2 Companies, 1 App

[SethTalley]

Apologies if this isn't really an "app" question but I figured it ultimately ends up being ergonomics of the iOS app, so here goes.

I have a 3CX-hosted pro installation with about a dozen users on it. We've got 8 simultaneous callsthree DIDs, 2 ring groups, Yealink, DECT, and a partridge in a pear tree.

I am establishing an unrelated company that mostly only needs text messaging and DIDs. Gonna be up to 4 simultaneous calls tops, EVER, 9 DIDs, 1 extension per DID, one big happy pool so that any extension can respond to any MMS on any DID.

I am the only employee in common. Only my phone needs access to both phone trees. My access to Company 1 is primarily through other channels; I will not need to have the 3CX app "hot" for Company 1. I *will* need to have access to the MMS pool for Company 2.

SHOULD I:

(A) Add 9 DIDs to my existing hosted 3CX install, build the extensions, add them to a ring group and run Company 2's system within Company 1's build

(B) Build out a new hosted 3CX install and add the additional accounts to my iOS phone?

Pros and cons? Welcoming any and all opinions. Thanks in advance.

 

[NickD_3CX]

Hi!

I moved this thread into General because you are right, it isn't really related to this section.

My take on this is this:
3CX generally is not optimized to have a single PBX for 2 separate companies/businesses.
Things like Music on Hold (MoH) are shared and generally callers into IVRs can direct dial to other extensions, etc.

Based off of this, possibly the 'safest' solution would be: make a 2nd installation

Now given the nature of the companies and the sizes, you *could* maybe get away with it, especially if the primary focus of this new company would be Messaging, and the 9 DIDs would be going directly to the 9 extensions, so essentially you are rulling out calls being able to get routed to the wrong extensions of the other company.

Note though that you can't also really block calls from extensions of comany A to extensions of company B.
You can create User Groups so that they can't see each other in presence, but they will be able to call each other.

MoH will be common for the 2, nothing you can do about that is that is a problem.

So IF these are the requirements and they are going to stay like this forever and your customer is not going to start asking for more in 3 months, potentially you could get away with it.

Final personal opionion:
Mainly because I have worked with users a lot, it is very likely that they will change the initial requirements, want something that you can't really do on a shared 3CX system, then you will have double the work 3 months down the line, so I think you should go for 2 separate systems to begin with.
The minor things you can't overcome, in your scenario are think are exactly that, minor.

 

[SethTalley]

I appreciate your thoughtful response, Nick. So just to be clear - doing it with dual PBX will work on one phone, correct? What does switching accounts on the softphone app look like?

 

[Evolute IT]

I appreciate your thoughtful response, Nick. So just to be clear - doing it with dual PBX will work on one phone, correct? What does switching accounts on the softphone app look like?

2 system on one phone is not supported and causes issues with DND and other things.

For softphones, it's easy to switch, specially the mobile apps.

 

[NickD_3CX]

I appreciate your thoughtful response, Nick. So just to be clear - doing it with dual PBX will work on one phone, correct? What does switching accounts on the softphone app look like?

You can have as many accounts as you want on your Mobile App, but, only one active at any given time.

In order to switch from account A to account B on your Mobile App, it is very quick and easy:

1. Tap on the Hamburger button to enter the menu
2. Tap on the account that is at the top of the menu and all other provisioned account will appear
3. Select the account you want to be active

That is literally it.