Automatically call back your colleague when they become available!
When you call a colleague on their 3CX extension and they are not available, ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ can continuously monitor their availability and connect you to your colleague’s extension when they become available.
Configure an extension to forward calls to the Auto Call Back Call Flow Designer (CFD) application when busy.
When this extension is called, and the extension is busy, the CFD application will play a message similar to “The extension you dialed is currently unavailable. To monitor this extension and automatically call it back when it becomes available, press 1. To leave a voicemail for this extension, press 2. Or simply hang up”.
If you press 1, after the call is disconnected, the ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ service will continuously monitor the availability of the busy extension.
When the extension being monitored becomes available, the ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ service will automatically dial the extension for you.
You can order ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ on-line at https://www.voiptools.com. Your order confirmation email will include your license key and a link to download the software.
Install Prerequisites
There are a number of prerequisites that must be installed prior to installing ‘3CX Auto Call Back’. These prerequisites include Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and Microsoft SQL Server
Install 3CX Auto Call Back
This User Guide contains step-by-step instructions to successfully install ‘3CX Auto Call Back’. Begin by extracting the installer from the downloaded zip file (Step 1 above), then run the setup program named 3CXAutoCallBackInstaller.exe
Register your License Key
You must register your license key to activate ‘3CX Auto Call Back’. Your license key is included in your order confirmation email, and can also be found in your order history on our website.
The following section guides you through a detailed walk-through of the installation process.
Step 1: Download 3CX Auto Call Back
You can check for the software download link included in your order confirmation email. As an alternative, you can also find the link from your order history on our website.
Step 2: Extract the installer from the downloaded .zip file
The file you downloaded in the above step is a compressed .zip file.
Position the mouse on the zip file and right-click.
From the popup menu, select Extract All to extract the software
Step 3: Start the installation process
From the extracted folder, find the file 3CXAutoCallBackInstaller.exe
Double-click the file to start the VoIPTools Setup Wizard.
Click Next to continue.
Figure 1: Setup Wizard
Step 4: Download the VoIPTools 3CX Relay (if required)
3CX permits one 3rd party application to communicate with the 3CX server at a time. To overcome this limitation, VoIPTools created the 3CX Relay Service. The Relay is a lightweight application that is installed directly on the 3CX server. The Relay exposes the 3CX Call Control API (and other VoIPTools services) to all our applications, and manages requests and events between VoIPTools products and 3CX. The Relay also makes it possible to install our VoIPTools products on a remote server (including over the internet).
If you have not previously installed the Relay on your 3CX Server, you can download the Relay installer by clicking on the Download Relay button. The Relay must be installed directly on the 3CX server.
If you are installing 3CX Auto Call Back directly on the 3CX server, you can install the Relay simply by clicking the Install/ Upgrade Relay button and following the Relay install instructions.
If you have already installed the Relay, you need not install it again unless a newer version is required.
Step 5: Test Relay Settings
1. In the Relay Type drop down, select Legacy Relay for old Relay or New Relay for new Relay based on the 3CX version of your application.
Figure 2: Test VoIPTools 3CX Relay settings
Note: If you choose ‘Relay Type’ as ‘Legacy Relay’ then ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ will communicate with old Relay Service, and if you choose ‘New Relay’ then it will communicate with new Relay Service.
2. In the Relay Services Host field, enter “localhost” if installing ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ on the 3CX server. If 3CX resides on a different server, enter the IP address or FQDN of the 3CX server.
3. In the Relay Services Port field, enter the value as 8700 for Legacy Relay or 8800 for New Relay.
Figure 3: Relay Services Port
Note: The ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ will take default port as 8700 for ‘Legacy Relay’ and 8800 for ‘New Relay’. If the default port number doesn’t appear automatically, you can manually enter the respective default port number.
4. Click Test Relay Settings to confirm ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ can communicate with the Relay services running on the 3CX server.
5. If the ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ is successfully able to communicate with the Relay services that run on the 3CX server, a Success message box appears. Click OK.
Figure 4: Success message box
6. Click Next to continue the installation.
Step 6: Configure the database
If this is your first install then, select a valid SQL server and if you are reinstalling then select the existing database.
1. When prompted for the database connection information, click Configure.
Figure 5: Configure Database
2. In the Connection Properties dialog box, enter the SQL server name. If using the free SQL Express edition, the default SQL Instance name is SQLExpress.
Note:
If you want to use ‘SQL Authentication’, then install SQL Server in ‘Mixed‘ mode.
If SQL Server is installed on a server other than the server where 3CX Auto Call Back is installed, you will need to configure SQL Server to allow remote connections
Figure 6: Connection Properties
3. Enter the login credentials.
a. If using Windows integrated security, select Use Windows Authentication. The VoIPTools installer will create a local windows user name as “VoIPTools” and will give sufficient rights to this user to create / update the SQL database.
Figure 7: Windows Authentication
b. If SQL Server authentication is desired, select Use SQL Server Authentication. Be sure to select a SQL Login that has sufficient permissions to alter the database and create SQL objects. Enter the User name and Password, and select appropriate database value from the Select or enter a database name drop down.
Figure 8: SQL Server Authentication
Note: The first time you install 3CX Auto Call Back, DO NOT enter a database name. Choose Select or enter a database name and leave the database name blank. The installer will create the SQL database automatically and apply the necessary permissions. If upgrading 3CX Auto Call Back from a previous version, select the existing database from the list.
4. Click Test Connection button to confirm you can connect to SQL
5. Click OK to save the SQL Connection information
6. Click Next to create the required SQL database objects.
Figure 9: Configure Database
Step 7: Installation Complete
1. The server installation status screen will display the installation progress.
Figure 10: Installation in Progress
2. When the software installation is complete, click Close
Registration is required to authorize your license key. Registering also makes it possible for VoIPTools to provide a replacement key if your license key is ever lost. Also, it enables VoIPTools to notify you of any product updates, and reminders if your key is reaching the renewal date.
In the License tab, and in the License Key field, enter the valid license key.
Enter appropriate details in all the other fields of the page.
Click Register
Figure 13: Register Software
Note: The license key permits you to install this software on one computer. This is not free software.
The Settings screen enables you to monitor the status of the ‘3CX Auto Call Back’ service (Running, Stopped, Unknown), that runs in the background. You can also configure CFD settings such as ‘Max Wait Time’ and ‘Frequency’. If you make changes to any of the settings, it is necessary to stop and start the service.
Figure 14: Settings Screen
Service Status
a. To start or stop a service, click Start/ Stop button.
b. Click Refresh link to update the status if changes to the service status were made directly in the Windows Service Snap-in.
c. To know the current state of Windows Service (started/stopped), view the Status field.
Note: If the service status is “Unknown”, this is typically caused by the 3CX Auto Call Back IIS Application Pool user having insufficient rights.
CFD Settings
a. In the Max Wait (In Minutes) field, configure the maximum amount of time (In Minutes) to monitor the agent available status.
b. In the Frequency (In Seconds) field, select the time (In Seconds) that you want the application to initiate the frequency of monitoring until the Max Wait Time.
c. Click Save. Confirmation message box appears, click OK.
Note: If you make changes to any of the settings, it is necessary to stop and start the service.
Figure 15: Settings – Confirmation message box
3CX Console Management: Configure CFD to Extensions #
The following section guides you how to configure CFD to Extensions in ‘3CX Console Management’
1. Login to 3CX Console Management with valid credentials.
2. Navigate to Advanced and then in the Call Flow Apps screen, you will observe that CallBack CFD file is automatically created.
Figure 16: Call Flow Apps: CallBack-CFD file
3. Navigate to Extensions, select the desired extension to which you want to apply the ‘CallBack’ feature and then click Forwarding Rules tab.
4. To configure CFD to Extensions that are away:
i. From the Statuses dropdown list, select Away
Figure 17: Forwarding Rules – Status: Away
ii. To configure CallBack feature to internal calls, under Internal Calls and under If I am away, forward calls to:, from the dropdown list, select Forward to number option and then in the next field, enter CallBack
Note: The CFD file name that you enter (in this case, it is ‘CallBack’) should be exactly the same as the one that is created in the ‘Call Flow Apps’ screen.
iii. On the toolbar, click OK
5. To configure CFD to Extensions that are busy:
i. From the Statuses dropdown list, select Available.
Figure 18: Forwarding Rules – Status: Available
ii. To configure CallBack feature to internal calls, under Internal Calls and under If I am away, forward calls to:, from the dropdown list, select Forward to number option and then in the next field, enter CallBack
iii. On the toolbar, click OK
Note: The instructions above explain how to configure for extensions that are away and busy. However, you can configure CFD to Extensions that are in other statuses as well.
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