Implemented Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

[bluetel2]

call queue

Hi

we have call center customer who ask us every update if it's possible to receive more than 1 call per 3cxphone where agent is on call queue. For Example agent take off 1 call from queue and the can take off another call for another queue or the same ( maybe they can choice number of simultaneous call they can have for all call queue)


tks

 

[rfrary]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

So I stumbled upon this forum looking for the same solution. Turns out 3CX moved this option under Troubleshooting > Parameters > ALLOWUSEBUSYOPTFORGROUP switch 0 to 1 and you should be all set.

 

[uptime1]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

@noord Did you get that hack working on a single install or Cloud? I carefully made the change on v14 SP2 Cloud, but unfortunately, didn't make a difference, even after enabling Extension accept more than one call.

 

[rfrary]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

Did you try my solution? Maybe disable supports re-invite and supports header on each extension depending on your phone models.

 

[uptime1]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

@rfrary, Thanks for the suggestions on v14 SP2 Cloud, unfortunately, didn't work. BTW, on v14 SP2 standalone (non-cloud), I've read the setting is in Troubleshooting has you mentioned.

I may be fighting an uphill battle. I believe the PGADMIN database hack is for Ring Groups only, not Call Queues.

Has anyone come up with a workaround?

 

[solutionsit]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

If this option is enabled it should also disable the answer button in CTI mode. This would fix the autoanswer issue that is faced when multiple calls are enabled.

 

[telin]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

Yeah, that works perfectly, but let's assume that modifying DB is not healthy for PBX operation.

Hopefully, 3CX will give us some ideas on that.

 

[GtInNoVaTiOn]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

On a single instance, setting the parameter does not work for a queue but does for a group. I opened a ticket on this and was told not to use the parameter because it can "cause several issues". Migrating customers from the dying trixbox pro and even it did this for queues and groups. It needs to do both because queues may need to be used for ring all because of the added features like intro prompt. This has to be addressed or I will not be able to sell 3CX. If a small office has 3 people answering the phone and all 3 are on a call, they should be able to place a call on hold and answer another incoming call. It is not acceptable to have their customers dumped to VM during the day.

 

[CentrexJ]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

On a single instance, setting the parameter does not work for a queue but does for a group. I opened a ticket on this and was told not to use the parameter because it can "cause several issues". Migrating customers from the dying trixbox pro and even it did this for queues and groups. It needs to do both because queues may need to be used for ring all because of the added features like intro prompt. This has to be addressed or I will not be able to sell 3CX. If a small office has 3 people answering the phone and all 3 are on a call, they should be able to place a call on hold and answer another incoming call. It is not acceptable to have their customers dumped to VM during the day.

I use the parameter at several customers. The only negative i'm aware of is if people use 3cxphone in cti mode with yealink and a second call comes in it will auto answer. There are ways to fix the 3cxphone issue or just have the receptionists not use the software.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

This is definitely insane - not being able to handle answering more than one inbound call at a time.

Its nice that groups have a work around by modifying a db parameter but queues are practically useless without allowing multiple calls.

Queues the way they are might be good for formal call centers but any standard business with inbound calls handled by groups of people such as retail or medical absolutely need multiple inbound call handling.

We're considering deploying multiple phones per desk just to allow multiple calls to be answered in a queue.

Wow - Seriously 3CX. This is a serious miss.

 

[dig1234]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

Very much agree with you. This is very important to small/medium businesses!
Our workaround was to manually provision a second extension as a line 2 for the "receptionist" phones. But this is definitely a workaround.

 

[CentrexJ]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

For most of my clients that need to receive more than one call a ring group is more than sufficient (with the custom parameter change on the on-prem version of 3cx). The only reason I would prefer to use a queue for those customers is because i can set it to use a different ring tone on the phones to differentiate.

 

[dig1234]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

The problem for us with Ring groups is there isn't an easy way for users to login/logout. It seems kindof arbitrary which features were included in Queues vs Ring Groups. Frankly I'm not sure why they are two distinct functions at all. Likely there is a historical reason for the two but at this point I don't see why 3cx can't merge the functionality of both into one feature that is configurable any which way.

 

[DSXVOICE]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group - IN CONSIDERATION

I'm not sure I fully appreciated the difference between ring groups and queues until we started supporting call-centers with larger seat counts. In a smaller business, the generic purpose of a ring group is to make certain the call is answered as quickly as possible. But when you get into the class of a call center, there is often a revenue/cost stream that is strongly affected by the efficiency of they way calls are handled. These are measurable numbers that our clients wave in front of in front of us when it doesn't work the way it needs to - so we live this one.

Lately I've learned that in the case of at least one of our clients, the phone-workers are actually paid based upon the 3CX reports and their monthly income is directly affected by which queuing strategy is used.

Maybe queues are ring groups on steroids, but I think its best the two remain separate - maybe like the kiddie pool and the grown up pool?

 

[N_G]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

Hi

They have to be separate indeed and they serve very different functions. Therefore, this feature request is best split up. However, i can already say that Ring Groups are very limited by design and are unlikely to gain advanced features. Queues on the other hand, which allow for much more complex handling of the calls, are likely to gain more and more features in time.

However, in V14 you can already put a call on hold and pick up another queue call?

 

[DSXVOICE]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

To the best of my knowledge, if a person's phone is busy, it will not ring with either queues or ring groups - which normally should be the case. But in some circumstances, the agents want the ability to put a caller on hold and take another call - as Nick mentioned in the prior message. But how does the agent get the call if the phone doesn't ring? Am I correct about that or did this behavior change in V14?

While this could be possible using the desktop APP, most of our clients do not install the app for their agents because they don't want the distraction and in some cases - the potential for misuse.

 

[dig1234]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

To the best of my knowledge, if a person's phone is busy, it will not ring with either queues or ring groups - which normally should be the case.

I just confirmed this behavior on v14 SP3. When a user is on the phone, the Queue calls do notring even if the queue is set to Ring All. The extension is set to accept more than one call at a time.

 

[N_G]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

No to take a call if you are already on a call you must take the call using 3CXPhone or using the Call Pickup Dial code. Then your call will be put on hold and you take the second call. Then switch back to the other call when you are ready.

It will not ring automatically and wouldn't make sense, you will drive the agents crazy. I think until we invent agents that can speak to two people simultaneously this behaviour is correct

 

[DSXVOICE]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

As far as queues are concerned, this is all correct. It does not ring and it should not ring. However, as far as ring groups are concerned, this is a completely different matter. Small companies especially will have ring groups managed by "whoever is there" at the moment. When the call comes in they need to be able to know that the call exists and be able to grab it.

By experiment, we know that *20* does not work with ring groups - at least on V14. But that invites another problem which is that the person needs to hear or see the ring happen. What is needed is a RingAllNoMatterWhat option that ignores the phone status entirely. Maybe in 2nd place would be a BLF for the ring group that would flash when its got a call and if the user hit the BLF their current call would go on hold and they could grab the ringing one.

This is a red hot issue for us. We now have two clients that we have had to deploy in standalone server environments even though they are 8SC, because we are not able to make the Cloud Server ring groups work the way they expect it to work. Our clients are not at all sympathetic, because in most cases, this is the way their old system worked (last case: 8x8).

It is frustratingly inefficient to be deploying one-off servers for 8/16 SC instances and it is embarrassing to admit that 8x8 can do something we can't do.

 

[brianguest]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

It will not ring automatically and wouldn't make sense, you will drive the agents crazy. I think until we invent agents that can speak to two people simultaneously this behaviour is correct

It might not make sense to you but it makes sense to me and to obviously to other people as well. It would make things a lot simpler for us and I am not sure why it is not an option that you can turn on or off as the situation demands. I only learned about this limitation when we were well into our implementation of 3CX. If I had known about it earlier I might have kept looking for a different solution. I never even thought to ask if 3CX was capable of doing this since it seemed like such a basic and necessary function.

 

[aceltic]

Re: Allow multiple calls for Queue and Ring Group

It will not ring automatically and wouldn't make sense, you will drive the agents crazy. I think until we invent agents that can speak to two people simultaneously this behaviour is correct

It might not make sense to you but it makes sense to me and to obviously to other people as well. It would make things a lot simpler for us and I am not sure why it is not an option that you can turn on or off as the situation demands. I only learned about this limitation when we were well into our implementation of 3CX. If I had known about it earlier I might have kept looking for a different solution. I never even thought to ask if 3CX was capable of doing this since it seemed like such a basic and necessary function.

Totally agree!

I have seen service desk agents to switch between two or more calls. Imagine, you have a customer online and installing a software on his/her computer which is taken too long. Meanwhile, you can take another call and do something else simultaneously.

It seems obvious that this behavior is not the right thing to do but we could at least have the option to activate it or not.

Kind regards.