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On Call Manager

Send every after‑hours call to whoever is on call.

Set your on-call schedule once. On Call Manager routes callers to your on-call team or to voicemail, alerts them by phone, SMS or email, and escalates until someone responds.

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  • Up to 30 escalation levels
  • Phone, SMS and email alerts
  • Event logs for SLA tracking
How it works

Follow an after‑hours call from ring to response.

Choose how callers are handled, then play the call through.

  1. A call comes in after hours

    A caller reaches the after-hours line for one of your departments.

  2. The calendar picks who is on call

    On Call Manager checks the schedule and logs the people on call into the live-answer queue.

  3. Someone answers, or the caller leaves a voicemail

    If no one picks up before the wait time runs out, the caller is asked to leave a voicemail.

  4. The on-call team is alerted

    Each person gets the voicemail by phone call, SMS or email, with a written transcript if you turn it on.

  5. It escalates until someone responds

    No response? The next level is alerted. Up to 30 levels, with several people on each.

  6. Everything is logged

    Each request, alert and note is kept for SLA and staff performance reviews.

Live answer uses a 3CX queue, which needs the 3CX Pro edition. Sending callers straight to voicemail does not need a queue.

Why teams switch

Retire the on‑call phone and the weekly forwarding change.

The usual routine
With On Call Manager
Someone changes the call forwarding every time the on-call person changes.
Recurring schedules in a web calendar. Set them once and they run on their own.
The on-call cell phone gets passed from person to person.
Calls and alerts reach whoever is scheduled, on their own phone.
You pay an after-hours answering service to take messages.
Your own team answers live through a queue, or callers leave a voicemail.
A voicemail sits unheard until the office opens.
The on-call person is alerted by phone, SMS or email, and backups are next in line.
No record of who responded, or how fast.
An event log for every request, to check service level commitments and staff performance.

Happier customers

After-hours support and faster response times mean callers are not left waiting until morning.

Fewer missed calls

Live answer and voicemail escalation up to 30 levels, so every request has a next person to go to.

Proof for your SLAs

Monitor service level compliance and staff performance from the event log, designed to help you meet your commitments.

Who uses it

Built for teams that pick up after hours.

Property management

A tenant reports a water leak after hours. The scheduled maintenance technician is alerted, and a backup is next if they do not respond.

IT teams and managed service providers

A customer reports an outage overnight. The rotation decides who is alerted, with escalation to backup staff.

Field service, HVAC, plumbing and utilities

Emergency service calls reach the technician on call, without anyone changing call forwarding before they leave.

Healthcare practices

After-hours requests reach the staff member on call, following your practice's agreed process.

Inside On Call Manager

Everything runs from one on‑call calendar.

A web portal your managers open from any browser. No forwarding rules to update and nothing to install on anyone's phone.

Scheduling

Set the rotation once and let it run.

Create on-call shifts in a web calendar and repeat them daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Each department gets its own schedule, and reminders can go out before a shift starts.

  • Day, week, work week, month and timeline views
  • Recurring shifts, with an end date or none
  • Separate schedules for each department
Escalation

Up to 30 levels, with backup at every step.

Every shift is tied to an escalation level. If the people on the first level do not respond, On Call Manager moves to the next, and each level can include several people.

  • Up to 30 escalation levels
  • Several people on each level
  • Levels are color coded on the calendar
Alerts

Choose how each person is alerted.

For every person on call, pick a phone call, an email, an SMS or all three, with separate choices for new voicemails and for ones someone has already heard.

  • SMS through Twilio, Skyetel or an email-to-SMS gateway
  • Editable email and SMS messages for each department
  • Written voicemail transcripts in the alert
Event log

Every after‑hours request, on the record.

The Events page lists each request with the caller, the person on call, the escalation level and how they were alerted. Managers can add notes, and a separate activity log records what the system did and exports to CSV, XLS or XLSX.

  • Unheard voicemails listed separately
  • Notes on every request
  • Voicemail cleanup by date

On Call Manager is included in the VoIPTools Subscription.

One subscription gets you On Call Manager and 30+ other add-ons for 3CX.

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Settings

Set it up the way your team already works.

SMS through your carrier

Send text alerts through Twilio, Skyetel or an email-to-SMS gateway.

Voicemail transcripts

Turn voicemails into text with your own Microsoft Azure, OpenAI or Google account.

3CX status follows the schedule

Set a 3CX status, like Available or Away, automatically when a shift starts and ends.

Access by role

Choose which pages each role can open, so users see only what they need.

Your own alert messages

Edit the email subject, email body and SMS text for each department, with variables.

Custom Branding

Add your logo, header title and colors to the portal your team uses.

Everything in On Call Manager

  • Web-based on-call calendars
  • Recurring schedules and shift reminders
  • Live answer through 3CX queues
  • Voicemail when no one answers
  • Alerts by phone call, SMS and email
  • Up to 30 escalation levels
  • Several people on each level
  • Event logs for compliance monitoring
  • Staff performance tracking
  • Notes on every request
  • Voicemail transcripts and cleanup rules
  • Customizable settings and Custom Branding
Details

Requirements, updates and documentation.

Downloads and documentation
  • 3CX version 20. Live answer through a queue needs the 3CX Pro edition.
  • A separate Windows 10 or later, or Windows Server 2012 or later, machine running alongside 3CX, with the Windows web server role turned on and Microsoft .NET 4.7.2
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or later (the free Express edition works)
  • VoIPTools Relay, which connects On Call Manager to your 3CX system
  • Static IP addresses for both servers, with port 5550 open between them
  • For SMS alerts: a Twilio or Skyetel account, or an email-to-SMS gateway
  • For voicemail transcripts: a Microsoft Azure, OpenAI or Google Cloud account

Check the documentation for the current release and full setup details for your environment.

Questions

On Call Manager questions, answered.

Anything else? Our team answers 24/7 from the USA, India and the Philippines.

What does a caller hear after hours?+
You choose for each department. Callers can go to a live-answer queue first, where the people on call are logged in, and leave a voicemail if no one picks up in time. Or they can go straight to voicemail.
How are people on call alerted?+
By phone call, SMS, email or any mix of the three. You set the choice for each person, separately for new voicemails and for ones someone has already heard.
How does escalation work?+
Each on-call shift is tied to an escalation level. If no one on a level responds, the next level is alerted. You can use up to 30 levels, with several people on each.
Do we need the 3CX Pro edition?+
Only for live answer, which uses a 3CX queue. Sending callers straight to voicemail does not need a queue.
Can the voicemail be sent as text?+
Yes. Turn on transcription with your own Microsoft Azure, OpenAI or Google account, and the written transcript is included in the alert.
Can we show how quickly we responded?+
Yes. The Events page keeps every request with who was on call, the escalation level and how each person was alerted, plus your notes, for service level and staff reviews. A separate activity log of what the system did exports to CSV, XLS or XLSX.
Got a question?

Talk to the team that builds On Call Manager.

Whether it is On Call Manager, another add-on, or a custom solution built around your needs, we can help you get the most out of 3CX.

Already a customer? For help with an install or an issue, email Support@VoIPTools.com.

Thank you. Your question has been sent, and our team will get back to you soon.

Keep exploring

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On Call Manager and every add-on below come in the same VoIPTools Subscription.

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Alerts and on-callEmergency NotifierWhen someone dials an emergency number, alert the right team with the caller's building, floor and room.See the add-on Alerts and on-callVoicemail ManagerGet AI transcripts and summaries of every voicemail, route messages to the right people and escalate urgent ones.See the add-on Alerts and on-callAudio SchedulerSchedule bells, shift changes and announcements to play over phones and paging systems automatically.See the add-on

Give every after‑hours call a clear path.

See it on a live demo, or get it today as part of the VoIPTools Subscription, with 30+ other add-ons included.

Schedule a live demoGet the suite