Agents & Extensions

A phone system extension is a specific number or code assigned to an individual phone or user within a business or organization setting. Think of it as a sub-number that directs calls to a specific desk, department, or person after the main number has been dialed.
In SwitchBoard, Agents can have multiple associated extensions. In this page we explain how to configure them to start making and receiving calls.

Agents

Only if you are a user with Administrator access, you will be able to see the Admin Menu option. To create and configure Agents, Go to Admin -> Agents, in that page you will be able to change the password of an agent, enabling or disabling, among other options.

Use the Create Agent button to easily add a new agent. Please note that an agent can have more than one extension assigned, this does not mean that you should create more than one agent for a person.

SwitchBoard Create Agent form with fields for Name, Email, Primary Extension location (Home Office), and Voicemail Alerts SMS notification settings for VoIP agent setup

View list of Extensions or Endpoints

Go to the menu option Admin -> Extensions, where you will find a list of all the existing extensions and their current connection status to the telephone system.

SwitchBoard Endpoints management table showing extension status with owners Andrew Sonders, Blake Brown at Champaign Office and Rantoul Office locations, displaying IP addresses and Available/Unavailable connection status

Create new Local Extension

To create a new extension to your agent, from which you are logged in, go to the Menu option: User Settings.

SwitchBoard User Settings extension management interface showing Home Office (1185) and Mobile (7078184444) extensions with Create Extension button and edit/delete options for VoIP configuration

Create new Mobile Extension

You can also use your mobile phone to make and receive calls from the Switchboard Cloud™ interface. We recommend using a phone connected to the local network, but if you are out of the office one day you can use your cell phone and stay connected to the phone system.

To create a mobile extension go to User Settings -> Create Extension. Choose Mobile type, with any of the prefixes (but you cannot have more than one mobile extension with the same prefix). Note that the resulting extension number will be = the prefix + agent number.

SwitchBoard mobile extension creation interface showing Mobile (Prefix 92) extension with phone number +17888380000 and Create Extension button for VoIP mobile configuration

The system will treat your cell phone as another extension, but internally there are some differences when connecting a call, since it will have an extra channel to connect with your device.

Remember that you can work with your cell phone if you make and answer calls from the Switchboard Cloud™ Interface (not from your cell phone).

It’s important that you tell the application which of your extensions you’re currently connected from. To do this, easily configure your Primary extension in the dashboard at the top right, as you can see in the image below.

SwitchBoard complete dashboard interface showing call management, agent directory, queue status, pending call records, voicemail system, and conference rooms with primary extension selector for comprehensive VoIP business communication