In this update:
- 3CX v18 update 4 Beta
- Coming soon to 3CX… manage your company’s WhatsApp messages!
- Yealink NFR programme and recent webinar
- 3CX’s Nick Galea returns to the helm
- Welcome to Soft Solutions Anisha
- Grandstream WiFi spotlight
- Yealink promotions
- Grandstream GXP SIP phones vs new generation GRP sip phones
- 3CX technical training
- Submit a great 3CX case study. Get pizzas for your team!
- 3CX blogs – essential knowledge
- 3CX partnership
- Need demo equipment?
- Yealink support website
- Firmware for IP phones
- Join our LinkedIn VoIP community
3CX v18 update 4 Beta
Update 4 Beta has been announced for v18 and it’s packed full of new features. It introduces a new receptionist view to enable easier management of calls. The status scheduler moves to the desktop apps so that users can configure their own office hours – previously this was in the management console. Talk and Meet URLs have been combined into one. Live Chat customisations are now within the management console, so you no longer need to manage them from your website admin area. And of course, the usual fixes and speed improvements. Read the full details here, and the update will be available in your management console.
Please remember this is a Beta release and therefore not recommended for live production systems – best to test it out on your internal test system first. Once you upgrade, be sure to leave feedback in the 3CX forum.
Coming soon to 3CX… manage your company’s WhatsApp messages!
As communication continues to evolve, the way customers connect with companies change as well. 3CX are always quick to pivot and add integrations for newer technologies. Keep watching for more details on WhatsApp message integration. The first details have emerged on 3CX’s website here. We’ll keep you updated with developments.
Yealink NFR programme and recent webinar
Last week we held a webinar – Empower 3CX solutions with Yealink headsets. If you missed it, view the recording here. The webinar focused on Yealink’s DECT and Bluetooth headsets and upcoming new releases. We covered trends, predictions and most importantly how 3CX partners can leverage the sales opportunity. At this link you’ll find a great demonstration of how effective headsets’ noise-cancellation is at removing ambient noise. It’s a 1-minute video but very powerful.
We also announced new NFR pricing for headsets and SIP phones – resellers save on average a further 10%. NFRs are limited to 2 per model, per reseller partner and are for internal use. If you’d like further details, please reach out to Megan on megan@sofsol.co.nz. If you post social media content around the headsets, tag Yealink and Soft Solutions and you could win a free Bluetooth headset yourself!
3CX’s Nick Galea returns to the helm
Effective immediately Nick Galea, 3CX’s founder has returned to the CEO position. With Nick Galea’s vision and leadership, we know 3CX is in good hands. He founded the company 17 years ago and Soft Solutions has been working with them for 11 years now. Read the full release here which also talks about the strong management team in place.
Welcome to Soft Solutions Anisha
This month we welcomed Anisha Mohammed to our Soft Solutions team. Anisha joins us as a Technical Specialist and will be responsible for delivering 3CX technical trainings, and first level VoIP support moving forward.
Grandstream WiFi spotlight
Grandstream have a very popular range of WiFi solutions, from access points through to portable WiFi IP phones. Their access points are managed with GWN.Cloud which is an easy-to-use management platform.
A common query is why portable WiFi instead of DECT portable? Portable WiFi opens all sorts of possibilities where there is existing or planned wide coverage WiFi available. The easy handoff between the APs makes it an effective solution both in functionality and value. We have two popular portable WiFi models – WP810 and WP820. The WP810 is Linux based and the WP820 is Android based. If you’d like to know more or book a loan unit, reach out on voip@sofsol.co.nz. Coming later in July will be the new WP822 model to add to the family. Another unit is also on the horizon so keep watching this space.
There have been further recent additions to the WiFi6 access point range. The GWN7664 offers dual-band 4×4:4 MU-MIMO with DL/UL OFDMA technology and a sophisticated internal antenna design for stronger anti-interference. It’s ideal for medium-to-high user density.
If you’d like to know more about Grandstream’s WiFi offerings reach out to us on voip@sofsol.co.nz for more information.
Yealink promotions
If you haven’t yet taken advantage of these fantastic offers from Yealink, it’s not too late but only just! This quarter’s promotions end tomorrow 30th June – don’t miss out. Order today!
- SIP-T43U + WH62 Dual Bundle – save on these popular SKUs by buying together!
- SIP-T46U + WH62 Dual Bundle – save on these popular SKUs by buying together!
- UH34 and UH36 USB Headset bundles – buy 5 and receive 6 (See flyer. Cannot mix models).
- NFR promo on the UVC40 and UVC34 video bars – a great way to equip your office!
- A30 and A20 MS Teams meeting bars with CTP18 touch panel – special pricing plus a free VCH51 sharing box.
- Yealink Junior Certified Microsoft Solution Engineer (CMSE Junior) certification. Complete the training and pass the test. Then post to LinkedIn tagging Yealink and Soft Solutions. We’ll put you in the draw for a prize! Get bragging rights to being one of the first in NZ to complete – will it be you?
For full details please visit this link or reach out to our sales@sofsol.co.nz team. We will be adding additional promotions as well – stay tuned!
Grandstream GXP SIP phones vs new generation GRP sip phones
For some time now we’ve been transitioning customers from the older GXP SIP phones to the new generation GRP. The GRP feature a common look and feel along with unified firmware. A lot of our customers have already completed the transition but for those that haven’t, Grandstream has created an interactive webpage where you can compare your current GXP offering to the new GRP series. Visit the page here. Of course, you can also reach out to us for consultative advice. We have demo units available to borrow of the new range. We also have the GRP essentials range, which is a black and white interface but also features a common firmware.
3CX technical training
We will release the Q3 training dates very soon. Anisha is busy getting certified and learning a lot about 3CX from our existing team. Anyone that reached out to Megan needing themselves or team members trained, will be notified as soon as we set the dates. If you have a requirement for training, please let Megan know on megan@sofsol.co.nz and she’ll notify you when bookings open.
Submit a great 3CX case study. Get pizzas for your team!
Would you like a lunch shout on Soft Solutions? We want local NZ stories of 3CX in action. We’ll get a good story out, featuring your skilful team. You can also use it for your own marketing. No story is too big or small – it’s about your customer’s success. We have a simple questionnaire you can work through with your customer. 3CX’s marketing team will then consider it. It’s a great reason to touch base with your customer and ensure their 3CX is working as it should be. You can also check if they need a larger license or extra hardware. Propose a case study for consideration and we’ll arrange a treat for your team. Reach out to our VoIP Brand Manager Megan Twentyman. We’ll make the process painless and treat your team!
3CX blogs – essential knowledge
The 3CX team continue to deliver new content, information, and updates for v18. We post links to these first, on our LinkedIn VoIP Community Group. If you’re not a member you can join here. Here’s a summary from the past month:
- Don’t be “that” guy blog series – this 4-part blog series looks at the security of your 3CX system and the best practises to ensure your customers are protected. In volume 1 it drills down on why you should definitely keep complex credentials – weakness will allow entry and that’s the last thing your customers need. In volume 2 the focus is on call fraud and what a hacker is trying to achieve. There are some clear guidelines on what you should configure to protect your customers. Volume 3 looks at the top 4 PBX security tips and it’s important to check you’re following this best practise. Volume 4 is the final instalment is this series and looks at monitoring your instance and not missing alerts. These blogs are essential reading for sales and technical staff alike to ensure that best practise configuration is being followed.
- 3CX Call Center: A Guide for Queue Managers – this blog looks at what call centre managers need to ensure that all the agents in their team are working to the best of their ability. It’s a great read for existing 3CX customers who have call centres or for potential customers. See the full details here.
- 3CX Is: Your Team Meeting Software Platform – this insightful blog looks at the power of 3CX’s video conferencing – 3CX Meeting. It shares how easy it is to use and set up meetings along with all the powerful features you can use to make your meetings more interactive. You’ll find it here.
3CX partnership
If you’re not a 3CX partner, now is a great time to explore how effective the 3CX IP PBX unified communication platform is. We’re sure it will fit several of your clients’ requirements – with options for Cloud hosted / on-prem and Linux / Windows installations, it’s highly flexible. 3CX have recently updated their website but a great overview is straight on their landing page at 3cx.com. To chat around becoming a partner and what 3CX’s expectations are, please reach out to our VoIP Brand Manager Megan Twentyman. Or if you’re ready to sign up – use this specific link. Soft Solutions will help speed up your application.
Need demo equipment?
Just a reminder that we operate quite an extensive range of Grandstream and Yealink demo equipment. Borrow a device to put it through its paces, or for a client event to showcase. We also have access to EPOS-Sennheiser and Jabra headsets. If you have a requirement, please reach out to megan@sofsol.co.nz and she’ll be happy to assist.
Yealink support website
If you don’t already have a Yealink Support account – please create one at: support.yealink.com/en/portal/home. Once you have an account, under Personal Center -> My Subscriptions you can turn on notifications around firmware updates etc. This is very useful to keep you informed of updates and changes that your customers may need.
Firmware for IP phones
Remember it is vital to keep checking for updated firmware, for your VoIP hardware. Grandstream and Yealink release new firmware as it is developed. The firmware is available free of charge from their respective websites. It does take some time for 3CX to verify new firmware so be sure to check the latest supported firmware that 3CX advises you to use. This is found on the 3CX website here. If you are ever trouble-shooting any issue with 3CX, the first thing they will check is whether your hardware has the supported firmware 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 so our customers get all the latest news quickly. We post regularly and welcome new members to the group. 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.
