Fanvil PA3 as both Voice Announce (Page) and Ring Alert

[Mike Shintani]

In our warehouse we have folks working on the floor, I'd like to page (do a voice announcement) over the speaker connected to the PA3. I have this configured and working - the PA3 is assigned an extension and when that extension is called we hear a tone and then the caller can speak over the loudspeaker.

The warehouse manager has an office inside the warehouse and their own phone extension. When the manager steps out of the office on to the warehouse floor he/she often misses a lot of calls. I'd like to configure the PA3 to ring over the loudspeaker anytime the manager's extension is called (and their office phone is also ringing).

Is there a way to use the PA3 in both ways?

 

[Alejandro_3CX]

When the manager steps out of the office on to the warehouse floor he/she often misses a lot of calls. I'd like to configure the PA3 to ring over the loudspeaker anytime the manager's extension is called (and their office phone is also ringing).

I wonder why he doesn't use the 3cx app on his mobile, so he has his extension anywhere he is an never miss a call.

You can can create an extension and register it to the PA system, then configure a paging group adding this extension, so whenever you call the paging group you can send the announcement over the speaker.

Also as alternative you could create a ring group with the PA extension and the manager extension, ring all as strategy and when dialing this ring group extension both endpoints will ring.

 

[VoIPTools]

to @Alejandro_3CX point, the 3CX client on a cell phone, or a DECT wireless phone, are obvious solutions.

Expanding on Alejandro's suggestion of putting both the PA3 and the user in the same ring group, you would need to have the Ring Group call the user extension first, and then roll over to the PA3 second. If you do a ring-all, the PA3 will always answer before the user can.

Another option is to use a Call Flow Designer (CFD). We have already written a CFD application that can play a message similar to "Call waiting for Matthew Orr on Park 1" (The next available parking location). Then transfers the call to the selected parking location. The the user can then walk to the closest available phone and pick the call off of the announced park location.

 

[Mike Shintani]

I wonder why he doesn't use the 3cx app on his mobile, so he has his extension anywhere he is an never miss a call.

You can can create an extension and register it to the PA system, then configure a paging group adding this extension, so whenever you call the paging group you can send the announcement over the speaker.

Also as alternative you could create a ring group with the PA extension and the manager extension, ring all as strategy and when dialing this ring group extension both endpoints will ring.

Thank you for this. Currently we have four managers (different shifts) and they all use the same office, desk, and extension. If all four managers have the 3CX app on that extension their mobile phones will be ringing 24 hours when they are not on shift. For now this works best for us.

For the alternative option when the PA3's extension is in a Ring Group, and a caller dials the Ring Group number, the PA3 answers the call immediately and puts the call live on the speaker. Any additional thoughts?

 

[Alejandro_3CX]

If all four managers have the 3CX app on that extension their mobile phones will be ringing 24 hours when they are not on shift.

they can disable the account in the application, or disable push notifications or use the switch status to automatically change the status to DND and forward the calls when out of office... so no reason why still receiving 24hs calls on the app, you can give it a try

 

[VoIPTools]

Asking users to tinker with their 3CX client is asking for trouble. I don't know how feasible a wireless phone would be in your environment, but that may be the easiest solution. Or rethink whether having everyone share the same extension is the right approach. For example, you could send the calls to a queue. When you are off-shift, you change your presence to away. For the physical phone you could use hotdesking, but that's another layer of complexity likely to user-fail.

And I should point out that 3rd-party and CFD solutions are not available with 3CX Hosted servers.