How to Configure Zoiper V3 Softphone in ContactNow
This article is for Zoiper V3. Instructions for Zopier V5 can be found here.
Objective
This guide will walk through configuring Zoiper version 3 to connect to the 8x8 ContactNow service.
Zoiper internet softphone is an alternative to using a cell phone or desk phone to connect agents to the ContactNow service.
Because Zoiper is an internet soft phone, the quality of an agent's service through Zoiper will depend entirely on the quality of their internet connection, as well as the health and ability of the computer that Zoiper is installed on.
This configuration guide is provided as a convenience to 8x8 ContactNow users. Zoiper internet phone software is not owned, managed, sold, or distributed by 8x8, and therefore 8x8 does not provide support for issues specific to Zoiper. However, at the time of this writing, it is known to work well in general for ContactNow users.
Applies To
Zoiper version 3 Internet softphone, used in conjunction with the 8x8 ContactNow service.
Note: All phones, including Zoiper, ONLY connect you to the ContactNow service. After successfully connecting to ContactNow and logging into the ContactNow dialer, ALL phone call activity must take place in the ContactNow web browser interface.
Procedure
There are several primary steps required for configuring Zoiper for use with ContactNow:
These final sections can be used once Zoiper configuration is completed:
Download and Install the Zoiper v3 Application
- Select a provider and download Zoiper v3.
Create a Zoiper Account
The first step in configuring Zoiper is to create an account. This Zoiper account is just a collection of specific settings that authorize Zoiper to connect to the ContactNow service.
- First, run the Zoiper application, then click Settings and select Create a new account
- in Account type, select SIP and click Next
- Enter the following Credentials information exactly as it appears below, and click Next. Below is an example of US Credentials used.
- US Credentials:
- User: cn
- Password: cn
- Domain: sip.contactnow.8x8.com
- UK Credentials:
- User: dxi
- Password: dxi
- Domain: sip.easycontactnow.com
- US Credentials:
- Enter a recognizable label for the Account name, and click Next
- Wait for a few seconds while Zoiper tests the connection to ContactNow using the information you provided above
- When you receive confirmation that your new account has been added, click Close to finish adding your account.
If you are getting a SIP 403 - Forbidden error message after this point, please click here to follow the steps to clear this.
Create a Zoiper Contact
Now that you’ve created an account, you must create a contact and assign it to the account to connect to the ContactNow service.
- From the Contact tab, click Add at the bottom of the screen
- Click Add to Manually add other contacts
- In the Display as field of Personal Information, enter a name for your new contact. This name will appear in your Zoiper Contacts list.
- In the same window, click on the Phone numbers tab
- In Work Phone, enter the number: 3851000
- In both Account fields, click on the dropdown arrow and select the Account you created earlier
- In the Phone / URI field, enter the domain name: sip.contactnow.8x8.com
- It is recommended to use the domain name above, but if this experiences issues, try using the IP address 8.28.1.236, instead.
- Click OK
- The new contact will appear on the Contacts tab of Zoiper main window. Click on the contact to expand it and display the its options.
- The next step is to log in to ContactNow as an agent to begin taking or making calls. See below.
Agent Login to the ContactNow Service
Once Zoiper is properly configured, an assigned agent will need to perform the following steps to begin using the ContactNow service:
Step 1: Agent logs in to the ContactNow web portal
- In a web browser, the agent navigates to the ContactNow portal at https://app.contactnow.8x8.com
- The agent logs in to the ContactNow web site using credentials supplied by their ContactNow administrator
Step 2: Agent obtains their Agent Number and Passcode
- On successful login to the web site, the ContactNow “phone” will appear in the bottom right of the screen, and will show Disconnected status. If this first appears as a small gray bar, click to expand it.
- Select Softphone and then click Connect
- Note the Agent Number and Passcode (they are the same number).
Step 3: Connect the Zoiper Softphone to the ContactNow Service
Note: The ContactNow connection service provides about 45 seconds each to enter the Agent Number and Passcode. If the timeout is reached or either code is incorrectly entered too many times, the call will be disconnected, and you must begin the login process again.
- Now return to Zoiper. From the Contacts tab, click Call in the contact that was created earlier
- You should hear “Agent login. Please enter your agent number followed by the hash key (#)”
- Click on the Zoiper Dialpad tab
- Using your keyboard or mouse, type the Agent Number and then the pound key (#)
- Type in the Passcode and then the pound key (#)
- On successful login, the agent will hear the message “Agent logged in!”
- The view of the ContactNow “phone” will then change, and the agent will now be waiting at Idle or Available status (Awaiting Call), depending on settings the administrator has made.
- If the ContactNow dialer isn’t visible at first, click on the gray bar at the bottom-right of the screen to expand it.
- At this point, the agent is ready to receive or make calls on ContactNow
Troubleshooting Audio Issues
Below is a brief troubleshooting guide for audio issues when connecting Zoiper to ContactNow.
For further assistance with Zoiper, please contact Zoiper support, or navigate to the Zoiper Support Questions web site.
When you click Call on the ContactNow contact you created in Zoiper, you should then see the connection status Established with a call timer counting up. This means that the softphone call to the ContactNow service has been connected.
At that time, you should hear “Agent login. Please enter your agent number followed by the hash key (#)”
If you don’t hear any audio at this point, the audio device on your computer (such as a headset) may need to be configured in Zoiper.
- Click on Settings > Audio wizard
- In the Speakers section, select the audio Device you’re using.
- Click Start the test. You should hear the audio test being performed.
- If you hear the audio test, click Yes when prompted.
- If you do not hear the audio test, you'll need to troubleshoot your audio device.
- Click Microphone, and select the microphone Device you’re using.
- Click Start the test.
- An audio meter will appear. When you're speaking, you should see the mic meter change.
- If the microphone is working, click Yes to confirm, and then click OK to complete your test.
- If it is not working, you'll need to troubleshoot your audio/microphone device.
Re-Test your Zoiper call to ContactNow
If you hear audio only during your Zoiper Audio Wizard test, above, it’s possible that your local network configuration is causing audio to fail to and/or from ContactNow.
In this case, try changing the audio codec Zoiper uses:
- Go to Settings > Preferences
- In Accounts > Codec, try moving the u-law audio codec to the highest priority. Select it with your mouse, then click on the Up arrow until u-law is at the top of the list.
- Then click OK, and test again
- If you still don’t hear audio when connecting to ContactNow, try the same process above again, choosing different codecs to place at a higher priority, and re-test.
Final Note: If none of these troubleshooting steps help to resolve your audio or connection issues with Zoiper, then it’s likely that a network feature or configuration (such as SIP ALG) is enabled on your local network router, possibly by your ISP. In this case, try contacting your ISP to verify whether or not a feature such as SIP ALG is enabled on your modem/router. If so, it should be disabled. Further troubleshooting may be required on your local network devices to determine what is blocking audio on your connection.