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9bx user guide

PBX & Call Center

Extensions and call groups

Give people phone lines (extensions) and group them so one number rings several people.

Contents

What it is for

An extension is a person's line, used by the web softphone, a desk phone or the mobile app. A ring group (call group) rings several extensions together or in turn.

Who can use it

Administrators with the Extensions and Ring groups permissions. The number of extensions may be limited by your plan ("Your plan allows N more extension(s)").

Where to find it

Phone → Setup → Extensions & call groups

The screen explained

Two lists: Employees with their extension, status and connection details, and Ring groups. Buttons: New extension, New ring group, search ("Search extension or employee"), per-row Edit, Change extension status, Connection details and Delete.

Connection details shows how to sign a desk phone or app in to the extension. Use the IP phone guide for desk phones.

Extension settings

Section Field Meaning
Main Employee The person it belongs to. An employee can have only one extension; several employees can share one.
Users Owners, admins and others without an employee record.
Extension number Usually 3 to 6 digits; letters, digits, dot, dash and underscore allowed; must not match another extension or ring group number.
Caller ID name Shown on the other phone. Empty uses the employee's name.
Outbound caller ID One of your official numbers shown on outside calls. It beats the route's and trunk's number unless the route forces its own.
Ringing Ring mode Which signed-in devices ring.
Preferred device Only devices of this type ring; If that device is offline, ring all devices is a fallback.
Pickup group Dial *8 on any phone in the same group to answer a call ringing someone else in it.
Recording Record and Keep recordings for Which calls are recorded and for how long (empty uses the organisation's setting). With "on demand", nothing is recorded until the person presses Record in the softphone.
Voicemail Voicemail on, Voicemail PIN Where unanswered calls end; PIN of 4 to 10 digits for listening from a desk phone.

Ring groups

Field Meaning
Ring group number 2 to 15 digits; dial it to ring the group. Must be unique.
Members Extensions in the group.
Ring strategy How members ring (together, in order, and so on).
Ring timeout (seconds) 5 to 300 seconds before the no-answer action.
If no one answers Forward to a number, another ring group, voicemail or a menu.

Per-extension call settings

The Call settings page of an extension controls Presence, Call forwarding, outbound access and voicemail. Users can change presence and forwarding themselves in the softphone.

Import extensions from a CSV file

Add or update many extensions at once with Import CSV on the Extensions & call groups page. You need the right to create extensions and to import into the phone system.

  1. Press Import CSV, then Download sample CSV. The sample has the header row and three example rows (a copy is here).
  2. Keep the header row. Replace the example rows with your extensions, one per row.
  3. Drop the file in the dialog and press Upload and preview. Nothing changes yet: this is a dry run.
  4. Check the preview. Each row shows Will be created (a new number), Will be updated (an extension with that number exists) or Not supported with the reason (a row with an error).
  5. If some rows have errors, press Download errors CSV. It lists the row number in your file, the extension and what is wrong. Fix the file and import it again, or apply the good rows now.
  6. Press Apply. The dialog shows the progress, then how many were created, updated, failed or left out.

Rows are matched by extension number, so importing the same file again updates the same extensions and never adds them twice.

Column What to write
extension_number Required. Letters, digits, dot, dash or underscore, for example 1001.
name Shown as the caller name, for example Rahim Uddin.
email The email of a person with an account. The extension is linked to them.
ring_group The name or number of an existing ring group. Several: separate with ;. The extension is added as a member.
voicemail_enabled yes or no.
voicemail_pin 4 to 10 digits.
outbound_caller_id One of your official numbers.
sip_password Leave empty and a strong password is generated. If you set one: 12 to 64 characters, letters and digits, no spaces. An existing extension keeps its password when the cell is empty.
enabled yes or no. no switches the extension off: its phones cannot sign in.
branch The name or code of one of your branches.

Your plan's extension limit applies. Updates always go through; new extensions past the limit are reported as failed, and the rest are imported.

Concurrent calls and your plan

Your plan sets how many outside calls can run at the same time: calls through a trunk, a gateway or WhatsApp, in or out. Calls between your own extensions (and to your ring groups, queues, IVR, voicemail and conference rooms from an extension) are free. They never count toward this limit and never use call minutes. When the limit is reached, a new outside call gets a busy signal; internal calls still work. Ask 9bx support if you need a higher limit.

Tasks

Create an extension for a new agent

  1. Open Extensions & call groups and press New extension.
  2. Choose the Employee. Enter an Extension number, for example 1015.
  3. Set Outbound caller ID to one of your official numbers.
  4. Open Recording, choose when to record. Open Voicemail and set a PIN.
  5. Press Save Extension.
  6. Ask the agent to open the web softphone. The status should become Ready.

Create a ring group for sales

  1. Press New ring group.
  2. Enter number 700 and select members 1011, 1012 and 1013.
  3. Set Ring timeout to 20 seconds, If no one answers to voicemail.
  4. Save and point an inbound number or IVR key to it.

Example scenario

Padma Net Support creates extensions 1001 to 1020 for staff. The reception desk phone is a shared extension, 1000, used by several employees. A ring group "Technical" (710) rings 1007, 1008 and 1009 for 25 seconds, then the "Support" queue.

Tips

  • Keep extension numbers the same length for easy training.
  • Set an outbound caller ID per team so customers recognise the number.
  • Choose a retention period for recordings that matches your policy.

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
"Already linked to another extension" Remove the person from the other extension first.
Softphone says "Your extension is switched off" Use Change extension status to switch it on.
Extension cannot be created Your plan's extension limit may be reached.
CSV import says "This file is not the 9bx extensions template" Download the sample CSV and use its header row. A 3CX export goes through Import from 3CX.
Outside callers hear busy, internal calls work Your plan's concurrent outside calls are in use. Try again shortly or ask 9bx support for a higher limit.
Desk phone will not sign in Check the extension is on, then follow the IP phone guide.
Outbound caller ID rejected Providers often reject numbers you do not own. Use one of your official numbers.