Getting Started with 3CX SMB

You’ve got your 3CX SMB and you’re all ready to set it up. With this guide, we’ll take you through the basic concepts of 3CX  - so you can drive this bike all by yourself in record time.

Step #1 - Complete Signup

  1. You can sign up here, if you haven’t already done so.
  2. In the last step your account details are shown. Take note of these!
  3. Bookmark the 3CX URL, it looks something like this: https://pbx002.3cx.cloud/
  4. These details are also sent to your email, (Subject: Welcome to your 3CX System)

Step #2 - Sign in to 3CX

  1. Sign in to 3CX.
  2. The 3CX client has two sections - one for users and one for the Admin of the system.
  3. The first time you login you’ll be directed to the Admin console. After that you can access the Admin console by clicking on the Admin button on the bottom left hand side.
  4. In the Admin section you configure 3CX - add team members, configure phone numbers, call routing and live chat.

Step #3 - Add your Team

Now add your team members (even the ones you might prefer not speaking to!):

  1. Go to Admin > Users.
  2. Click on the “+Add User” button.
  3. Fill in the name and email fields.
  4. The ROLE field - now this is important. You are the owner of your 3CX system, which means you have full access to everything in the system. Assign a role to your users:
  • Users - can only see their own calls and status
  • Receptionist - can see all users’ calls and status
  • Department Administrator - can add users to queues and ring groups and monitor department calls and chats
  • Manager - can add users to 3CX and monitor all calls and chats
  • Owner - has all rights; add, edit and delete users as well as full system rights

There are more roles; a full list of what each role does can be found here.

  1. Click “Save” to create the new user. Continue creating all the members of your team.
  2. Your team members will get an email with their login credentials. If they’re not using a Google account they must click on the link in the welcome email to set their password.

Read this guide for more information on creating and managing users.

Step #4 - Make a Test Call

Each user / team member has their own phone number to be used internally between colleagues - which in the world of 3CX is known as an extension number. Each team member you add is automatically assigned their own extension number. You can call each other - for free - on your 3CX extensions.

  1. Click on the team button to see all your team members. Their extension number is shown after their name.
  2. You can click on any of the icons (phone, camera, chat) to either call them, video call them or send them a chat. Or you can enter their number in the dialpad of the app.
  3. Why not call your team members from your smartphone or desktop? Download your app:
  1. iOS App
  2. Android App
  3. Windows Desktop App

Or scan the QR code shown in your web client.

Read the guides on how to use the iOS, Android and Windows apps.

Step #5 - Get a Number & Start Calling

Extension numbers - as explained above - are for calling your team members. To call the outside world you need a SIP Trunk provider who’ll provide you with phone numbers. Creating your own account with a SIP Trunk is easy and allows you to have full control over your numbers as well as much cheaper calling.

3CX SMB supports a number of SIP trunk providers. These have been selected based on ease of setup, configuration and pricing. To setup a SIP Trunk:

  1. Create an account with one of our preferred SIP Trunks and get your phone numbers.
  2. Open your 3CX Admin Console > Voice & Chat > “Add SIP Trunk”. Fill in the “Name” field and  select your country. Now enter the main trunk number, authentication ID and password given to you by your SIP trunk provider.
  3. Click “Save”! You’re now ready to make and receive calls

More information on how to set up and manage a SIP Trunk can be found here.

Step #6 - Setup Live Chat on your Website

Convert your visitors to leads - have them text or call you right from your website! To do so, add live chat to your 3CX:

  1. Go to Admin > Voice & Chat. Here you will see a 3CX Live Chat entry. Click on it.
  2. You’ll be asked to enter your website URL.
  3. You can specify what info you want from visitors.
  4. Specify to which extension the chats and calls should be sent.
  5. Now you need to install the Wordpress plugin.
  6. If you don’t have Wordpress, see the guides for Drupal, Joomla, Squarespace, Weebly or Wix.

Read the 3CX Live Chat guide for more customization options.

Step #7 - Configure WhatsApp

Respond to business WhatsApp messages from your 3CX dashboard. Check out this guide on how to link your Whatsapp business account to 3CX.

Let 3CX Do the Hard Work!

Setup Office Hours

You don't want calls coming to your phone in the middle of the night. We have a savior; the office hours function! Configure office hours, break times and holidays:

  1. Go to Admin > Office Hours.
  2. Set your time zone.
  3. Click on the hours of each day and specify your working times.
  4. Add any break times.

Off to that long awaited beach holiday? From here you can also add holidays by clicking on “Office Holidays” and then “+Add”. Fill in the fields and choose whether this holiday is repeated annually.

More information on how to configure your office hours can be found here.

Create your Digital Receptionist

3CX can welcome your callers while they wait for a colleague to take the call. The call can also be sent to the appropriate department! Pretty cool, right? To configure this:

  1. Go to Admin > Call Handling > Add Digital Receptionist.
  2. Give your receptionist a name, an extension number, a DID (if you want), and choose which language you want the prompts to be in.
  3. In the ‘Prompt’ field, you can upload your own prompt if you wish. Click on the record button or upload a recording from your computer. If you have a file that doesn’t fit the required audio format, you can use our free audio convertor tool.

Check out what else you can do with the 3CX Digital Receptionist.

Route Inbound Calls

Next up is telling the system how you want to route and handle your incoming phone calls, whether you’re home or away. See how to set this up. One of the cool features lets you set up a so-called ring group. A ring group allows you to configure a group of team members whose phone will ring when a customer calls, ensuring you never miss a call! To create or edit a ring group, read this guide.

There’s More

You probably thought that opting for a free solution meant you’d only get the bare minimum. How wrong are you? Check out the guides below to find out what more you can do with your 3CX.

Last Updated

This document was last updated 21 June 2024

https://www.3cx.com/smb/get-started/