Semi-attended transfers

[manfer]

Is there any plans to repair semi-attended transfers on 3CX phone system?

It is months it does not work in 3CX phone system on fanvil nor grandstream phones. I have decided to try semi-attended transfers on those phones with other PBX systems. It works perfectly on any asterisk based PBX and works with freeswitch too.

The way semi-attended transfers worked for years with 3CX phone system and continue working on other systems is the following. We configure a BLF to work as semi-attended transfer.

• External1 calls Extension1
• Extension1 starts transfer by just pressing Extension2 BLF key.
• Automatically External1 gets on hold hearing music on hold and Extension1 starts a new call to Extension2.
• Now Extension1 has two options:
  • Waits for Extension2 to answer. Extension2 rings. External continues hearing music on hold. After Extension2 answers the call, Extension1 talks to Extension2 and hangup to finish the transfer.
  • Hangup not waiting for Extension2 to answer. Extension1 should be freed from the call. Extension2 continues ringing. External hears ring tone

.
There is no way to make this work with 3CX. And it is months it does not work.

To do semi-attended transfer we have to press at least three keys now. Transfer key, BLF, and transfer key again if a blind transfer is needed.

Quite annoying for everyone. I receive complaints constantly about this. Pleople don't want to press so many keys. And that's not the worse. They are used to do it the way I describe and they get really pissed off when it does not work. Besides it not only does not work, if you do it that way the 3CX phone system do all sorts of strange things. Even lossing calls which are no more handle by Extension1 nor by Extension2 and External remains on hold forever till he hangs.

Quite annoying too that the behaviour changes depending if 3CX General setting "Play Busy prompt when extension is busy" is enabled or not.

 

[leejor]

Did Attended Transfer ( have never heard it referred to as semi-attended transfers before), stop working after a certain upgrade? Did you have previous confirmation, from 3CX, that this was a known issue?

 

[manfer]

Yes. Not sure when it stopped working.

As far as I know 3cx doesn't consider this is an issue as transfers can be done by pressing transfer key, then dial extension, then transfer again if you want a blind transfer.

This is something that all the agents I deal with, consider a huge regression considering they have years of experience with hardware switches were transfers were done as I describe. And they have been doing the same with 3cx phone system till this stopped working.

 

[manfer]

I used to be able to configure phones myself to make this work and now it is imposible.

The configuration for transfers with the provided templates is awful and now it works awful too on any custom configuration.

I can monitor the sip calls to see how on many configurations extension1 opens two calls to extension2 while doing the transfer. This is really annoying.

 

[NickD_3CX]

Semi-attended transfer was never recommended with 3CX. This was also the advice we gave, its just that now with some IP Phones we can also limit this from the phones behavior.

 

[manfer]

I can recommend the agents whatever I want but they are not happy with the way transfers are handle by 3CX. We can't pretend people of call centers that are used to a way of doing things to adopt happily your recommended way. All of them get angry with us as soon as they move to 3cx. All of them.

All of them want to be able to do attended transfers by default -starting it with just one key press on a BLF key- but have the chance to hangup the phone to do blind transfer instead.

The fact that the phones do all sorts of strange behaviour depending on how you press the keys is terrible. It was a lot more consistent some months ago. Lots of phone calls lost now. Not to mention the way it works different depending on the PBX option "Play Busy prompt when extension is busy".

At least now I understand this will not change. No productive to continue losing hours and hours trying to figure out a way to do it as I'm asked to. I have just to deal with complaints and support tickets while teaching agents the new way to do transfers they don't like.

When agents lose calls they don't blame themselves -they don't consider they do it wrong-, they don't blame the PBX -they just take for granted it can be configured as they want-, they don't blame the terminals -they take for granted they can be configured as they want-, they just blame our support team.

 

[nitrox]

Manfer is right . The easiest way to transfer a call is with semi transfer call. Just one button to press and one hang up and the transfer is done. The technology is when is doing the work for the humans and not the other way around. I understand the point of 3CX that force you to use the dashboard instead of the blf button but when you have the blf and you have paid for it the customers always want to transfer the call as Manfer said.