Agents vs Extensions

In Issabel PBX, Agents and Extensions are related but have different purposes within the system. They are primarily used in Contact Center setups, but can be leveraged in larger PBX setups. Here's a breakdown of their differences and roles:

Extensions

Extensions represent telephony endpoints. They are unique identifiers assigned to devices to manage calls in a PBX system. They are essential for internal and external communication in the PBX environment and serve as central endpoints for making and receiving calls.

Key Features:

• Internal Communication:
  
  • Extensions allow users to call each other within the PBX system using short numbers (for example, 101, 102).
  • They provide an easy way to connect users in the same organization without the need for external phone numbers.
• Device or user/agent association:
  
  • Extensions can be associated with a physical device (such as a desk phone), a softphone, or a user account.
  • Each extension is configured with unique settings such as voicemail, call forwarding, and permissions.
• Voicemail Integration: Extensions often come with voicemail capabilities, allowing callers to leave messages when the user is unavailable.
• Direct Inward Dialing DID: Extensions can be linked to external phone numbers via DID, allowing calls to be routed directly to a specific extension from outside the organization.
• Customizable features:
  
  • Call forwarding.
  • Call waiting.
  • Do not disturb mode (DND).
  • Ringing strategies to manage incoming calls.
• Registration and Authentication: Extensions are credential-protected to ensure that only authorized devices or users can register and use them.

Extensions in Issabel PBX are the backbone of communication, enabling internal calls, managing external connections, and providing a flexible and scalable telephony solution. They serve as the endpoints for users and devices, making them an essential part of any Issabel PBX setup.

Agents

These are users with individual accounts within a group with specific permissions who can log in to the PBX system. They represent the staff of a Contact Center or accounts specifically designed for use in call handling scenarios based on queues or similar structures.

Key features

• Purpose: Manage and distribute calls in a structured way, mainly in a Contact Center.
• Behavior: They may or may not be linked to a specific extension.
• Login/Logout: Agents log in and out of the queuing system manually (using feature codes or dynamically through the PBX interface).
  
• Interaction with extensions:
  
  • An agent can use an extension to log in and manage calls, but it is independent of the extension itself (they can also be assigned to it).
  • Depending on your configuration. Multiple agents can share the same extension by logging in and out when they use it.
• Usage: Users/agents dial extensions for internal communication, connect to external numbers, or receive incoming calls.

Main differences between Agents and Extensions

Criteria	Extensions	Agents
Purpose	General telephony and direct communication.	Contact Center operations and generally queue-based call handling.
Association	Pinned to a device or endpoint.	Dynamic and can log in to any extension.
Communication flow	Routing of incoming/outgoing calls to/from the extension.	Calls routed through queues based on agent availability.
Authentication	Once registered it is active on the corresponding device.	Requires manual login/logout to participate in queues.
Role management	Managed as part of the PBX extension system.	Managed through the Contact center and queue modules.

Use cases

• Internal call: An agent assigned to a specific extension (ex: 101) calls another agent assigned to another extension (ex: 102). The call is made within the PBX system. Agents register extensions on their devices and can make calls without the need for external numbers.
• External call and call forwarding: A customer calls the main number of a company that has a PBX system. The call is directed to extension 1003 (receptionist) through a DID.
  The receptionist forwards the call to the extension to a queue where agents can answer based on their availability.

If there is any incorrect or incomplete information, or additional information needs to be generated, please write to isscc@issabel.com