The 3CX phone system is an advanced communications solution available in 2021. Their VoIP technology is appropriate for businesses of any size that require all the important features of a modern contact center at a minimal price. There is no doubt that 3CX business phone service can take all your business communications to a completely new level!
It helps to enhance collaboration, increase mobility, boost productivity, and better the overall customer experience. Anyone can handle the maintenance and installation of the system effortlessly, whether in the cloud or installed on-premises on Linux or Windows.
You have come to the right place if you are looking for a detailed review of 3CX including pricing, a features review, details about reliability and more!!
Our Review of the 3CX Business Phone System
What is 3CX VoIP?
3CX is essentially a PBX phone system that is easy to manage and install. You can establish it in the cloud with the help of a current cloud service account. A user can also run it on-premises by installing it on any Linux or Windows machine. Furthermore, you can virtualize it on a current server via the assistance of VMware and Hyper V.
3CX first came out in the year 2005. That was the time when VoIP was making big waves in the communication landscape. Since then, 3CX service has gone through many stages of growth. And it has become the perfect solution for medium and small-sized companies.
3CX: Usability and Design
The 3CX phone system is extremely adaptable. It boasts a comprehensive feature-set that can make your life incredibly easy. That is particularly true if you are an owner of a small business and do not have the energy or time to dip your toe in the complex PBX world.
The user-friendly 3CX dashboard provides an immediate view of the entire system and the present status of important components. These include the FQDN, firewall, number of total active trunks, a very thorough event log, and so forth. When you explore the dashboard, you can quickly allocate new trunks, manage all your updates, establish new phones, and blacklist any IP that you want.
When you set up the 3CX service, you will receive an email from the company that outlines all the latest updates and their respective importance. Hence, the phone system is very simple, easy to control, and balance from a functionality and security perspective. Moreover, the system highlights any kind of system concerns or errors in red to bring to your attention.
In addition, the phone system’s firewall checker (built-in) is very thorough and fast and can promptly resolve any sort of issues that you face. You might face some minor challenges with IP mismatches; however, a quick reset will resolve the issue immediately! What’s more, you also have the flexibility to schedule calls and manage outbound or inbound rules. You can establish ring groups as well and set up advanced regulations easily and quickly from the main dashboard.
Features
It might seem nonsensical and complicated for someone who has limited knowledge regarding communication technologies that the 3CX provides you an open platform that does not link you in any SIP trunks. However, what is true is that that this particular feature makes sure you slash down expenses by selecting and controlling your own SIP trunk.
Another notable feature of 3CX is exemplary customer support. 3CX has built its software and website to be very accessible with learning resources, installation guides, a support center, and a contact center. There is also detailed documentation available to assist you in coming to terms with particular IP phones, the 3CX platform’s administration, and the training of the organization’s employees.
In addition, the software of this phone system is very easy to install, and you can install applications for iOS and Android devices as well. These applications link to your main 3CX network any time and from any place. That allows you to expand your office’s scale without any extra expense or hassle. The 3CX VoIP applications turn smartphones into transportable PBX systems and include conferencing, chat, and push notifications.
Furthermore, the 3CX phone system has restore, backup, and security features that provide you peace of mind. These features make sure that the system is thoroughly protected at all times, and you are able to store your data correctly. You can adjust your specific settings as you work with the phone system. That can make a monumental difference for ambitious startup companies who seek a platform that can expand with them.
The 3CX platform provides numerous unified communications tools. These help you create personalized customer experiences, collaborate with branches and clients worldwide, and manage the expenses of employees. You also have the flexibility to send instantaneous messages across several devices.
Softphone Features
When it comes to selecting between softphone and hardphone, people usually prefer the former as these allow calling on most Windows or Mac computers. Softphones assist businesses in deploying quicker. That is because they let you avoid the requirement for physical and desk SIP phones.
Instead, you will require a headset that moves with your employees or agents. 3CX phone system makes this very straightforward by offering softphone applications for Microsoft Windows and MacOS and smartphone operating systems such as Apple’s iOS and Android.
You can configure the application of the 3CX softphone for any of the organization’s approved SIP trunking providers. You will require a headset if you want to make calls on a personal computer. However, using a softphone is quite simple! It provides you access to voice mail, enables transferring and holding, and has an easy to use interface. The line management features are particularly great – it is simple to switch to any other phone line in the interface.
Other Advantages of 3CX
If you want to buy an advanced communications solution in 2021, it is important to be aware of all the features and advantages that each solution provides. To that end, the following are some of the additional benefits/features of 3CX that you’ll want to know about.
View your Colleagues’ Presence Status
The 3CX has several advanced level communications features as well that do not fail to impress! One of these features is the ability to observe the employees’ presence. When a certain customer makes a call, the system ensures that the call gets routed to an individual readily available to accept the call. That individual can then tend to the customer.
Thanks to this useful feature, users do not need to carry out unnecessary call transfers that usually irritate their customers. That eliminates the usage of costly voicemail tags as well. When an employee needs to work on their particular task and cannot handle and receive any calls, they can tailor their presence status. That will let their coworkers know that they are not currently available to receive any calls. The 3CX phone system’s presence feature is perfect for businesses and organizations that have workers working remotely.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging is another invaluable communication feature that you will find with 3CX. With the help of this feature, users can conveniently chat with their customers and coworkers by receiving and sending text messages. They can do this from any mobile device or desktop computer. Moreover, they do not have to go through the hassle of installing any 3rd party messaging applications or paying any extra fees.
Voicemail & Fax Delivery and Conversion
The 3CX phone system also comes equipped with very impressive voicemail and fax delivery features. Using these features, you can convert fax documents into PDF files and convert voicemails into sound files. After the conversion of voicemails and faxes, you can then forward them via your email. Thus, all employees in the company can access fax messages easily via their inbox. Moreover, there is no need for them to make a phone call simply to listen to any voicemail message.
Furthermore, with this phone system, you can also adjust the automatic voice notes that the system generates to build tailored voice notes for all your workers. It is actually a very smart system that is completely compatible with popular operating systems. Hence, 3CX is a wise choice for business owners who are simply looking for high output rather than high drama! If you prefer substance over style, you will most likely find the 3CX sevice to be incredibly useful!
Compatibility with Several 3CX VoIP Providers
One of the best things about the 3CX is that it is fully compatible with a broad array of SIP trunk providers. There happen to be several providers that will work ideally for several businesses who seek to expand and grow their communications.
3CX extensively tests every VoIP provider and offers support to help you in configuring and managing the solution. With a quality 3CX VoIP provider, the PBX solution becomes a plug and play option that you can set up swiftly and have it up and running in no time!
Some of these compatible VoIP providers include Nexmo, Flowroute, and Callcentric.
Does 3CX Provide Scalability?
Usually, a key complaint that businesses have with PRI systems is that you can only scale these phone calling communication solutions in batches of twenty-three lines. It means that when you upgrade your system, it automatically locks you into this particular number. That will lead to several management headaches if you require just a single line. Thanks to the 3CX phone system, you utilize your infrastructure for making calls.
Moreover, adding lines line-by-line is remarkably easy. You can provision new options for dialing by including a new business email account. Another benefit that you ought to note is that 3CX VoIP phone system access is now completely free for all new subscribers.
This free access is a direct consequence of the prevailing COVID global pandemic, which has boosted the volume of remote workers. This particular offer is for 3CX’s Standard Edition. Having the communications provider for this time frame leads to enhanced communications between your workers as they work remotely from their respective homes.
Reliability of 3CX
Similar to other hosted VoIP (voice over internet protocol) providers, 3CX takes immense pride in geo-redundancy. In case you are wondering, that means if a server comes crashing down in Italy for any reason, servers in countries such as Hong Kong and Japan will gather up the proverbial slack. In that case, you will not lose any important calls if the server goes down. It is extremely difficult to completely lose service with 3CX. Regardless of where you live, if you have access to a stable internet connection, you can collaborate and make phone calls, even the server you use is down!
3CX Phone System: Plans & Pricing
3CX charges users depending on the total number of simultaneous phone calls they will require. This is different from other communication solution providers that charge you depending on the total number of users or extensions. The following is a detailed breakdown of 3CX’s plans and pricing. Keep in mind that the basis of this pricing is on having 25 users simultaneously.
Basically, there are 3 regular plans- Enterprise, Pro, and Standard. Each pricing plan comes with its own set of features.
| Standard | Pro | Enterprise | |
| Pricing | Free of cost | 1.08 dollars per month per every user | 1.31 dollars per month per every user |
| Office 365 Integration | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone Applications (iOS and Android) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CRM Integration | No | Yes | Yes |
| Call recording | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom IP Phone Logo | No | No | Yes |
| Call Center Features | No | Yes | Yes |
| Max volume of web conferencing participants | 25 | 100 | 250 |
Final Verdict of 3CX Phone Service
To summarize, there is no denying that the 3CX business phone service can position itself ahead of the curve, as it is easy to deploy, maintain, and manage. The system has a very intuitive interface and sufficient value-add and features to cement its spot as one of the most terrific communication solutions that you can get today!
If you require a top class enterprise phone system that ticks all the checkboxes, then the 3CX Phone system is the one for you!