What’s new for 8x8 Contact Center Beta users?

In this release of 8x8 Agent Workspace we have introduced the following enhancements for Beta users:

• Ability to park email interactions

• Configure the improved email experience before enabling Customer 360 in 8x8 Agent Workspace

Ability to park email interactions

You can now park and retrieve parked email interactions directly from 8×8 Agent Workspace. This new feature allows you to temporarily set aside an email and return to it later without affecting your interaction capacity or ability to log out.

Note:

Only agents enabled by the admin can park emails. The admin can also set the maximum number of emails you can park.

While handling an email interaction, you can use the following new options:

• Park: Park the email without sending a reply. You can add notes or a disposition before wrapping up.

• Reply and park: Send a reply to the customer first, then park the interaction. For example, when a customer emails in with a request that requires input from an internal team, you can send an initial reply to acknowledge the customer, then park the interaction. When you receive all the details required for your answer, retrieve the email and follow up with a full response.

Benefits

• Uninterrupted agent capacity: Agents can park email interactions and immediately take on new work, so parked emails no longer consume active interaction capacity or prevent logout.

• Flexible follow-up: Agents can reply and park in one step, or park without replying, with the option to add notes so context is preserved for when they return.

Limitations

• If an agent parks an email before sending a reply, any unsaved draft is lost.

• Agents cannot end a parked interaction directly. The email must be retrieved first before it can be closed or resolved.

• While an email is parked, agents cannot view other active emails from the same sender within that interaction.

• Service Level Agreement (SLA) clock behavior does not change or reset when a parked email is transferred or reassigned.

Park an email interaction

Note:

Only agents enabled by the admin can park emails.

1. Accept the incoming email interaction or pull an email from the queue.

2. In the interaction panel, select the arrow next to the Reply button to open the options menu.
   

3. Select one of the following options:

   • Park: To park the email without sending a reply.

   • Reply and park: Send a reply to the customer first, then park the interaction.

4. On the wrap-up screen, add any notes or select a disposition if required.

5. Select Wrap up.

The email is parked and a confirmation banner displays at the top of the screen. You can retrieve the email at any time. See Retrieve a parked email.

Retrieve a parked email

Parked emails are accessible from:

• The banner that briefly shows at the top of the screen when you park an email.

• The parked interactions icon in the left panel.

• The pull email window and using the filters to show parked emails.

• The top of the dashboard page by clicking Open next to Parked interactions. This section also indicates the number of currently parked emails.

From either location, you can open the Pending interactions window listing parked emails and select Reply or Bulk actions > Reply to retrieve it and resume the interaction. Emails remain parked until they are retrieved and a reply is sent.

Configure the improved email experience before enabling Customer 360 in 8x8 Agent Workspace

Note:

This configuration must be completed by an administrator in Configuration Manager.

Customer 360 requires the improved email experience in 8x8 Agent Workspace for a seamless email handling experience.

Before enabling the Customer 360 feature for your tenant, ensure the Enable full email integration in Agent Workspace checkbox is selected in your tenant’s profile settings. If your tenant is still using the previous email setup, agents will experience broken or incomplete functionality when handling emails in Customer 360.

To enable the full email integration in Agent Workspace:

1. Log in to 8x8 Configuration Manager using your admin credentials.

2. Go to Home > Profile.

3. Select the checkbox for Enable full email integration in Agent Workspace.
   

4. Click Save.

Note:

After saving your changes, the app may take up to 10 minutes to display them.

To learn more about the options available Configuration Manager, see the summary of profile settings.

Improved voice message recording flow in 8x8 Agent Workspace

In this release, we have introduced an updated recording flow for users accessing My Profile > My Recordings > New Recording within the 8x8 Agent Workspace.

Previously, when an incoming call was accepted during a new voice message recording session, agents lost access to the dial pad, and the interruption disrupted the recording flow.

To keep the recording flow accessible and uninterrupted throughout a call, we’ve introduced the following changes:

• Minified interaction panel: When a call is accepted from the New Recording flow, a minified call panel appears at the top of the screen instead of switching to the full interaction view. The controls for starting and stopping a recording remain visible throughout the call.
  

• Dial pad access: After you accept the call to record your message, the call options display in a minimized header. Click the dial pad  icon to open it in a panel without leaving the recording context.
  

• Notification banner for restrictions: Users are notified when they navigate to a different area in Agent Workspace during a new recording session to prevent accidental navigation away from My Profile.
  

The updated recording flow keeps start/stop controls, dial pad access, and keyboard navigation intact throughout the call, eliminating interruptions and context switching.

Interaction details now available in the Info tab in Customer 360

The interaction details in Customer 360 are now visible from the dedicated Info tab. Previously, the interaction details were shown in the Wrap-up tab. This change gives agents an improved visibility over the interaction details.

The Info tab shows in the Customer 360 panel when the interaction is accepted. Agents can review caller information, channel details, queue, wait time, and transaction data from this tab from the moment the interaction starts.

Contacts now available on the home screen when Customer 360 is enabled

With Customer 360 enabled, the home screen now displays My assigned queues and Contacts side by side. Agents now have a consolidated view of their queues and contacts, reducing unnecessary navigation.

Agents can also access each panel in full screen by selecting Contacts from the side menu, and My assigned queues from the menu . To return to the combined home screen view, close the full screen panel.

Edit customer profiles directly from the Customer 360 panel

Note:

This feature is only available for agents using Customer 360 with local CRM.

Agents can now edit customer profiles directly from the Customer 360 panel during an active interaction, without navigating to the Customer management page.

To edit a customer profile from the Customer 360 panel:

1. Accept the interaction.

2. Click the Customer 360 tab.

3. Click the Edit icon in the Customer 360 panel.
   

4. The customer profile form opens. Make the required changes.
   

5. Click Save.

A confirmation banner appears at the top of the screen to confirm the updated profile has been saved. Clicking View customer profile in the banner opens the full customer profile in the Customer management page.

Create a new customer record from the Customer 360 panel

Note:

This feature is only available for agents using Customer 360 with local CRM.

When an incoming interaction has no matching customer record, agents can now create a new customer profile directly from the Customer 360 panel, without navigating to the Customer management page.

To create a new customer profile from the Customer 360 panel:

1. Accept the interaction.

2. Click the Customer 360 tab.

3. Click the Add icon from the top corner of the Unknown customer section. A new form shows.
   

4. Fill in the mandatory fields and add any additional data relevant for the new customer record. Available data auto-populates the relevant fields.
   

5. Click Save.

After saving, the new customer record is automatically linked to the interaction.

A confirmation banner appears at the top of the screen to confirm the new profile has been saved.  Clicking View customer profile in the banner opens the full customer profile in the Customer management page.

Introducing the Customer 360 experience

We’ve redesigned 8×8 Agent Workspace with a more responsive layout to help you stay focused and work efficiently. The new responsive design allows you to adjust the view to your needs. Opt for the expanded view to place more emphasis on your workspace. Opt for a narrower view, perfect for smaller screens to focus on the essentials.

Customer 360 is now available for organizations:

• With local CRM

• Without local CRM

The differences between Customer 360 with and without local CRM enabled are summarized in the table below:

For agents:

• To learn more about the benefits of Customer 360 with Local CRM and how it works, see Customer 360 with local CRM.

• To learn about the benefits of Customer 360 without Local CRM and how it works, see Customer 360 without local CRM.

For administrators:

• Administrators configuring Customer 360 can find setup instructions in Configuration Manager.

Enhanced directory

Access the enhanced directory from the side navigation bar by clicking Customer management.

From here, you can view the customer list, contacts, cases, tasks, and monitor agents.

Introducing the 8x8 Smart Assist integration (Limited availability)

We’re introducing support for the 8x8 Smart Assist integration, a new AI-powered feature in 8x8 Agent Workspace. It helps agents work smarter and respond faster during customer interactions.

Contact Center agents often deal with too much information, slow response times, and disjointed workflows. These challenges can lead to longer call handling times and inconsistent responses. 8x8 Smart Assist helps by providing real-time insights, intelligent suggestions, and automated summaries. It reduces manual effort and lets agents focus on giving customers a better experience.

Note:

Only users enabled by an admin can access 8x8 Smart Assist.

Key benefits

• Real-time support: Provides contextual insights during live conversations, helping agents respond faster and more accurately.

• Automated summaries: Reduce wrap-up time with AI-generated call summaries and CRM updates.

• Next best action: Offers proactive recommendations based on the current conversation.

• CRM and knowledge base integration: Provides access to customer history, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides within the same panel.

Requirements

• 8x8 Smart Assist enabled by the admin

• You must enable third-party cookies for 8x8 Smart Assist to display in your 8x8 Agent Workspace account.

Limitations

• 8x8 Agent Workspace and 8x8 Smart Assist have separate login systems. Use the unique credentials provided for each to sign in.

• 8x8 Smart Assist is not currently supported in external CRMs.

Log in to the 8x8 Smart Assist

Agents enabled to use this feature will see the 8x8 Smart Assist icon    in the right-hand navigation panel of your 8x8 Agent Workspace.

To log in to the 8x8 Smart Assist:

1. Log in to 8x8 Agent Workspace using your credentials.

2. Place yourself in Available or Work Offline status.

3. On the right side of your screen, locate the 8x8 Smart Assist panel.

   • If the panel is hidden, click the 8x8 Smart Assist  icon  in the right navigation bar to open it.

   • You can also click the double arrow   icon  to show or hide the 8x8 Smart Assist panel as needed.

4. In the 8x8 Smart Assist panel, add your username.

   Note:

   Use your 8x8 Smart Assist login details as provided by your administrator.

   

5. Click Continue.

6. Add your password.

7. Click Login.
   The panel displays blank until you accept an interaction.

Overview of the 8x8 Smart Assist panel

The 8x8 Smart Assist panel is tailored by your organization to guide you when handling both chat and voice interactions. While the interface is consistent across channels, the available tabs vary slightly depending on whether you're handling a chat or voice interaction. This ensures each interaction type is supported by the most relevant tools, reducing clutter and helping you stay focused:

• Intents: Lists suggested topics and auto-checks completed ones.

• Entities: Shows people involved, location, and timestamps.

• Conversation: Displays only for chat interactions. Allows you to follow the conversation within the 8x8 Smart Assist panel.

• AI: Provides a summary and lets you type questions directly to the AI assistant.

How does 8x8 Smart Assist handle disposition (wrap-up) codes?

If configured by the admin in 8x8 Smart Assist, when an interaction ends, the AI automatically suggests a wrap-up code based on the conversation summary. This helps efficiently classify the interaction.  You can select another code if necessary.

If not configured or if the codes are not clearly defined, you must manually select the relevant wrap-up code.

Note:

Disposition codes that use acronyms or internal numbers may not be recognized by the AI.