Not possible to create conference call in V15.5 SP2

[sip.bg]

After update to SP2 is not anymore possible to schedule a conference call -- you can't invite participants. The only available option is to use Google calendar or Outlook, which is not doing the job, plus even possible to invite somebody (however I didn't managed) is not doing the job. How to invite somebody or enter a number which is not in contacts.

This behavior is frustrating and turn 3CX conference into something completely useless.

 

[MathieuDube]

I think the iCal could work IF we had the option in the webclient to invite the participants right there (and not in Gmail or Office365) and that the iCAL file was attached in that email sent to everyone. Leave to us the templating of the email, my template was good looking enough for our customers, it's not the look of the email that counts, it's actually that the email is sent AUTOMATICALLY and not rely on the host to have to manually download the iCAL file, edit the email with a custom template, add the participants by hand...

I suggest you one thing 3CX guys. Pretend you can't use the Outlook 365 or Gmail for one second. Then start making videoconferences. You'll soon figure out that the iCal feature needs some automation. Try this and get back to us.

 

[N_G]

OK, we will check out standard Outlook client - to see what could be done.....

 

[MathieuDube]

OK, we will check out standard Outlook client - to see what could be done.....

Nick, thank you, but still, take a look at my previous replies. In my opinion, keep the webclient to manage the invitation, we will survive. But streamline the process for those that need to receive the calendar invitation through email. Add the participants section like wuyu suggested here https://www.3cx.com/community/threa...method-of-v15-5-sp1-in-web-client-back.52216/ , make the email sent automatically with an iCal file attached and we should be all set I think.

Thank you

 

[sip.bg]

Still creating ad-hoc conferences is needed -- the possibility to add extensions and external numbers, to be dialed from the PBX. This is different from scheduling conferences by email / calendar and asking attendees to dial the conference DID number and entering a pin.

 

[Brian Cross]

Every customer I have upgrade is calling at me screaming and wants to roll back. Biggest nightmare ever created. Also in the webclient where is the BLF keys????

 

[Tony Cox]

This is a step backwards for conferencing. I will be downgrading to SP1, and unless this behaviour is changed I can't see that I will upgrading again.

 

[jofer]

when scheduling a webmeeting you cannot invite participants, only by selecting webinar?
this is very confusing to our customers.

 

[N_G]

Its not really confusing. You add participants from your email client like every other software does it using the calendar create dialog they should know. Anyhow, we will add back a way to specify participants and have them sent an email in case you dont have an email client or know how to create a calendar event in it.

 

[creative3]

We've been using 3cx since v8, so we like it but are becoming increasingly frustrated most recently. We used to look forward to the new updates now we have to look for all the functions that have been changed or removed so we can decide how many clients this is going to upset.
When we sell the system it's sold on the basis of the function it can deliver at a given point, not on the concept of the functions only working until the next release.

Reference this conference issue; I've got a customer who provide a service to the Police. I've just had to roll them back to SP1 out of hours because they can no longer dial in other parties in to the conference. The function required is very simple and worked until SP2.

The process used is:
1. Police Call in >
2. Call Centre answer >
3. and conference in by dialling several numbers 3-10 different parties.

These parties are not going to wait to receive an email, they could be anywhere in the world without email, it could be critical for that conference to take place.

I hope that add's some context to the issue and as such you can reinstate this basic and primitive conference function.

 

[sip.bg]

We are also servicing a police / security guards. They need ad-hoc conferencing, where person on-duty initiates conferences with up to 30 persons (to their mobile phones) in emergency situations and gives them instructions, whatever. I had to revert to SP1 after a big scandal, because SP2 killed ad-hoc conferencing.
@Nick Galea, please release ASAP SP3 which brings back functionality from SP1 plus new calendars methods and fix finally issues with mobile client for Android (to stop breaking GSM calls) -- these are the most irritating issues customers complain. 3CX is a very good product, but customers want to be able to do their job, when they paid for having a PBX. When changes are made, backward compatibility should be retained, otherwise there are lots of problems with existing installations / working habits of people. New features are always welcome, but they should be an addition, not replacement of existing functionality.

 

[neville]

15.5.3849.1 has been removed from the Linux repository. So, no downgrade possible. I guess my 2 ticked off clients I upgraded will just be ticked off until this issue is corrected. However, my upgrade days are over for the foreseeable future. Hot Desking and QR provisioning is not worth the reduction in conference functions.

Please, please, listen to your partners before making a major change like this.

 

[sip.bg]

15.5.3849.1 has been removed from the Linux repository. So, no downgrade possible. I guess my 2 ticked off clients I upgraded will just be ticked off until this issue is corrected. However, my upgrade days are over for the foreseeable future. Hot Desking and QR provisioning is not worth the reduction in conference functions.

Please, please, listen to your partners before making a major change like this.

Check private message, if you can install it from .deb file.

 

[DL_]

I haven't upgraded yet. I'm a bit confused about the impact of this issue - are you saying that you can no longer do an ad-hoc voice conference call (3+ way calling) unless you send an e-mail first?

If so is this from the desktop softphone, the webclient or physical phones (or all)?

 

[sip.bg]

I haven't upgraded yet. I'm a bit confused about the impact of this issue - are you saying that you can no longer do an ad-hoc voice conference call (3+ way calling) unless you send an e-mail first?

If so is this from the desktop softphone, the webclient or physical phones (or all)?

You can make a three or more party conference from softphone or deskphone traditionally, adding participants one by one (number of parties limited by the phone).
The PBX can't dial out simultaneously many participants anymore and can't send emails with invitations. The only available method is scheduling conference via calendar.

 

[LeonidasG_3CX]

Not possible to create conference call in V15.5 SP2

This is very misleading. It is possible to create a conference call in V15.5 SP2.

fix finally issues with mobile client for Android (to stop breaking GSM calls) -- these are the most irritating issues customers complain.

This is an Android issue. Has nothing to do with what you're pushing for in this thread. Absolutely unrelated. You likely got this information from the changelog where it says: "Known Issues"? Also we're fixing this that's why we mentioned it in the changelog notes.

In the future please refrain from using "Known Issues" in the manner of adding fuel to the fire. Conferencing and the GSM/3CX simultaneous call issue on Android are 2 completely and absolutely unrelated issues.


If there's something you'd like to suggest for what you're currently pushing for, make it in a more structured and constructive manner, otherwise all everyone's doing here is just shouting at each other.

 

[sip.bg]

Leonidas,

Hope to have the good product, which 3CX is born to be. Unfortunately, issues are present and this is the feedback from customers. Hope to be resolved as soon as possible. The pressure from customers is big enough. If you like we may discuss them in other channels, if you are going to pay attention, I only want to have the issues fixed.

 

[crookedsysadmin]

We use hosted exchange and this is just absurd. No way to invite people to the conference, only iCAL. Good way to step your product back!

 

[workbooster]

We have also at least one client complaining... myself as well. We have hosted exchange and I will never share my contacts with google, microsoft or something else. This can give as some problems with the law, since the place where they are saved have not the same rules in law, as in my country! Please bring the old function back or build at least an ews connection to outlook! All our customer using outlook/exchange local or in hosted exchange.

 

[TSlocum]

Thank you for the feedback. To schedule a conference it is required to send out an invite with a dial in number and optional PIN at the very least. So this needs to be sent by e-mail. The old system sent the emails itself but its not as nice as Gmail or Office 365 (which auto imports to your calendar) The right way to do it is from your e-mail client and other solutions do it like that as well.

That said if you don't have an industry standard email client, you could use iCAL. If that is still not possible i guess we could provide a way to copy the text to your email client else send the emails as we did previously but they will not come out looking the same way they do from Gmail or Office 365 and wont have calendar info.

Outlook installed on Windows, connected to Exchange is still currently the standard. Not Gmail, not even Outlook 365 or Outlook online. I know Microsoft is really pushing Office 365, but Exchange is still the de facto standard.

There have been quite a few others users voicing their "need" to have the ability to send via Gmail, Office 365 or Outlook. These features are here to stay, they won't be removed, that's not in question here. For the ADDITION of the possibility to send a quick basic invitation e-mail from the WebClient UI it's self, this was considered somewhat wrong for many reasons, PBX security, spam, blacklisting, load, who's role is it to send these e-mails really?

Ideas for improving this part are always welcome, it's by no measure perfect, but it's also definitely not as bad as you're describing it.

As per my points above, i really believe this kind of view is very wrong. We've only provided a new method of inviting users with more features, we didn't blow up the moon

Its not really confusing. You add participants from your email client like every other software does it using the calendar create dialog they should know. Anyhow, we will add back a way to specify participants and have them sent an email in case you dont have an email client or know how to create a calendar event in it.

You can't tell your customers their views or thinking are "wrong." Your customer's views and thinking is exactly what you should be striving to achieve in your product. You can't tell us "it's not really confusing." If multiple users and customers are confused by your product, then it's confusing.

Whether you think so or not, conferencing is not working as it should. Downloading an iCal file is not good enough. Additionally, why must we manually allow popups for the web client? Multiple users in this thread, including myself, have experienced the browser not asking to allow popups, as every other site does.

Can you imagine trying to instruct end users on how to do all this? As you can see from this thread already, it will be a nightmare.

 

[JamesGIBrown]

Its not really confusing. You add participants from your email client like every other software does it using the calendar create dialog they should know. Anyhow, we will add back a way to specify participants and have them sent an email in case you dont have an email client or know how to create a calendar event in it.

To me the issue is less the confusion and more the additional steps. In the previous version a user could simply use the 3CX Windows client to create a scheduled conference and invite participants from a single screen. Now a user has to navigate to the webclient either via the Windows client (has to be installed still for CRM integration) or by being given a link, login using a password they haven't had to use before, create a conference, download an iCal file, open the file, type an email, select participants and finally email the invitation. I'm not sure what part of that is streamlined.

I understand that it is probably easier if you are using Office 365 for your emails but we're not and have no plans to.

I chose 3CX because I could host it on-premise with the rest of our on-premise software. Now you seem to assuming that I want to use cloud based software for everything (except my PBX). If I did want to use cloud based software I would probably switch my phone system first, and the way this update is working it wouldn't be to a SaaS version of 3CX.

I hope you can get an update out quickly and fix the issues and frustrations.