Previous releases

The following features and enhancements were introduced in previous versions of 8x8 Work for Desktop (formerly known as the Virtual Office desktop app). For details on the latest new features, see our list of what's new in the current release.

In the 8x8 Work for Desktop 7.24 release, we are introducing the following enhancements:

Introducing 8x8 Sales Workspace

Beginning with this release, we introduce in 8x8 Work for Desktop a new Sales Workspace dedicated customer engagement experience. It is tailored specifically for sellers working on high-value long-cycle deals and using Salesforce® as their company’s CRM.

It optimizes external and internal communication around your sales opportunities. It allows for private and shared note taking, while auto-syncing interactions back to CRM.

You can activate or deactivate this experience anytime from Settings > Sales Workspace.

For details for Sales Workspace, please refer to Sales Workspace Quick User Guide.

New calendar event reminders

Beginning with this release, we introduced a new calendar event reminder that offers an enhanced experience for 8x8 Work for Desktop.

If a calendar is connected to 8x8 Work for Desktop and you have an incoming event in your calendar(s), you now receive a calendar event reminder from 8x8 Work for Desktop, several minutes before the meeting starts. You can now join the meeting easily on one click, directly from the calendar event reminder.

Note: You can choose how many minutes before the meeting the calendar event reminder displays from Settings > Sales Workspace.

Features of calendar event reminders

The calendar event reminder info card displays:

  • (1) The meeting provider icon.

    • (2) The duration prior to the start of the meeting.
    • (3) The "happening now" status displays, if the meeting has already started.
    • The reminder "join meeting" link. If the meeting provider is recognized. Click that link to join the call. If the meeting provider is not recognized, no link displays.

Note: If you link your calendar from Settings > Sales Workspace, regardless if the meeting is enabled or disabled, you always receive a notification at the start time of the scheduled event in your calendar, regardless if it is an 8x8, Teams, Zoom etc.:
- For an 8x8 meeting provider, the meeting opens in the 8x8 Work for Desktop app.
- For a non 8x8 meeting provider (Zoom/Teams meeting), the meeting URL opens in the system browser.

  • The reminder stays on until you join the meeting, dismiss it or it automatically goes away when the meeting ends. You can join the meeting via the link in the reminder, at any time during the meeting.
  • While you are in a meeting, the reminder closes and instead the "Flip meeting" banner displays. The banner is visible until you join the meeting or join the meeting.
  • When you have a meeting scheduled in your calendar, regardless if the customer disabled or not the meeting, you still see the calendar event reminder.
  • (5) The calendar event reminder shows under the incoming call notification, at the top of all other notifications.
  • (6) Overlapping meeting reminders are stacked.

  • When an event is removed from the calendar, any open reminder for it is closed.

Manage your meeting reminder preferences

To be able to use the calendar event reminders feature, you first have to activate the reminders and set your meeting reminder preferences:

  1. Go to Settings > Status & Calendar.

  2. Under Calendar event reminders:

    • Click the Show reminders for calendar events toggle on if you want to receive the calendar event reminders. Otherwise, click toggle off. By default it is On.
    • Click the Show reminder only for events with “Join” link toggle on if you want to receive event reminders, with an easy join option, regardless of the meeting providers. Otherwise, click toggle off. By default it is On and it hides when the Show reminders for calendar events toggle is Off.
    • Set how many minutes before the meeting the calendar event reminder displays. You can choose one of the pre-configured values: 0. 1. 5. 10. 15, and 30 minutes. By default, it is 5 minutes.

  3. Under Calendar based status, let people know that you are in a meeting.

Important! If you disable notifications from Settings > Notifications > Allow desktop notifications, the notifications won't display anymore..

Updated "Status" and "Notifications" settings

  • Beginning this release, the Settings > Notifications now displays a new Calendar event reminders section. With one click you are redirected directly to the Status & Calendar settings, where you can set the preferences about reminders.

  • Beginning this release, the Settings menu displays several updates:

    • (1) The new 'Status & Calendar' replaces the old Status option.

    • (2) A new tooltip of the Status & Calendar option displays as "Configure calendar-based features and auto-away"

    .

    • If an admin doesn’t allow users to control the x8 Work for Desktop calendar feature driven by presence, none of the calendar based features are shown in Settings as Status (the tooltip doesn't change either) and the reminders are not available shown in Settings. as Status (the tooltip doesn't change either) and the reminders are not available.

      In the Status and Calendar settings, a new Calendar events reminders section was added, where you can manage your meeting reminder preferences.

Improved experience when creating or editing chat rooms

While creating or editing a room, if you choose a room name that is already taken, a warning message appears. The message informs you that you cannot use a taken room name to create or edit a room. You can correct the name and continue to create or update the room.

Note: The maximum length for a room name is now 255 characters (from 50).

Updated color for the call card’s pin/unpin icon

In the 7.21 release, we introduced the option to pin/unpin the call card for 8x8 Work for Desktop. When pinned, the call card always displays on top of your active applications. To ensure you can easily determine whether your call card is pinned or unpinned, the color for the pin icon now displays as:

  • Gray, when the call card is unpinned.
  • White, when the call card is pinned.

Improved UX design for the Create room window

The Create room window now displays an improved UX design to optimize ease of use. With a few simple clicks, you can:

  • Create a private or a public chat room.
  • Add multiple members to a private chat room.
  • View members’ availability from their profile picture.

To create a chat room:

  1. Sign into 8x8 Work for Desktop.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Messages.
  3. Click > Create Room ..
  4. In the Create room window that displays, under Room name, enter the name of the chat room.
  5. Click the Make private toggle to select the chat room type:
    • Toggle off (default): Create a public chat room that can be found by anyone in your company contact list by using the search bar of 8x8 Work, and can be accessed by anyone at any time. To invite co-workers, use @mentions. For example, to get Alice Fox's attention, post @Alice Fox. Alternatively, you can ask Alice to search for this room by name.

    • Toggle on: Create a private chat room that can only be found and accessed by room members who are invited. A member who has been invited by mistake can be removed from the room from the Members window; once a person has been removed from a chat room, they no longer have access to the message history of that room.

    Note: The room type—private or public—cannot be changed after it is created.

  6. If you are creating a private room by enabling the Make private toggle switch, the Add members field displays. Use the dropdown list which displays, to add members to the chat room. To add members, simply type the names of the colleagues you wish to invite and select them when their names show up in the drop-down list.

    Note: You can add members to a private room at any time from the Members window. To access the Members window, select the desired private room and click the avatars of the members from the top of the chat panel, or select More Options> View/edit members.

  7. Click Create.

    The new chat room opens, and you can begin typing in the chat.

Updated label in the Room details window

The Make private toggle switch displayed in the Room details window in the 7.22 release has been removed. The window now lists the room type - Private or Public - that was selected when the room was first created.

You can still use the Room details window to change a room’s name.

Note: The room type—private or public—cannot be changed after it is created.

To access the Room details window:

  1. In the Messages > Rooms, select a room, and from the top-right side of the of the chat panel, select More Options > Room details .

New chat option available on the call card for internal calls

You can now initiate a chat with the person on the call directly from the call card by clicking the Chat icon. This option allows you to quickly chat with a caller/callee without having to navigate to the Messages tab.

Note: The chat icon displays on the call card for internal contact calls only after the call is accepted.

Let’s say you receive an internal call from Sam, a logistics colleague who requires the shipping address for one of the company’s clients. To ensure the address is correctly transmitted, you can click the Chat icon to initiate a chat with Sam, and paste the address details directly into the chat panel.

Private room enhancements

To help users communicate more efficiently, we are introducing some enhancements to private rooms.

Ability to view avatars in private rooms

Private rooms now display the avatar for three members in addition to the remaining number of members included in the room. Clicking on the avatars opens the Members window.

Updated label for Add members to private rooms

The option to include members in private rooms from the More Options menu, has been changed from Add members to View/edit members. Use this option to view, add, remove, or contact members of that private room. You can also access the Members window by clicking on the avatars shown in the top right-hand side of the room’s chat panel.

Note: This option is not available for public rooms. Members are added to public rooms by @mentioning them.

To add members to a private room:

  1. Log in to the 8x8 Work for Desktop app.
  2. From the navigation menu, click Messages > Rooms.

  3. Locate the private room you wish to add a member to, or create a new private room.

  4. Click the avatars of the members already added to the room.

    OR

    ClickMore Options, and from the drop-down list select View/edit members.

  5. In the window that opens, type the name(s) of the person(s) you want to add to the room.
  6. Click Save.

Ability to access quick actions from the Members window

You can now easily contact/delete a member of a private room directly from the Members window using the quick actions icons. Hover over the member to view the quick actions available for that contact.

You can access this window by selecting Messages > Rooms > More Options > View/edit members .

Ability to view the contact info card from the Members window

To aid user accessibility, from the Members window you can also:

  • View the current status of the avatar of each member of the private room.
  • View the contact info card when clicking the avatar.

Enhanced Room details option

The Room details panel has been converted to a window. You can use the revamped Room details window to edit a room’s name. All members of a room can edit a room’s name.

To change a room name:

  1. From the navigation menu, click Messages > Rooms.
  2. Select the room you want to edit.
  3. ClickMore Options, and from the drop-down list select Room details.
    The Room details window opens.
  4. In the Room name field, type the new name for the room.
  5. Click Save.

The system registers the name change and lists the person that made the change. An email is also sent to the members of the room to notify them of the change.

Note: The room type—private or public—cannot be changed after it is created.

Ability to drag and drop the active call card over the app screen

8x8 Work for Desktop now supports drag and drop for the active call card. When a call is accepted, and the Calls tab in the app is not in focus, you can move the call card to a more convenient location on the screen.

Note: On the web application, you can drag and drop the call card anywhere within the browser window.

On the desktop application, you can:

  • Drag and drop the call card anywhere on the screen, within the app screen or over other apps.
  • Pin/unpin the call card. Click from the upper left-hand side of the call card to ensure the call card always displays on top of your active applications on the screen. Click again to unpin it.

Note: You can move the call card to a different position even when pinned. The call card continues to display where pinned until you unpin it.

Updated IU labels for Call Queues/Ring Group UI

While on the Calls or Missed tab, the call logs now display the specific icon for the Call Queues and Ring Groups calls.

For the incoming calls from Call Queues and Ring Group, the labels related to them now display the name of the Call Queue/Ring Group instead of the ‘8x8 Work’.

Ability to access the Network Diagnostic tool from 8x8 Work for Desktop

Let’s say you want to run diagnostics for the network and connectivity to 8x8 data centers and to generate logs to support troubleshooting and issues that might occur. You now can access the Network Diagnostic tool directly from the 8x8 Work for Desktop app.

Notes:
- The tool requires additional ports to be allowed outboard only; for more details, see X-series technical requirement.
- Disconnect from any active VPN connection before proceeding testing.

To access the Network Diagnostic tool:

  1. From the 8x8 Work for Desktop login screen, trigger the main menu:

    • For Windows: Press the Alt key to open the main menu.
    • For Mac: The main menu displays by default.

  2. On the Help menu, click Help > Network Utility Tool to activate the utility.

Note: Before activating the Network Utility Tool, first you need to obtain an activation key, then you need to disconnect any active VPN connection.

To activate the Network Utility tool:

  1. In the Network Utility Tool screen, enter the following data:

    • Activation Key: Enter the activation key provided by the 8x8 engineers.
    • Company: Enter your company name. Avoid using spaces or underscores.

    • Site Identifier: (Optional) If you use the same activation key and company name at different locations, use the Site Identifier field to differentiate the results based on the details you send.

    2. Note: The activation key and company name are case sensitive as they form a unique combination.

  2. Click Verify.

  3. Click Start test to run the test. The test will take about 20-30 minutes to run.

  4. Optional: You can stop the test anytime, by clicking Stop test.

  5. When the test is completed, the logs are automatically downloaded to the 8x8 team.

  6. Optional: You can manually download these logs, by clicking Download Log File and save it on your computer. Now you can see the results of the test anytime.

Now you can see the results of the test anytime.

To learn more about how to use the Network Utility tool and how to read the results, click here.

“Unable to connect to phone service” banner

When 8x8 Work for Desktop cannot connect to phone service, you are notified via a banner displayed at the top of the application. Click the Learn more link in the banner to open the 8x8 Work SIP Error Codes Overview support page, which contains troubleshooting tips for common error codes.

Ability to block external SMS from unknown contacts

Let's say you are receiving spam SMS from an external number that is not in your contact list, and the messages are interrupting your work. You can now block the sender from sending you messages with a simple click.

Note: Only spam SMS received from external numbers that are not in your contact list can be blocked. Messages received from numbers in your contact directory cannot be blocked.

In this release, you now have the option to block SMS messages (text messages displayed in green) sent by external numbers that are not saved in your contact list. Calls and SMS messages are handled separately; blocking an SMS only blocks the number from reaching out through this particular communication channel.

To block an external SMS:

  • From the navigation menu, click Messages to view your list of chats.
  • Click the message sender you wish to block.
  • In the sender row, click for more options.

  • From the drop-down list that displays:

    • Select Block sender.
      OR
    • Select Contact info > Block sender.
  • At the prompt to confirm, click Block sender.

Once blocked, the SMS is removed from your list of chats.

Note: You may choose to block the sender from the chat window too, by clicking More Options and then, selecting Block sender from the list.

To unblock an external SMS:

Notes: To unblock an SMS sender you must remember the number you blocked.

  • From the navigation menu, select Search and type the number you wish to unblock.
  • When located, hover over the number, and click the message icon to view the messages in the Messages list.
  • Select the contact and click for more options.

  • From the drop-down list that displays:

    • Select Unblock sender.
      OR
    • Select Contact info > Unblock sender.

Once unblocked, the sender remains visible in the chat list.

Notes:
- You may choose to unblock a sender from the chat windows by clicking More Options and then, selecting Unblock sender from the list.
- Messages received after blocking a sender do not display in the chat history once a sender is unblocked.

Transfer call UI label update

Starting with 8x8 Work for Desktop 7.20, while transferring an active call to another user, the label related to the Direct Transfer icon now appears as Cold Transfer.

Improved call card design

In this release, when you receive a call, and the Calls tab in the app is not in focus, the banner notification about the incoming call displays at the top right side of the app, to align the 8x8 Work for Desktop layout with that of 8x8 Work for Web.