Skip to content
WelcoYour alerts, by text.

3CX voicemail to SMS with a link the on-call tech can play

3CX voicemail to SMS means callers who press the urgent option at 3 a.m. reach the on-call tech's phone, not a mailbox nobody checks. The tech gets an SMS with the extension, the caller and a link that plays the message. 3CX already emails voicemail to the address on an extension, so that address becomes your Welco address.

Text me my 3CX voicemailsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

  • No SMS trunk or provider in 3CX
  • One extension, one email address
  • Recording stays on the 3CX server

Works by email with

  • 3CX

Published:

A call from (604) 555-0152 rings Extension 120; 3CX records a 1:05 voicemail and emails it with voicemail.wav attached. The email reaches Welco and the phone shows: “Welco: 3CX voicemail for ext 120 from (604) 555-0152, 1:05. Listen: welco.ai/v/T5cx4B Reply STOP to opt out.”

Animation: a long 3CX alert email is trimmed into one short text: "Welco: 3CX voicemail for ext 120 from (604) 555-0152, 1:05. Listen: welco.ai/v/T5cx4B Reply STOP to opt out."

The 3CX urgent option before and after Welco

Urgent option today

  • Press 9 lands in a mailbox, and the message waits for whoever opens the 3CX app first.
  • The night tech only hears it after logging in to the web client or dialing voicemail.
  • Giving 3CX its own SMS means a provider account, a trunk and numbers to manage.

Urgent option with Welco

  • The message reaches the on-call phone as one SMS with the caller and a listen link.
  • The tech plays it in the phone's browser, then calls back the number in the text.
  • 3CX only sends an email. Welco does the texting from a number used only for alerts.

Before you set up 3CX

In 3CX, voicemail email goes to the address on the user's extension. So the cleanest setup is one extension whose only job is the urgent line.

That also keeps people's own voicemail private. Staff extensions keep emailing their owners. Only messages left on the urgent extension become voicemail texts for on-call staff.

  • Admin access to the 3CX management console.
  • Working email in 3CX, either its own mail service or your SMTP server.
  • A Welco account with your business verified. Start free if you need one.
  • An invite for each person who covers the urgent line. They join with their own cellphone and confirm with YES.

Set up 3CX voicemail texts in 5 steps

  1. Create an extension for the urgent line

    Under Users, add a user such as On-call IT, extension 120. Callers reach it from a Digital Receptionist option, a direct number or a transfer. Its voicemail is what will become a text.

  2. Put your Welco address on that extension

    Set the user's email address to your Welco address. In the voicemail section, choose the option that attaches the voicemail to the email. Avoid the option that also deletes it from the server.

  3. Approve the 3CX sender

    Leave a quick test message and check the From address in the Welco feed. Add it to your list of trusted senders. 3CX uses the sender from its email settings, so it stays the same.

  4. Text voicemails only

    3CX may send other notices to the same address, such as a welcome email. Add an alert rule that only texts emails with Voicemail in the subject. Then pick which joined staff get it, and when.

  5. Call in as a customer would

    Dial the main number, take the urgent option and leave a short message. The on-call phone should get one text with a listen link.

Send 3CX's urgent option to a real phone

One extension, one email address, and the next message reaches the person on call.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

Text me my 3CX voicemailsBook a demo

A weekend 3CX message, before and after

This one came in through the Digital Receptionist's urgent option. The email has a greeting and a footer. The text keeps the extension, the caller and the length.

Alert email from pbx@3cx.example.com, subject “New Voicemail from 2505550119”. Welco trims it to one text of 116 characters: “Welco: Urgent option (ext 199) voicemail from (250) 555-0119, 0:39. Listen: welco.ai/v/W2ur6N Reply STOP to opt out.”

Text received: Welco: Urgent option (ext 199) voicemail from (250) 555-0119, 0:39. Listen: welco.ai/v/W2ur6N Reply STOP to opt out.

Characters2201161 credit

Animation: the alert email "New Voicemail from 2505550119" is trimmed into one text: "Welco: Urgent option (ext 199) voicemail from (250) 555-0119, 0:39. Listen: welco.ai/v/W2ur6N Reply STOP to opt out."

The link plays the recording in the browser for 7 days by default, or up to 30. Read how tap-to-play voicemail links work.

Make 3CX voicemail texts fit your team

  • Office hours stay in 3CX

    Your receptionist handles daytime calls as usual. Set up after-hours on-call voicemail so Welco texts only when the office is closed, with a separate weekend phone if you like.

  • Two lines, two crews

    Make a second extension for facilities, with the same Welco address. A rule that matches extension 130 in the email texts the facilities crew instead of IT.

  • English and French menus, one urgent mailbox

    If your Digital Receptionist offers both languages, point the urgent option in each menu at the same extension. Every urgent message then reaches the same on-call phone.

  • Keep the message in 3CX

    The Welco link expires, but the copy on the 3CX server does not. Leave delete off, and the team can replay it later from the 3CX app or web client.

  • A second tech for the urgent option

    Add a backup to the rule so the message still lands if the first tech is asleep. Both phones get their own link. See texting several phones.

Why didn't a 3CX voicemail become a text?

No email at all

Likely cause
3CX email settings. Send a test from 3CX itself first.

Email in the feed, but no text

Likely cause
The subject didn't match your voicemail rule. The feed shows the reason.

Text without a link

Likely cause
The extension emails a notice only, with no recording attached.

One phone gets nothing

Likely cause
Its owner hasn't replied YES, or the number is a landline.

Frequently asked questions

Which 3CX voicemail email option should I pick?

Pick the option that attaches the voicemail to the email and keeps it on the server. The attachment lets Welco add a listen link. Keeping the server copy means the message is still there after the link expires.

Will 3CX welcome emails turn into texts?

Only if you let them. Any email sent to your Welco address can become a text, so add a rule that texts only subjects containing Voicemail. Everything else is dropped quietly, with no text and no credit used.

Do I need an SMS provider set up inside 3CX?

No. 3CX only sends an email here. Welco does the texting, from a number used only for alerts. You don't add a trunk, a provider account or any 3CX add-on.

Can the 3CX Digital Receptionist send urgent callers to a texting mailbox?

Yes. Point one menu option, such as press 9, at the urgent-line extension. When a caller leaves a message there, 3CX emails it to Welco and the on-call phone gets the text.

Can I test 3CX voicemail texts without waking anyone?

Yes. Turn on Welco test mode, then leave a message on the urgent extension. The email shows in the Welco feed with the text it would have sent, but no phone gets it and no credit is used.

Does the on-call tech need the 3CX app on their phone?

No. The SMS arrives like any other text, and the link plays the recording in the phone's browser. Techs who have the 3CX app can still use it, but nobody has to sign in to hear an urgent message.

What will texting 3CX voicemails cost us?

You buy message credits, not 3CX licenses or Welco seats. One short voicemail text to one phone uses one credit, so a backup tech doubles that and nothing more. Start with the 7-day trial and its 15 credits. The Welco price list shows each plan in US dollars, with no overage charges.

Can the tech reply to the 3CX voicemail text?

A reply is emailed back to the 3CX sending address, which is rarely a mailbox anyone reads, and it still uses credits. For a voicemail, call the caller back from the number in the text. Welco does not mark the message as heard in 3CX.

Give your 3CX urgent option a phone that answers

Set up one extension and leave a test message today.

Text me my 3CX voicemailsBook a demo

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing