3CX has upgraded its version 18 to be more customer and inbound communication-focused. Businesses nowadays, especially the ones that are customers focused are under pressure of a huge demand for constant multiplatform communication. That is why suppliers of unified communications such as 3CX are rapidly developing the new functions thriving to develop omnichannel communication systems such as 3CX version 18.
Integrated contact system
Consumers nowadays are expecting fast delivery of products and services, and if anything goes wrong, they expect quick customer support – not only via phone or email but also through other channels and apps such as live chat plugins.
Businesses require a single integrated contact system for messaging and calls, and that is the direction 3CX took, thriving to become a complete customer communication system.
An integrated contact system sums up not only internal communications between employees and teams but also connects them to their customers at the same time.
Version 18 improvements
3CX has already previously modernized PBX by adding remote users, cloud hosting, and integrated video calls and meetings. They also integrated Facebook Messenger and SMS.
More options are announced to follow in version 18: Google Messaging, and later Apple iMessage. The company announced that it will probably also integrate Telegram, MMS, and one-way communication with SMS/alphanumeric sender ID, which allows companies to send notifications to customers.
Version 18 alpha 5 also provides a new Windows Desktop App, so the Browser Extension (for Chrome or Edge) is not necessary anymore. It works as a native Windows app using the same Electron framework used by Teams and WhatsApp. Users can simply answer a call from any page they are working on, without having to switch between apps.
Agents can now offer customers even better service with contact lookup and chat journaling for live chat and SMS.
Version 18 also saves users from forgetting multiple passwords. 3CX implemented SSO so that users and administrators can log in to the web client and management console with their Google or Microsoft 365 accounts.
Live Chat
In 2019, 3CX took over the popular Live Chat plugin for WordPress and in version 18, it goes even further. The company will still be focused on WordPress since it is by far the most widely used CMS, but version 18 will also include support for Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, Wix, Weebly. The chat bubble itself is hosted on Google CDNs, which improves speed.
Other improvements
3CX is now using the latest SIP library since it is safer and more compatible with all kinds of applications. It has now also become much easier to configure SRTP, which is a major improvement as more and more providers require SRTP to be used. Furthermore, the entire platform, including all clients, is standardized on the G711 codec, which works more efficiently and applies to wi-fi connections. On mobile, G729 is used because it saves bandwidth. The iOS and Android apps have also been updated for this.
Single sign-on is facilitated for both the management console and the web client via Azure AD, Google Gsuite, or Google SSO. The latter has been completely revised and therefore behaves like a native Windows app.
How can ITAF help you?
ITAF telephony and unified communications specialists together with our field services experts can provide you first-hand assistance and support in establishing the 3CX system within your company. Whether on-premise or in the cloud, Windows or Linux, integration with CRM or ERP, you will be provided with 24/7 support and monitoring. Not only that – ITAF can provide you with the best quality equipment and hardware that is supporting 3CX. Contact ITAF for full circle implementation and support.
