In this update:
  • 3CX v18 free Enterprise edition upgrade
  • 3CX license upgrades and trade-ins
  • Webinars – upcoming and recent
  • 3CX Basic Technical Training
  • iOS and Android apps updated
  • 3CX blogs
  • Need demo equipment?
  • Grandstream ex-demo and EOL clearance
  • Submit a great 3CX case study. Get pizzas for your team!
  • Marketing materials
  • Firmware for IP phones
  • Join our LinkedIn VoIP community
3CX v18 free Enterprise edition upgrade

3CX announced last week, that customers on the Professional edition’s (v18) annual subscription are now entitled to a free upgrade to the Enterprise edition. While this offer is for a limited time, the promotion’s end date has not been confirmed. This upgrade allows access to Enterprise-only features such as Microsoft Teams integration, skill-based routing for call queues, etc. Features apply until the completion of their current annual subscription term. If your customer upgrades and wants to stay on the Enterprise edition come renewal time, our auto-renewal quotes may not match up. Our system only looks at what was recorded on purchase. We have updated our wording on the quotes to state that if you have a different edition, to request a refreshed quote for your client. You can read about the offering and the steps to upgrade, via the Customer Portal login at this link. Any questions, please reach out to our team on voip@sofsol.co.nz.

3CX license upgrades and trade-ins

When update 1 for v18 was released on the 13th October 2021, this became the current version across both Linux and Windows installations. For a limited time, 3CX allowed upgrades of simultaneous call counts and trade-ins of Perpetual licenses to continue, while installations were still on v16. This has now lapsed, and customers need to be on the current v18 product, to complete either of these tasks. Our distributor portal does not allow us to upgrade the simultaneous call count if the license is still on v16. The Linux version was released in August, and the Windows final installer mid-October – so it’s time to migrate your customers to v18. If you have questions or need advice on the process, reach out on voip@sofsol.co.nz.

Webinars – upcoming and recent

Join Megan Twentyman, Brand Manager, on Thursday 25th November at 11.30am for a bite size webinar around 3CX’s updated Partner Portal; the Partner Programme; and your partner targets. The purpose of the webinar is to highlight the current layout of the Partner Portal and the beta of the new and improved Partner Portal coming soon. We’ll also touch on the Partner Programme’s requirements and those all-important targets to be achieved by year end, to maintain your current 3CX Partner status for 2022. The session will wrap with a Q&A session. Please register here and we look forward to your attendance.

We held a webinar at the end of October which focussed on the 3CX v18 release and its new features – view the recording here. We also released a FAQ document which can be downloaded here. This covers a lot of questions asked, and key information around v18. It’s worthwhile reading. Any questions that may arise, please reach out to us at voip@sofsol.co.nz.

3CX Basic Technical Training

We are holding a 3CX Basic Technical Training on Wednesday 8th December from 9am to approximately 11.30am. This training is open to all 3CX partners who transact with Soft Solutions and will be held as an online session. The training session covers best practice installations and configuration. It’s an essential tool for team members within 3CX partners and is the first of three certifications available from 3CX. Register for the event here. Our training is run by Kenny Cheung our Technical Trainer. He’s assisted by Jordan Misomphane our new Technical Specialist. At the conclusion of the training, the exam will be sat by all participants – Kenny and Jordan will stay online to support everyone. Any queries can be sent to voip@sofsol.co.nz.

iOS and Android apps updated

Last month we looked at the latest betas for both iOS and Android. These are now released and available on your mobile devices. For the full Android blog and release notes, visit here to look at the improved functionality. For the iOS blog, visit here and see the details on improved scheduling of video conferences from your mobile device. 3CX has also announced that only iOS 14 and above will be supported from this release – read the full announcement here.

3CX blogs

With a new version of 3CX, comes a lot more information to learn and digest. We’ve shared a lot of details via our newsletters since August, and also in our LinkedIn community group. Below are some recent blog articles, to stay up to date on new enhancements. With a new version, things move rapidly. It’s important to be across what’s happening to keep your customers well informed.

  • How to integrate Microsoft Teams with a PBX system – this latest blog from 3CX covers the setup, benefits and reasons that 3CX plus MS Teams are a great solution for customers. Read the full blog here. You’ll also find all the links to configuration guides there too.
  • New 3CX ISO available, bringing the latest OS and updates – the latest version of Debian 10.11 is now supported with v18 update 1. Read the full information here, which links to the release notes.
  • 3CX roadmap for Microsoft 365 integration – the latest roadmap for 3CX and Microsoft 365 integration has been released. It promises even tighter integrations and presence across both 3CX and MS Teams, improved meeting scheduling and more. Read the full future speaking details here.
  • Windows Desktop App, optimised for speed – the final update of the new Windows Desktop App has also launched. Read the blog here.
  • 3CX Video Conference: better privacy and performance with v18 – with improved performance of up to 60% more resource-efficiency (than previous versions), if you aren’t using the built-in video conferencing – now is the time to re-look. Check out the blog for the latest updates and try it out on your v18 edition now.
Need demo equipment?

Just a reminder that we operate quite an extensive range of Grandstream and Yealink demo equipment that you can borrow to put it through its paces or for a client event to showcase. If you have a requirement, please reach out to megan@sofsol.co.nz and she’ll be happy to assist.

Grandstream ex-demo and EOL clearance

We have ex-demo and EOL units available to purchase at a reduced cost or give away. All units are checked by our team and factory re-set. Boxes are intact but open. Soft Solutions will honour a 3-month warranty from date of purchase of ex-demo units. We are also clearing our GXP17XX series inventory as it starts to go EOL and these have the standard 12 month warranty from date of sale. These are excellent units, including a desktop WiFi option. At present we have the following available:

  • Ex-demo units – sold at under half of the normal reseller purchase price:
    • 1 x GWN7000 Multi-WAN Gigabit VPN Router – make us an offer
    • 1 x GXP1625 HD IP Phone 2-line PoE – make us an offer
    • 1 x GXP1760 HD IP Phone 6-line PoE – make us an offer
    • 1 x GXP1760W HD IP Phone 6-line PoE WiFi – make us an offer
    • 1 x GXP2135 HD IP Phone 2.8″ Colour Screen 8-line PoE – make us an offer
  • Clearance units going EOL, reseller purchase further reduced. Contact megan@sofsol.co.nz for a special price:
    • 3 X GXP1760W HD IP Phone 6-line PoE WiFi
    • 18 x GXP1782 HD IP Phone 8-line Gigabit PoE

Please contact voip@sofsol.co.nz if you are interested in purchasing any of these units while they are available. This could be a great way to equip a charity or non-profit with limited funds, with new VoIP hardware.

Submit a great 3CX case study. Get pizzas for your team!

Would you like a lunch shout on Soft Solutions? Just propose a case study for consideration. If 3CX accepts, we’ll arrange a treat for your team. There is nothing better than a local and relatable case study to help get a sale across the line. Share your success stories and reward your team. We have a simple questionnaire you can work through with your customer – 3CX’s marketing team does the rest. It’s also 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 and treat your team!

Marketing materials

Several partners took up the option to have 3CX datasheets customised with their logo. This is a service that Soft Solutions offer. We are now waiting for version 18 datasheets and brochures to be released. The 3CX Marketing Kit is available in the “Resources” section of your Partner Portal. This has been updated for v18 and has a very good 3CX + MS Teams document about these two solutions working side-by-side. If you need further assistance reach out to Megan Twentyman.

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. If you are 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 v18