In this update:

  • 3CX update 6 Alpha
  • Add audio to your 3CX WebMeeting presentations
  • NZ 3CX Advanced Technical Certification training
  • Our “bite sized” webinars for July
  • Grandstream custom templates for 3CX
  • Grandstream WP and DP series quick reference guides
  • 3CX edition comparison chart
  • Grandstream inks deal with MaxoTel
  • Our most recent webinars
  • Latest tips and tricks
  • Case studies – local stories to share?
  • Marketing materials
  • Firmware for IP phones
  • Join our LinkedIn VoIP community
3CX update 6 Alpha

 

“Hosted by 3CX” is coming soon – update 6 Alpha is the first steps. 3CX has announced they’ll offer free 12 months’ of hosting with all licenses, then ongoing chargeable hosting after that. Pricing and details will be available soon. All 3CX partners will host their NFRs for free as well. The latest news on the update 6 Alpha is here. Please remember this is an Alpha release and not suitable for production sites. The changelog highlights the addition of the Grandstream GRP and HT8xx templates as well as many other fixes.

 

Add audio to your 3CX WebMeeting presentations

 

In the latest WebMeeting update, you can now add audio to your presentations and take them to another level of professionalism. This can be a video clip, a soundtrack or audio clip. It’s as simple as a click of a button. To read the full details visit here.

 

NZ 3CX Advanced Technical Certification training

 

We are running online 3CX technical training on Thursday 10th September. This will cover the Advanced Certification and starts at 9.30am. This session will be interactive and run by our own Matt Carey (Senior Engineer). Questions will be encouraged throughout the training as each topic is covered. To register, please visit this link. It is a pre-requisite that those attending already hold their Basic & Intermediate Certifications – this can be completed online. Matt’s recordings of the Basic sessions are available in this playlist. There is a series of short videos covering each module. The Intermediate materials can be found here.

 

Our “bite sized” webinars for July

 

We held our first July “bite sized” webinar earlier today and the recording is now available on YouTube. Our next Webinar is next week and it’s not too late to register.

 

DateTimeWebinar TopicRecording/ Registration
22nd July12pm3CX Academy Certification Training – Why it’s important and Tips and TricksClick here for recording
29th July12pm3CX sales webinar – what you need to know and key features we take for grantedClick here

 

Grandstream custom templates for 3CX

 

While we await interop for some models of phones, Grandstream has produced custom templates. We have these available for the very popular portable WiFi phones (WP810 & WP820) and the DECT range (DP7xx). If you would like al copy of the templates and some guidance on how to use them please reach out to voip@sofsol.co.nz. Please note that should a 3CX issue occur, you may need to re-set to factory templates for support.

 

Grandstream WP and DP series quick reference guides

 

Grandstream now has quick reference guides for their portable phone ranges – WP and DP. These guides show your customers how to perform all the basic functions and is a great tool to share with them. You can download them here:

 

 

3CX edition comparison chart

 

The comparison chart between the three editions found here on the 3CX website has had a makeover. The initial view has a very condensed and high-level overview, but there is a “+” sign at the top of each heading that expands the features list. This document is very powerful when showing potential customers all the built-in features of each edition.

 

3CX Features

 

Grandstream inks deal with MaxoTel

 

Grandstream has recently inked a deal with Australian ITSP MaxoTel to bundle their GRP2600 range of phones with their PBX offering. The GRP range of phones are designed with mass deployment in mind as a Carrier Grade solution. With unified firmware they are easy to keep current. You can read the press release here. If you would like more information around the GRP phone range reach out to voip@sofsol.co.nz.

 

Our most recent webinars

 

Each month we host our “bite sized” webinars and store the recordings on our Soft Solutions YouTube Channel for easy access. Check out last month’s 3CX webinar below:

 

DateWebinar TopicYouTube link
26th May3CX – The Simultaneous CallClick here

 

Latest tips and tricks

 

We add updates to our blog regularly – this has become a great resource for our VoIP partners. It explores key features and common sales / technical queries around 3CX and Grandstream. You can also subscribe here:

 

  • How to deploy VoIP hardware remotely – in this blog Matt takes a look at the updates to 3CX’s SBC (Session Border Controller) and how it’s a game changer when deploying hardware remotely. Read more here.
  • Sleek and powerful: all-new WebMeeting – the latest improvements to WebMeeting are highlighted in this blog – especially the increase in the number of participants and improved usability. Read more here.
  • Grandstream GSC SIP Speaker series unboxing – Matt takes a walk-through of the GSC3510 speaker and the features. Check it out here.
  • The do’s and don’ts of 3CX custom phone templates – Phone templates in 3CX are important files that allow phones to be provisioned. In this blog Matt provides important do’s and don’ts of 3CX custom phone templates that you should know about. Read more here.

 

Case studies – local stories to share?

 

A new NZ case study was recently published. The process was painless and now the 3CX partner and all NZ partners have a local and relatable story to share. You can view the press release here and the full case study on H & J Smith here. Do you have a success story to share? We have a simple questionnaire you can work through with your customer – 3CX’s marketing team does the rest. From a reseller’s perspective, there’s nothing better to get a sale across the line than a local, relatable case study. It’s a great opportunity to touch base with customers and ensure everything’s working as it should. If you have a customer that might participate, contact our VoIP Brand Manager, Megan Twentyman. We’ll make the process painless.

 

Marketing materials

 

A number of partners took up the option to have datasheets customised with their logo. This is a service that Soft Solutions offer. We even share presentations that you can adapt for your potential customers. If this is of interest, reach out to Megan Twentyman for further assistance.

 

Firmware for IP phones

 

Remember it’s vital to keep checking for updated firmware, for your VoIP hardware. Grandstream and Yealink release new firmware as it’s developed. The firmware is available free of charge from their respective websites. If you’re ever trouble-shooting any issue with 3CX, the first thing they will check is whether your hardware has the most up-to-date version. Now is a great time to ensure everything is up-to-date and working optimally.

 

Join our LinkedIn VoIP community

 

Our “Soft Solutions NZ VoIP Community” group has been created for customers to discuss VoIP related topics. Keep up to date with upcoming Soft Solutions events, VoIP updates and any other general VoIP news. Join the LinkedIn group here.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

The VoIP Team at Soft Solutions
Phone: 09 306 0450, Freephone: 0800 733 233, E-mail: voip@sofsol.co.nz

 

3CX update 6 Alpha