3CX now offers transcription, summaries, and sentiment analysis powered by different AI engines.

Useful, but you might wonder how it works, what’s included in your license, and whether it’s enough for your team.

In this article, you’ll get all the answers you need.

What are 3CX AI features

3CX adds AI on top of your calls and voicemails :

Call transcription (multiple engines)

You can transcribe full calls to text. 3CX lets you choose engines: Google Speech-to-Text, OpenAI Whisper, or 3CX’s own AI (introduced with V20 Update 4). Pick what fits your budget and accuracy needs.

3CX’s in-house transcription aims to cut costs and make analytics widely available. It rolled out with Update 4 and is managed at the department, queue, and user level. That gives you granular control.

Feature access varies by plan. OpenAI Whisper transcription requires an Enterprise license, while voicemail transcription with 3CX AI is available for licenses 8SC or higher. 3CX also highlighted free access periods for AI transcription during the Update 4 rollout, which helped customers test at scale. Check your current version and plan.

Sentiment (mood) analysis

You see how a customer felt during a call. Reports surface sentiment trends by agent, ring group, or queue, so you can spot friction and coach with evidence. It’s built into the new AI analytics views.

Automatic call summaries

Stop scrubbing recordings. AI creates quick summaries you can scan in seconds. It helps you review more interactions in less time and share highlights with managers or QA.

Voicemail transcription

Turn voicemails into text automatically. You can enable transcription with Google, OpenAI, or 3CX AI depending on your license. This makes voicemail triage faster and searchable.

Embedded AI reports

AI data flows into 3CX reports and the recordings page. You track sentiment averages, review transcripts, and scan summaries without extra tools. Your team gets a single view of performance.

All 3CX AI integrations

Yes. 3CX connects to external AI engines and also ships its own. You choose the setup that fits your budget and control needs.

You can plug 3CX into Google Speech-to-Text, OpenAI Whisper, or use the native 3CX AI engine. These engines power voicemail and call transcription, which then feed summaries and analytics. You turn them on from the admin console.

Google & OpenAI options

You can select Google as the transcription engine in Integrations → Transcription. Set your language and apply by department so queues and ring groups inherit the setting. You can also configure OpenAI Whisper for transcription when your license allows it. Check your plan before you plan your rollout.

3CX’s feature list also references Google Gemini and OpenAI for voicemail scenarios. These appear under AI features and are tied to license tiers. Check your plan before you plan your rollout.

3CX’s own AI engine

With V20 Update 4, 3CX introduced 3CX AI for cost-effective call transcription. It’s positioned as cheaper than external services and underpins the new AI analytics. You can enable it selectively by department, queue, or user.

Licensing reality

OpenAI Whisper for call transcription requires Enterprise. 3CX AI voicemail transcription is free from 8SC and up. During Update 4’s rollout, 3CX also let users test call transcription at no cost for a period, so verify your current entitlements.

If you’re on PRO, AI is usually limited to voicemail transcription with Google/OpenAI/Gemini support noted on the features page. For live call transcription and analytics, you step up to Enterprise.

How to turn it on (admin view)

Go to Integrations → Transcription and pick your engine. Add your keys if you use Google or OpenAI. Set the language and Save. Then go to Departments → Options and enable transcription so users, queues, and ring groups inherit the rule.

3CX integration FAQ

You want AI working in 3CX without surprises. Use this FAQ to set it up right. Then run through the fixes if something breaks.

What AI engines does 3CX support?
You can use 3CX AI, Google Speech-to-Text, or OpenAI Whisper for transcription. You choose the engine in Admin Console → Integrations → Transcription.

Where do I turn it on?
Go to Integrations → Transcription and pick your engine. Add credentials for Google/OpenAI if needed. Then enable transcription at Department / Queue / Ring Group / User level.

Do I need a specific license?
Yes. OpenAI Whisper for call transcription requires Enterprise. Voicemail transcription is free with 3CX AI from 8SC and up. Check your plan before rollout.

What exactly do I get from AI?
Transcripts of calls/voicemails, plus summaries and sentiment in analytics views (depending on version/engine). These live in reports and the recordings page.

Is 3CX AI different from Google/OpenAI?
3CX introduced its own engine to cut costs and simplify deployment. It powers call transcription and feeds analytics in v20 Update 4+.

Can I do live, real-time AI coaching?
Not natively. Today’s features focus on post-call transcription, summaries, and sentiment. Plan your workflow around after-call analysis.

Where do I see the results?
Open your recordings and AI analytics reports. You’ll scan transcripts, summaries, and sentiment without leaving 3CX.

Who wins on accuracy?
Results vary by audio and accents. Community feedback often rates OpenAI higher than Google for voicemail, but test with your data.

OpenAI disappeared as an option. What happened?
Between Update 4 alpha → RC → final, engine options changed. Some builds hid OpenAI for calls, returning it for voicemail only in later updates. Confirm your version and license, then recheck the Transcription dropdown.

I enabled transcription but nothing is transcribing.
Check scope. Queue/Ring Group settings override department/user defaults. If the queue has transcription off, calls from that queue won’t transcribe. Enable it at the queue level and retest.

I get transcripts, but no summary/sentiment.
Early Update 4 builds prioritized transcription and rolled out analytics in stages. Make sure you’re on a current v20 build and verify your engine supports analytics in your tier. Some admins reported transcription only with 3CX AI until later updates.

Voicemail transcription is inconsistent or ignores short messages.
This has been reported by admins after Update 4. Test with 3CX AI first, then compare with Google/OpenAI. Extremely short voicemails may fail to transcribe—ask callers to leave a full sentence.

Filters, keys, or credentials look correct—but still no transcripts.
Re-save your engine selection in Integrations → Transcription and confirm language. Then toggle transcription off/on at Department and Queue, place a fresh test call, and check the recordings view for a new transcript.

Enterprise needed? I thought PRO could do this.
The matrix changed. Enterprise is needed for call transcription with OpenAI; PRO includes voicemail AI options (e.g., Gemini/OpenAI) per the features page. Always trust the latest features list for entitlement.

Where do I configure Google as the engine?
Follow Google’s current setup doc: prepare Cloud Storage and APIs, then enable transcription in 3CX and select Google as the provider. Test on a single department first.

On-prem install: any special steps?
Admins report success by setting the engine to 3CX and enabling transcription per department. If you moved from OpenAI to 3CX AI, re-check overrides at queues/ring groups.

Costs are spiking. How do I control them?
Use 3CX AI to reduce external API spend. Narrow transcription to priority queues, languages, or hours. Pilot in one team, measure output, then expand.

I upgraded and lost prior behavior. What now?
Review the Update 4 threads and release notes to see what changed. Re-apply engine selection, verify license, and re-enable transcription at each scope level. Community posts track deltas between alpha/beta/RC/final.

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