Welcome to the FastPBX Service Manual

This page is a reference guide for the FastPBX service. Many of our features are listed here with simple
step-by-step instructions in order to help you take full advantage of all that your FastPBX service has to
offer.
Please note that not all of the features are listed and the actual instructions may vary from those in this
guide depending on your specific model. Please refer to the specific instructions and requirements for
your device before proceeding with any information found here.
If you have any comments or concerns, please contact us at 888.988.5355 or email us at
[email protected]

User Guide
This user guide will help you utilize some of the features on your FastPBX phone system. Cloud phone
systems differ greatly from analog systems in that they are no longer hampered by the limitations of
physical phone lines. With VoIP, calls are routed from our system directly to your phone. If you are
unable to answer the call, the caller can be forwarded to variety of different locations meaning callers
will never get a busy tone. Some of the steps may vary based on the specific model of phone that you
may have. This guide is based on the Cisco 303 IP phones but many of the processes are the same
(button locations may vary). If you have any questions, check with your system administrator.

Contents

Making a Call

Forwarding Your Calls

o

To Forward All Calls

To Forward Calls On "No Answer"

Using Do Not Disturb (DND)

Paging

Using the Intercom

Using Voicemail

Listening to Messages

Configuring Voicemail Options

Transferring a Call
o

Attended Transfer

Blind Transfer

Call Waiting

Service Flags

Making a Call
FastPBX makes it simple to use a multitude of options to place a call. To place a call to any outside
phone number, you must dial a prefix before the number. This is done so that the system can identify
whether you would like to dial an internal extension number or an outside phone line. Depending on the
configuration of your phone system the prefix number may vary, but the most common number is "9".
Internal extension numbers do not require a prefix.
There are multiple ways to initiate a call through your phone (Remember to use the prefix, most
commonly "9", to reach an outside phone number):
1. Pick up the receiver then dial the number.
2. Place the phone on speaker then dial the number.
3. Dial the number then pick up the receiver.
4. Dial the number then press the speaker button.
5. Dial the number followed by the "#" key. (This will place the call on speaker)
6. Dial the number then press "dial" button on your phone display. (This will place the call on
speaker)

Forwarding Your Calls

FastPBX makes it simple to forward your calls to any other phone, whether its an outside phone
number or an internal extension.

To Forward All Calls

1. Press the "CF" softkey on your phone display. This can also be accomplished by dialing *72.
2. The system will then prompt you to enter the number you would like to forward your calls to,
followed by the "#" sign. To forward to an internal extension, dial the extension number. To
forward to an outside phone number, dial the prefix (typically "9") followed by the phone
number. It is not necessary to use the "1" before the area code.
3. The system will then prompt you to confirm the number you have entered. Press "1" to confirm
or "2" to reenter the number.
4. Once you press "1" to confirm the number you have entered is correct, you will hear a prompt
stating that your number is now forwarded.
5. To disable the call forwarding, simply press the "CF" button on your screen or dial *72. You
should now hear a prompt stating that call forwarding has been disabled.

To Forward Calls On "No Answer"

You can choose to only have your calls forwarded when you do not answer your extension or your
phone is disconnected from the network.

1. Dial *52 from your phone.

2. The system will then prompt you to enter the number you would like to forward your calls to,
followed by the "#" sign. To forward to an internal extension, dial the extension number. To
forward to an outside phone number, dial the prefix (typically "9") followed by the phone
number. It is not necessary to use the "1" before the area code.
3. The system will then prompt you to confirm the number you have entered. Press "1" to confirm
or "2" to reenter the number.
4. Once you press "1" to confirm the number you have entered is correct, you will hear a prompt
stating that your number will now be forwarded on no answer.
5. To disable the call forwarding on no answer, simply dial *52. You should now hear a prompt
stating that call forwarding on no answer has been disabled.

Using Do Not Disturb (DND)

Setting your phone on Do Not Disturb requires only one button press.
1. Press the "DND" softkey on your phone display or dial *76.
2. Your phone should prompt you that Do Not Disturb is now on.
3. To disable the Do Not Disturb, press the "DND" softkey on your display or dial *76.
4. Your phone should prompt you that Do Not Disturb is now off.

Paging
Paging allows for instant one way communication to any number of phones in your FastPBX system.
Your administrator can configure a paging group of any size which can be easily accessed by dialing a
predefined paging group extension number.

Using the Intercom

Please note: Your system administrator may have configured your phone to automatically answer calls
from internal extension numbers via the intercom.
The intercom system allows you to instantly connect to any phone on your FastPBX system. When you
dial an extension via the intercom system, the phone on the destination extension number will
automatically answer on speakerphone allowing you to instantly communicate with the person at that
phone.
1. Dial *81, followed by the extension number.
2. Your phone will instantly be connected to the destination phone without ringing.

Using Voicemail
Accessing your voice mailbox is a simple process through your phone. The system will prompt you with
various options to allow you to manage your messages.
1. There are two ways to reach your voice mailbox through your phone. One way is to press the
button on the phone that looks like an envelope. The other way is to dial *97.

2. Once you reach your voice mailbox, you will be prompted to enter your password. This is
typically a four digit password. If you are unsure of your password, contact your system
administrator.

Listening to Messages
1. The system will now prompt you with the number of new and old messages in your voice
mailbox. If you don't have any, you will hear the voicemail menu. If you have messages, you can
press "1" to listen to them.
2. Once you listen to a message you will be prompted to select an option. You can press "3" for
advanced options, "5" to repeat the current message, "7" to delete the message, "8" to forward
the message to another user, "9" to save the message, "*" for help, or "#" to exit.
3. After you listen to a message, you may select "3" for advanced options. "1" will allow you to
send a reply to the caller if the call originated from an internal extension number. "3" will allow
you to hear the message envelope, which lists the date, time, and phone or extension number
of the person who left the message. "*" will return you to the main menu.
4. If you press "5" it will repeat the current message.
5. If you press "7" it will delete the current message and repeat the message prompts. If you press
"7" again, it will un-delete the message. You can also select any of the other options.
6. If you press "8" to forward the message to another user, you will be prompted to enter an
extension number.
7. If you press "9" to save the message, you will be prompted with various folders you can save the
message into. "0" will place the message in the new messages folder. "1" will place the message
in the old messages folder. "2" will place the message in the work messages folder. "3" will place
the message in the family messages folder. "4" will place the message in the friends messages
folder. "#" will cancel and take you back to the previous prompts.

Configuring Voicemail Options

1. You will be prompted with various options within the voicemail menu. Pressing "2" will allow
you to change message folders, "3" for advanced options, "0" for mailbox options, "*" for help,
or "#" to exit.
2. If you press "2" to change folders, you will be prompted with the list of folders. Changing into a
particular folder will allow you to listen to the messages in that folder. Press "0" for the new
messages folder, "1" for the old messages folder, "2" for the work messages folder, "3" for the
family messages folder, and 4" for the friends messages folder. Pressing "#" will cancel and take
you back to the previous prompts.
3. If you press "0" for mailbox options, you will be prompted with various options. Pressing "1" will
allow you to record your unavailable message, "2" will allow you to record your busy message,
"3" will allow you to record your name, "4" will allow you to manage your temporary greeting,
"5" will allow you to change your password, and "*" will take you back to the main menu.

Transferring a Call
There are two ways to transfer a call: By doing an attended transfer, where you can speak to the party
you are transferring the call to before you transfer the call, or a blind transfer, where you just directly
transfer the call to someone without speaking to them.

Attended Transfer
1. Once you are in a call you would like to transfer, you can press the "xfer" softkey on the screen
of your phone.
2. You will now be prompted to enter the number of the person you would like to transfer the call
to. This can be either an internal extension or an outside phone number.
3. The system will now call the party you want to transfer the call to. Once they answer, you will
have an opportunity to speak to them, while the call you are transferring is on hold. If they do
not answer, you can press the softkey for the call you have on hold to return to that call.
4. If the party answers, you can now press the "xfer" softkey on the screen to complete the call
transfer. Your phone will hang up and the call will be transferred.

Blind Transfer
1. Once you are in a call you would like to transfer, you can press the right arrow key on the
selector button on your phone. You can then press the "bxfer" softkey on the screen of your
phone.
2. You will now be prompted to enter the number of the person you would like to transfer the call
to. This can be either an internal extension or an outside phone number.
3. The system will now hang up your phone and transfer the call to the intended recipient.

Call Waiting
Call waiting allows you to choose how a caller gets directed if you are on an active call. If call waiting is
enabled, callers will be able to reach your phone even if you are on an active call. You will hear a tone
and see the caller ID of the incoming caller on your phone. If you do not answer in a specified period of
time, the caller will be directed to your voice mailbox. If call waiting is disabled, callers will automatically
be directed to your voice mailbox if you are on an active call. By default, call waiting is enabled.
1. To disable call waiting, dial *75.
2. You will hear a prompt stating that call waiting has been disabled.
3. To enable call waiting, dial *75.
4. You will hear a prompt stating that call waiting has been enabled.

Service Flags
Service Flags allow you to easily toggle the destination of your callers. Once created by your
administrator, you can toggle the status of the Service Flag from any phone or handset.
1. To force a normal status for the Service Flag, dial the Service Flag extension number followed by
*0.

2. To force an override status for the Service Flag, dial the Service Flag extension number followed
by *1.
3. To check the status of a Service Flag, dial the Service Flag extension number followed by *3.

Quick Admin Guide

This page will help you quickly setup your FastPBX service. This tutorial assumes that you already have
an "always on" broadband internet connection and a local area network. You'll need to be logged in as
the administrator to make these changes. *Please note that not all settings and options may be available
to you based on your plan.*
After making any changes to your FastPBX system through the online admin interface, you will notice
a dialog box appear in the top right corner of your web browser window which states "Your PBX
configuration has changed. Please click the Reload button below to make these changes live." Once
you are done making all of the changes you would like to make, press the "Reload" button to make
the changes take effect. Please note that it is best to make all of your desired changes first and then
press the "Reload" button since pressing "Reload" after each change will increase the time it takes for
each subsequent change to take effect.

Contents

Adding your Extensions

Add your VoIP phones to FastPBX

Add Mailboxes

Set Up Your Call Flows

Intermission

Creating A Ring Group

Creating an Announcement
o

Add A Sound

Add An Announcement

Creating an Auto Attendant (IVR)

Creating a Time Condition

Creating a Paging Group

Creating a Service Flag

Adding your Extensions

System Admins Only

Extensions are the way that your phones will be contacted throughout your FastPBX system. Everything
in FastPBX will have an extension, including your features.
1. Click on the "Users" button in the navigation menu on the left side of the administrative
console.

2. Click on the "Extensions" entry under "Users".

3. Click on "Add Extensions" button.
4. Assign a three or four digit extension in the "Extension" field.
5. Give this extension a name for easy identification in the "Name" field.
6. Under "Mailbox" you can select a mailbox under "Use Existing", if available, for this extension. If
you need to create a mailbox for this extension, select "Create New". If you are creating a new
mailbox, you will need to select a four digit pin to be used as the password. This pin can later be
changed by the user.
7. Use the drop down labeled "NAT" to select your NAT (Network Address Translation) option. The
default, and most common selection, is "Yes".
8. From the drop down box labeled "Transport", select the method of transport that you wish to
use for communicating with FastPBX. If you are unsure what to select here, leave it at the
default setting, "UDP".
9. Select the codecs that the device supports, if you are unsure of which to use, please select both
"G.729" and "G.711ulaw".
10. Select the appropriate "DTMF Mode" from the drop down list. For Cisco brand VoIP phones, we
recommend "INFO". For most other brands, we recommend using "RFC 2833".
11. Use the radio buttons to select whether or not to record inbound or outbound calls involving
this extension automatically.
12. Use the radio buttons to select whether or not you would like incoming calls to be automatically
answered by the phone, "Active", or if you would like incoming calls to ring, "Inactive".
13. Click "Save Changes".

Add your VoIP phones to FastPBX

System Admins Only

This step will ensure that your VoIP phones will be able to communicate with your FastPBX in the cloud.
1. Click on the "Devices" icon in the navigation menu on the left side of the administrative console.
2. Click on the "Phones" entry under "Devices".
3. Click the "Add Phone" button on the "Phones" screen.
4. Enter the MAC address of the phone in the "MAC Address" field.
5. Select the appropriate Configuration Template for the phone. If you do not see the
configuration template for your phone, please contact [email protected].
6. Select the extension you would like to use for the phone from the "Extension" drop down box.
7. Click on "Save Changes".
8. This will take you to the list of devices. Each device will have three buttons next to it. Click on
the blue "Setup" button. Follow the steps provided to complete the setup of your device.

Add Mailboxes

System Admins Only

A voice mailbox is the digital equivalent of an answering machine. Voice mailboxes do not have to
correspond to any one device or extension and can be used as endpoints in conjunction with many other
features. In this instance we are creating our mailboxes after having created our extensions so we will
be required, in the last step of creating a mailbox, to go back and edit our extension to specify the
mailbox that corresponds to it. You can, however, create your mailboxes before creating your
extensions and then specify the mailbox while creating the extension.
1. Click on the "Users" button in the navigation menu on the left side of the administrative
console.
2. Click on the "Mailboxes" entry under "Users".
3. This screen will display all of the currently configured mailboxes. Click on the "Add Mailbox"
button at the top.
4. Fill in the "Label" field so that you can have a way to easily identify this particular mailbox.
5. Assign the mailbox a 4-digit extension in the "VM Extension" box. This will allow the mailbox to
be used with other features as well. This must be a unique extension that is not currently in use.
6. Assign the mailbox a Pin # so that only persons with the Pin # can access the messages stored
within.
7. Assigning a value for "Min Message Seconds" will ensure that no messages are saved that are
shorter than the number of messages that you specify.
8. Assigning a notification email will send a message to the email address specified when a
message is left at this mailbox. Only one email address may be assigned per mailbox.
9. Selecting "Yes" to attach the message to the email will allow for the message to be sent with the
notification email as an .MP3 attachment.

Set Up Your Call Flows

System Admins Only

Call flows are the starting points for how your callers will be directed through your FastPBX system. The
Call flows will be pre-populated based on your initial configuration with the FastPBX Support Staff and
additions to your call flows will have to be coordinated with them as well. Call flow destinations,
however, can be changed by you to further customize your FastPBX system.
1. Click on the Edit button for the call flow that you wish to edit.
2. Select the type of destination from the drop down box.
3. Select the destination you wish to reach from the subsequent drop down box.
4. Ensure that the call flow is active. If a call flow is inactive it will not proceed to route the callers
to the destination.
5. Click on the Save changes button.

Intermission
So far you've added your phones and created extensions, with mailboxes, for these phones to be
reached at but this isn't the complete capability of FastPBX. We will go ahead and create some more
advanced features now. These advanced features can be created in any order and designed to support
your needs as herein lies the power and flexibility of FastPBX.

Creating a Ring Group

A ring group is a team of phones that can be configured to ring as one or ring in specific ways. This is the
most commonly used feature of FastPBX as it allows for many extensions to service incoming calls to the
same line.
1. Click on "Features" in the navigation menu on the left side of the administrator console.
2. Click on the "Ring Groups" entry under "Features". This page will display all the currently
configured Ring Groups.
3. Click on the "Add Ring Group" button.
4. Give your ring group a name for easy identification.
5. Assign your ring group an internal extension number. This is how you will direct calls to your ring
group.
6. You can select an announcement for this ring group if you're already uploaded one. Don't worry
if you don't have any announcements set--you can come back and edit your ring group.
7. Setting the Max Ring Time will set, in seconds, the amount of time that calls will ring to your
group before heading to the "No Answer" destination which you will set below.
8. Choose your ring strategy wisely. A hunt strategy will ring the extensions one-by-one in the
order that they show up in your list of extensions. The ring-all strategy will simply ring all
extensions in the list at once. The first-not-on-phone strategy will ring the first phone on the list
that is not currently being used.
9. Assigning a CID Name Prefix will cause the incoming caller ID to be prefaced by what you put in
this box. This is useful for knowing what path a call may have come in on so if you have
extensions that are part of multiple ring groups the people answering the phones can have an
idea of which group the caller was trying to reach.
10. Use the dual-combo box to add extensions to the "Selected" column. Those extensions which
appear in the "Selected" column will be part of the ring group.
11. Destination (on No Answer) will allow you to automatically handle a call to the ring group if no
one is able to answer within the Max Ring Time that you set earlier. This will allow you to direct
the call to a mailbox or, potentially, to another ring group or any of the other features that we
are going to set up.

Creating an Announcement
Announcements are prerecorded messages that are played for your callers. Announcements are a very
powerful tool as they can inform callers easily. Announcements are based on sounds that you record
and upload using your phone. Announcements will have an extension like every other feature but they
also have a Destination which will be the feature that the caller will be directed to.
Add a Sound
To create a recording from your phone or handset, simply dial *77 and follow the prompts. When done,
the recording will appear on the Sounds page.
1. Click on the Sounds button in the navigation pane on the right side of the admin console.
2. Click on the "Add Sound" button on the sounds listing page.

3. Type a name for your sound. This will help you identify it later when assigning it to an
announcement or mailbox greeting.
4. Select "File Upload" to upload a prerecorded sound file or select "TTS" (Text-to-Speech) to have
the FastPBX system read aloud the text from the text box to the caller.
5. Click save changes.
Once you have added your sound you can then select it in the sounds drop down box on the
Announcements page.
Add an Announcement
1. Click on the Features button in the navigation pane on the right side of the administrative
console.
2. Select Announcements from the menu.
3. Click on the "Add Announcement" button in the announcement listing page.
4. Assign a name to your announcement. This will allow you to identify your announcement easier
when you select it as a destination from your other features.
5. Assign your announcement an internal extension that is currently unused.
6. From the "Greeting Media/Announcement" drop down select the Sound that you just uploaded.
7. From the destination drop down select the next destination for the caller. Once the
announcement finishes playing it will direct the caller to this extension.
8. Click save changes.
You now have Announcements that you can use for various purposes within the FastPBX system.

Creating an Auto Attendant (IVR)

Auto Attendants, or Interactive Voice Recordings (IVRs), are menus that your callers will be directed to
when they call in. The Auto Attendant can guide them through selecting various options in order to
route them to the correct destination. To create an Auto Attendant you must first upload any Sounds
you will be using as explained in this guide.
1. Click on the Features button in the navigation pane on the right side of the administrative
console.
2. Select Auto Attendants from the menu.
3. Click on the "Add Auto Attendant" button in the Auto Attendants listing page.
4. Assign a name to your Auto Attendant. This will allow you to easily identify your Auto Attendant.
5. Assign your Auto Attendant an internal extension that is currently unused.
6. From the "Announcement" drop down select the Sound that you would like to use for your Auto
Attendant (this Sound should instruct callers with what numbers to press on their keypads in
order to reach their desired destinations).
7. If you would like callers to be able to dial extension numbers directly from the Auto Attendant,
select "Active" from the "Direct Dial" option. If not, select "Inactive".
8. For Options 1 through 0, select where you would like to direct callers once they select that
option as instructed by your Auto Attendant announcement. Only select the options you would
like to use and leave any unused options as is.

9. If you would like to use your own destination when a caller makes an invalid selection in the
Auto Attendant, you can select the destination you would like to use under the "On Invalid?"
option. If you do not select a destination, the system will use its default "Invalid Choice" sound.
10. If you would like to use your own destination when a caller fails to make a selection in the Auto
Attendant, you can select the destination you would like to use under the "On Timeout?"
option. If you do not select a destination, the system will use its default "Invalid Choice" sound
and replay the Auto Attendant.
11. Use the "Digit Timeout" option to select how long your callers have to make a selection once the
Auto Attendant announcement finishes. The typical time of 3 seconds would be represented by
"3000" in the text field.
12. Use the "Maximum Loops" option to select how many times a caller can fail to make a selection
and have the system repeat the Auto Attendant before the system hangs up on the caller.
Typically, three loops is the maximum amount most Auto Attendants are configured for.
13. Click save changes.
Once the Auto Attendant is created, you can select it as a destination in your desired "Call Flow" in order
to direct callers correctly.

Creating a Time Condition

Time Conditions allow you to route calls differently based on the day of the week and/or the time of
day. They allow you to set different destinations for your callers to, for example, allow them to ring your
phones when you are open and go to a closed message when you are closed.
1. Click on the Features button in the navigation pane on the right side of the administrative
console.
2. Select Time Condition from the menu.
3. Click on the "Add Time Condition" button in the Time Conditions listing page.
4. Assign a name to your Time Condition. This will allow you to easily identify your Time Condition.
5. Assign your Time Condition an internal extension that is currently unused.
6. If you would like your callers to hear an Announcement prior to being directed to their
destination, you can select that under "Announcement". This Announcement is optional.
7. Select the time of day you would like to begin routing your callers to your open destination.
8. Select the time of day you would like to begin routing your callers to your closed destination.
9. Select the days of the week you would like this Time Condition to be in effect by clicking on the
day names on the "Weekdays" selection box. The day will then move into the "Days Open"
selection box.
10. To remove days from the "Days Open" selection box, simply click on the day you would like to
remove and it will move back to the "Weekdays" selection box.
11. Select the destination to which you would like to route your callers during your open hours by
selecting it from the "Destination (Open)" drop down menu.
12. Select the destination to which you would like to route your callers during your closed hours by
selecting it from the "Destination (Closed)" drop down menu.
13. Click save changes.

If you would like to set up multiple time conditions for a particular day or week, simply create the time
conditions and then route them to each other using the "Destination (Open)" and "Destination (Closed)"
menus in order to create the desired outcome.

Creating a Paging Group

Paging groups allow you to quickly speak to multiple people at once without having to dial their
individual extension numbers and without the need to ring their extensions. Paging allows you to make
an announcement across multiple extensions but the persons at those extensions are unable to
respond.
1. Click on the Features button in the navigation pane on the right side of the administrative
console.
2. Select Paging from the menu.
3. Click on the "Add Paging" button in the Pagings listing page.
4. Assign a name to your Paging group. This will allow you to easily identify your Paging group.
5. Assign your Paging group an internal extension that is currently unused.
6. Select which extensions you would like to include in the Paging group from the "Available"
extensions selection box. The extension will then appear in the "Selected" selection box.
7. To remove extensions from the "Selected" selection box, simply click on the extension you
would like to remove and it will move back to the "Available" selection box.
8. Click save changes.
Once you have created your Paging groups you will now be able to quickly and easily make general
announcements by simply dialing an extension into your phone or handset.

Creating a Service Flag

Service Flags allow you to override the destination a caller goes to. This is useful if you would like to
direct callers to a different destination, such as a voice mailbox or announcement, when you are
unavailable.
1. Click on the Features button in the navigation pane on the right side of the administrative
console.
2. Select Service Flag from the menu.
3. Click on the "Add Flag" button in the Service Flag listing page.
4. Assign a name to your Service Flag. This will allow you to easily identify your Service Flag.
5. Assign your Service Flag an internal extension that is currently unused.
6. If you would like your callers to hear an Announcement prior to being directed to their
destination, you can select that under "Announcement". This Announcement is optional.
7. Select the "Destination (Normal)" destination from the drop down list. This will be the
destination your callers will be directed to when the Service Flag is in its "Normal" state.
8. Select the "Destination (Override)" destination from the drop down list. This will be the
destination your callers will be directed to when the Service Flag is in its "Override" state.

9. Select the state you would like to place your Service Flag in once you save it. "Normal" routes
callers to the "Destination (Normal)" destination and "Override" routes callers to the
"Destination (Override)" destination.
Once you create your Service Flag, you can toggle the status of the Service Flag by dialing the extension
number followed by a " *1 " to force an override status or " *0 " to force a normal status. To check the
status of a service flag at any time, you can dial the extension number followed by " *3 ".
You've completed the Quick Start Guide for your FastPBX system. See the features page for more
information on the additional features that FastPBX offers.