Understand how simultaneous calls, recommended system sizing and Fair Use create a sustainable licensing model for customers and Partners.

Many communications platforms are licensed per user. Add more employees and the monthly cost increases. 3CX works differently.

A 3CX system is primarily sized around the number of simultaneous calls (SC) it needs to handle. This gives 3CX Partners the flexibility to support more users without purchasing a separate license for every person using the system.

Each license size also has recommended system limits to help match the number of extensions and expected workload to the appropriate capacity. As the customer grows, the system can scale with them.

Understanding both sides of the model helps you size 3CX correctly, build reliable customer systems and create a consistent commercial approach. Read on to see what to consider when sizing a deployment and when to review it as the customer develops.

Start With Simultaneous Calls, Then Size the Deployment

A company may have 100 employees, but only a percentage of them are likely to be on calls at the same time. Another business with the same number of employees may operate busy customer service queues and require considerably more call capacity.

This is where simultaneous call licensing gives Partners flexibility compared with traditional per-user licensing. Two customers with the same headcount can have very different 3CX requirements.

When sizing a 3CX system, start by looking at how the customer actually communicates. Partners should consider factors such as:

  • The number of users and extensions
  • Expected simultaneous call volume
  • Queues and customer service activity
  • Conferencing and other communication workloads
  • Expected business growth
  • The recommended system limits for the selected license size

This allows you to choose a system that reflects how the customer actually uses 3CX, rather than simply charging for every user account.

More Extensions Does Not Mean Unlimited Extensions

Because 3CX does not charge per user, it can be tempting to interpret the model as allowing an unlimited number of extensions on any system size. That is not how the licensing model is designed to work.

3CX provides recommended limits for the number of extensions that should be used with each license size. These are designed to provide Partners with commercial flexibility while maintaining an appropriate relationship between system capacity, users and workload. If a customer grows beyond the recommended capacity, the system should grow with them.

Customers add employees, departments and locations. They introduce queues or new communication services. Call volumes increase. A deployment that was correctly sized when it was installed may therefore need a larger license today. That is not unusual. It is part of managing a communications platform throughout the customer's lifecycle.

Fair Use Protects the Customer and the Channel

Fair Use helps ensure that customer deployments are sized according to the same recommended limits. For Partners, this creates a more consistent commercial environment. When two Partners are proposing 3CX for similar customer requirements, both can work from the same system-sizing principles rather than using significantly different license sizes for comparable deployments.

It also creates a clearer relationship between customer growth and the commercial value of the deployment. As a customer adds users, departments, locations and communication workloads, their 3CX system can grow alongside them. This allows Partners to develop recurring revenue as customer requirements increase while continuing to provide an appropriately sized system.

A model that remains commercially sustainable at every level gives the entire channel a stronger foundation for long-term growth.

Make 3CX License Sizing Part of the Customer Lifecycle

Licensing should not be a conversation you have only when the customer first buys 3CX. Make system sizing part of your regular customer reviews. Instead of approaching an SC upgrade simply as a price increase, explain what has changed since the customer originally purchased the system. The customer has grown, their use of 3CX has grown and the system now needs to grow with them. That creates a much stronger commercial conversation.

3CX continues to give Partners the flexibility of system-based licensing rather than charging separately for every user. Correct sizing protects that flexibility. Size the system correctly today, review it as the customer develops and scale 3CX as their business grows. That is better for the customer, better for the Partner and ultimately healthier for the entire 3CX channel.

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