3CX Outlook Integration

[Gilroy]

A short but precise description of the situation​

We have a client which would like to dial from 3CX. The use case will be calling from Outlook contacts, email signatures, and websites.

From what we understand, we have a 3CX Click2Call web browser extension that works fine using Chrome, however, this is only limited to the web browser and doesn't work with Outlook applications. Our question is, is there a way we can dial from Outlook using 3CX?

We would like to also ask what does the documentation means by

Users' personal contacts are synced with the 3CX personal phonebook so they can easily trigger calls from 3CX to any 365 contact.

The version of 3CX you are currently using (can be found in the "Dashboard" of the Management Console on the right)​

18.0 (Build 314)

Where is your 3CX installed? (on-premise, Hosted by 3CX, Hosting Provider)​

AWS

What actions have been taken so far​

1. We have synced our contacts using Microsoft 365 Integration
2. Installed Click2Call Google Chrome Web extension

Thank you in advance awesome 3CX community

 

[NickD_3CX]

Hi!

We would like to also ask what does the documentation means by:
Users' personal contacts are synced with the 3CX personal phonebook so they can easily trigger calls from 3CX to any 365 contact.

This refers to the functionality where the person contacts that a MS365 user has will be synced as "Personal Contacts" within 3CX.

As I understand it, your users are using the "Outlook" application that is installed on their Windows PCs. For this, we used to have a plugin that worked with the 'legacy' 3CX Windows Client:
https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/install-outlook-plugin-on-standard-edition.55751/

Note however that this plugin is no longer maintained and the softclient it was built to work with is not EOL.

For the new Desktop App that exists, there is no "Outlook Plugin", at least not for the time being, so you recommendation would be for users to use MS365 online that could take advantage of the Chrome plugin that parses numbers.

Also note that the new Desktop App can be configured as your default TEL Protocol all, so that any TEL links anywhere in Windows will launch the Desktop App.

Currently there is no solution to dialing an Outlook Contact directly using the new Desktop App in the form of a context menu, except of course if you copy-paste the number into our App.

 

[Gilroy]

Hi!


This refers to the functionality where the person contacts that a MS365 user has will be synced as "Personal Contacts" within 3CX.

As I understand it, your users are using the "Outlook" application that is installed on their Windows PCs. For this, we used to have a plugin that worked with the 'legacy' 3CX Windows Client:
https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/install-outlook-plugin-on-standard-edition.55751/

Note however that this plugin is no longer maintained and the softclient it was built to work with is not EOL.

For the new Desktop App that exists, there is not "Outlook Plugin", at least not for the time being, so you recommendation would be for users to use MS365 online that could take advantage of the Chrome plugin that parses numbers.

Also note that the new Desktop App can be configured as your default TEL Protocol all, so that any TEL links anywhere in Windows will launch the Desktop App.

Currently there is no solution to dialing an Outlook Contact directly using the new Desktop App in the form of a context menu, except of course if you copy-paste the number into our App.

Thank you very much @NickD_3CX appreciate your detailed response!

 

[csm]

Is there a plan to resolve this for the Outlook desktop client? This is a big deal for my user community.

 

[assvas]

Kindly requested to re-evaluate this need due to this feature being a tremendous necessity. This feature exists in competitor's solutions since 2006 and still working, thus for this feature to keep working for us, we think it is something that you guys should include to your Roadmap for next Q1 2022.

Since the latest version of the app will be supported for the next years and the old version will go EOL, it is suggested to take under consideration of the overall situation occured during the last year. Lot of companies use 3CX and Office 2019/365, we have covid-19 with supply chain issues and frankly we are facing many times the need to have a decent Desktop client to use even for daily work when users work remotely from home.

The portability that 3cx offers should follow the digitization flow that covid pushed.

 

[Evolute IT]

Kindly requested to re-evaluate this need due to this feature being a tremendous necessity. This feature exists in competitor's solutions since 2006 and still working, thus for this feature to keep working for us, we think it is something that you guys should include to your Roadmap for next Q1 2022.

Since the latest version of the app will be supported for the next years and the old version will go EOL, it is suggested to take under consideration of the overall situation occured during the last year. Lot of companies use 3CX and Office 2019/365, we have covid-19 with supply chain issues and frankly we are facing many times the need to have a decent Desktop client to use even for daily work when users work remotely from home.

The portability that 3cx offers should follow the digitization flow that covid pushed.

The DesktopApp works perfectly. Why not use it? Outlook can send calls to it via the TEL: protocol.

 

[assvas]

To clarify, there are two desktop apps. The old one that works with the old plugin in Outlook, installer file name : 3CXPhoneforWindows16.

We use the latest DesktopApp 3CXDesktopApp-18.9.933. After installing it , we see no feasibility of the tel numbers on an email / signature etc. being "linked" in order to be able to be clicked by user.

If we proceed with installation of the old plugin, it asks to install the old desktop client.
Users don't work with outlook on the web, but o365 desktop program.
Thus please clarify what do you mean, thank you in advance.

 

[Crip]

Hi,
I also have the same issue/question. Dialing from Outlook contacts or email headers implemented in all other competitor solutions. When I try to install the Outlook Plugin v15 it also installs the legacy windows client which is EOL.

How can we integrate the 3CX Desktop App with Outlook to be able to dial from Outlook. The 3CX Windows Client (Legacy) is not an option.

Can you please explain how to integrate this with o365 Outlook and 3CX Desktop App?

 

[assvas]

Can a 3CX admin check our above request and clarify if there is an intention to include it in 2023 roadmap ?
Thank you in advance.

 

[ichbins]

Is there any news on this?

 

[accentlogic]

Since leaving a pbx with full Outlook integration for 3CX, I have been using 3CX Hot Keys to dial. Highlight the number, hit the hot key, verify it in the dialer and call. Bonus is this works in any app.

I’ve found Ctrl+F2 to be a good hot key combination as it’s seldom used by other apps and can be done with one hand.I also associate TEL links with 3CX.

 

[ichbins]

Well, I use Ctrl+3 as in "3"CX... ;-)

But if you scroll through contacts in Outlook and want to call someone, you first have to open the contact, select one of the saved phone numbers, copy it and only then does the shortcut come into play. That is somewhat annoying...

 

[accentlogic]

Well, I use Ctrl+3 as in "3"CX... ;-)

But if you scroll through contacts in Outlook and want to call someone, you first have to open the contact, select one of the saved phone numbers, copy it and only then does the shortcut come into play. That is somewhat annoying...

I like the hotkey combo! Do you have issues with web browsers or Excel? It's used in most browsers to switch to the 3rd tab and Excel uses it for italics.

Believe me, I'd love to see real Outlook support. I posted this idea back in 2015. Feel free to vote it up! Back when I posted, the Windows Phone App had integration with Outlook Contacts, but you had to go find the contact in Outlook to call them. Normally I need to call someone about an email I am reading, so why go open the contact when they are right there on screen? Fortunately, most users have their phone number in their signature, and some even form it as a TEL link.

Outlook add-in call from email, not just Contacts view​

https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/outlook-add-in-call-from-email-not-just-contacts-view.43456/

 

[Crip]

+1

 

[spooner.arthur]

Hello,
I am searching for solution for Outlook Contacts Calling.
I don't understand how you make the Hot Key.
I only found the Hot Key to open the dialer but not to input the number directly.
Best regards
Arthur

 

[accentlogic]

@spooner.arthur The "Copy number from clipboard" hotkey takes the currently highlighted number,copies it and sends it to the dialer. Try that one.