together. No more managing vendor sprawl. Just one solution that lowers overhead, simplifies governance, and improves experiences across the board—for employees, customers, and IT alike.

And we won’t leave you guessing. Our business value consultants will work with you to assess your current spend, calculate potential savings, and model ROI with clear, data-backed insight. We’ll help you identify the cost of inaction, your break-even point, and where the biggest opportunities lie.

Next steps for strategic leaders:

Learn more about 8x8’s solutions for IT and CX leaders.
View a demo to see how the platform fits your environment.
See how Southampton Football Club found success with 8x8.

Because simplifying your stack isn’t just about cutting costs. It’s about unlocking better outcomes—faster, smarter, and at scale.

Ready to see what simplicity can really do?

Discover how 8x8 helps organizations streamline and scale.

Learn more about the 8x8Ⓡ Platform for CX and how it can supercharge your business communications.