Cloud Contact Centre for UK Businesses
The right size of contact centre, from a five-person booking team to a full customer service operation.
Indigo Unified Communications sets up cloud contact centres on 8x8 and 3CX for teams that handle a lot of calls and messages. On 3CX, call queues, callbacks and supervisor tools are built into the phone system, depending on the edition. 8x8 offers a full omnichannel contact centre, handling calls, chat, email and social messages in one place, with workforce management, quality management, speech analytics and secure card payments. 8x8 also has a Teams-certified contact centre for Microsoft Teams users. We design the call flows, train your agents and support the system from Glasgow.
What is a cloud contact centre?
A contact centre is the set of tools a team uses to handle customer calls and messages at volume: queues, routing, agent screens, supervisor views and reports. A cloud contact centre runs these from the internet rather than on a server in your office. Agents can log in from the office or from home, and supervisors can see the whole team on one screen.
Two starting points: 3CX and 8x8
| 3CX | 8x8 Contact Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small and mid-sized teams that want queues without paying per agent | Teams that need a full contact centre across voice and digital channels |
| How it's licensed | Per system, by simultaneous calls. 3CX says contact centre features come at no extra cost, depending on the edition, which we confirm in your review | Per user per month; X6 to X8 are contact centre licences |
| Queues and callbacks | Call queues with round-robin and skills-based strategies, and callbacks | Queues, web callback and queued callback |
| Channels | Calls, website live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and SMS | Voice, chat, email, SMS, social, video, Facebook and WhatsApp |
| Supervisors | Listen in, whisper and barge in; real-time wallboards | Supervisor Workspace with real-time dashboards; barge, monitor and whisper |
| Advanced tools | AI summaries and sentiment on the AI Edition | Workforce management (Calabrio or Verint tiers), quality management, speech analytics (X8), outbound dialler, 8x8 Secure Pay, post-call surveys |
See how queues and live screens work on our call queues and wallboards → page, and how callers are greeted on IVR and auto attendant →.
Taking card payments over the phone
If your agents take card payments, PCI DSS applies. The card industry's security standard does not allow the card security code (CVV) to be stored after the payment is authorised, and a call recording that captures it counts as storage.
Asking agents to pause the recording is a common fix, but it relies on people remembering every time. 8x8 offers 8x8 Secure Pay, which lets customers enter card details by keypad, speech or click without the agent hearing them. On 3CX, we'll look at secure payment options with you. Either way, we'll help you plan how payments and business call recording → fit together. This is general guidance, not legal advice; your payment provider can confirm what applies to you.
Making outbound calls
8x8's outbound dialler has predictive, progressive and preview modes, with filtering against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS). Under PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations), the ICO says you must screen live marketing calls against these registers, display your number or a valid contact number, and say who's calling. A number must be on the register for 28 days before it takes effect. If you need an outbound dialler on 3CX, we'll check the options in your review.
What we set up
- Queues, routing and callbacks designed around your opening hours and busy periods
- Agent and supervisor logins, with listen-in, whisper and barge in
- Digital channels such as website chat and WhatsApp, included in your phone system set-up. Live chat, WhatsApp and SMS →
- CRM integration, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce or Zendesk, where your platform and edition support it
- Wallboards and reports your managers will actually read. Call reporting and analytics →
- Agent and supervisor training, and support from the same Glasgow team that supports your IT and connectivity
We resell and support 8x8 Contact Center (X6 to X8) and its add-ons, such as workforce management, so you have one team to call.
Where it fits: leisure venues use queues and callbacks for booking lines at peak times (Leisure and entertainment →), and charities route helpline calls to the right volunteer (Phone systems for charities →).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a call centre and a contact centre?
A call centre handles phone calls. A contact centre handles calls plus other channels such as website chat, email, SMS and WhatsApp, usually from one agent screen. 8x8 Contact Center is omnichannel, and 3CX brings live chat, WhatsApp and Facebook messages into the same app as calls. Indigo Unified Communications sets up both from Glasgow.
How many agents do you need for a contact centre?
There's no minimum. A contact centre makes sense once several people answer the same number and callers start waiting. 3CX suits small teams because it's licensed by simultaneous calls, not per agent. 8x8 Contact Center suits larger teams that need workforce management and quality tools.
Can contact centre agents work from home?
Yes. Both 8x8 and 3CX run in the cloud, so agents log in from the office, home or another site using an app or browser. Supervisors can still see queues in real time and listen in on calls. Home agents need a reliable internet connection, which we can check as part of your review.
Is it safe to take card payments in a contact centre?
It can be, if card details are kept out of your recordings and systems. PCI DSS does not allow the card security code to be stored after authorisation, including in call recordings. 8x8 Secure Pay lets customers enter card details without the agent hearing them. This is general guidance, so check your approach with your payment provider.
Do I need to check the TPS before making sales calls?
Yes, for live marketing calls. The ICO says you must screen numbers against the TPS and, for businesses, the CTPS. You must also show your number and say who's calling. 8x8's outbound dialler includes TPS and CTPS filtering. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Book a free phone system review
We'll look at your call volumes, channels and team size, and recommend either 3CX queues or an 8x8 contact centre. You'll get a written recommendation within 2 working days, and our business phone systems page → explains how pricing works.