Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

8x8 Launches AI-Powered Solution for Councils to Help Increase Electoral Engagement and Reduce Local Authorities’ Election Workloads

New 8x8 Ballot It! Self-Service Offering Empowers Citizens with Election Information Aiming to Boost Turnout for Regional and National Elections in the UK

8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud contact centre and unified communications platform provider, today announced the availability of 8x8 Ballot It!, an AI-powered self-service solution that aims to empower UK citizens with the latest and most relevant election information and help boost voter turnout in regional and national elections.

A voice and digital chat service for public sector organisations that seamlessly integrates into their contact centre and embeds into existing websites, Ballot It! is powered by the conversational AI capabilities of 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant. The new solution is intentionally engineered to ensure the electorate in each region has real-time access to relevant up-to-date information around candidates and polling stations, while also relieving local government staff and volunteers of a number of election-related tasks, easing their workloads.

“From the moment an election campaign begins—regardless of it being a general election or local election—there’s a lot of extra pressures, requests, and demands placed on councils,” said Darren Davies, IT User Support Manager and Technology Adoption Manager at London Borough of Harrow Council. “So anything that helps with that while also helping the electorate is to be welcomed.”

“In many parts of England in the recent elections, turnout was lower than previous years. With the UK general election coming up very soon, and Scottish and Welsh elections in around two years, vendors, like 8x8, have a role to make sure technology is being seen as a helper and not a hindrance,” said Jamie Snaddon, EMEA Managing Director at 8x8, Inc. “We developed Ballot It! to support local government efforts to encourage voting, as we believe it’s important to ensure that every citizen is given the resources they need to make informed choices and exercise their right to vote on election days.”

The top value of deploying AI is to enable organizations to provide customers with quick responses to inquiries while at the same time increasing employee productivity.

The benefits of Ballot It! include:

  • Empowered Citizens: 24/7 access to accurate information and resources about upcoming elections to enhance knowledge and manage voting preferences.
  • Streamlined Resources: single access point for publicly-available information.
  • Instant Self-Service with Customised Information: provides voters with links to specific local projects and candidate information via voice and digital channels.
  • Enhanced Productivity: Reduces contact centre and staff workloads for councils and local governments with automated messages directing citizens to the relevant online resources.

Delivering Ballot It! reinforces 8x8’s understanding of the needs and pain points of the local government sector in the UK. The 8x8 cloud contact centre and unified communications platform supports the constituent and employee experience requirements of some of the best known councils in the UK, including City of Westminster Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Council, and London Borough of Hounslow.

For more information about 8x8 Ballot It!, visit 8x8 for Local Government, download the guide Ways Conversational AI Can Support Local Government or contact 8x8.

About 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software as a Service provider of 8x8 XCaaS™ (Experience Communications as a Service™), an integrated contact center, voice communications, video, chat, and SMS solution built on one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 uniquely eliminates the silos between Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) to power the communications requirements of all employees globally as they work together to deliver differentiated customer experiences. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

8x8®, 8x8 XCaaS™, Experience Communications as a Service™, Experience Communications Platform™ are trademarks of 8x8, Inc.

.@8x8 announces the availability of 8x8 Ballot It!, an #AI-powered self-service solution empowering citizens with access to real-time election information for regional and national elections

Contacts

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.