some customers find that they get a problem when import, it just gives a XML error, that’s because there’s too much data and no enough memory for php.
find the php.ini for your apache line: memory_limit
it could be like 16M or 20M, try change it bigger, say 64M
so it looks like
memory_limit = 64M
save and exit, remember restart your apache before give the try.
The latest asterCRM has a great improvement in dialer, and with asterCRM, it’s quite easy to build a call center. Here’s a how-to for a outbound call center with Freepbx and astercrm. Following by this how-to, you can creat such a solution:
asterCRM dialer will call the numbers in your diallist, and when the call is connected, it would be redirect to a queue, where your agent will answer the call and talk the customers, they can do survey , sales or whatever you want.
* freepbx is a web gui for asterisk which is widely used in asterisk applications, like trixbox, elastix, pbx in flash …
For freepbx installation, you can read the installation document from freepbx website http://www.freepbx.org. If you are using trixbox, elastix or pbx in flash, then u can skip this, it have freepbx build in already.
for asterCRM installation, go and check asterCRM wiki:
http://wiki.astercrm.org/index.php/AsterCRM_Installation#Using_the_install_script
login into freepbx, start add extensions for your agent
then add a queue
next login asterCRM as admin, create group “outbound sales” and add extensions for agents you created above, go wiki for more detail
http://wiki.astercrm.org/index.php/Create_Group
http://wiki.astercrm.org/index.php/Create_Extension
make sure “Extension” matched “Outbound CID” or “Extension”(if outbound cid is blank) in freepbx
so now all your agents should get a username/password for asterCRM.
sometimes when you go CDR page to check CDRs for resellers, groups or some clid in your system, but nothing there or some records missed, and then u go database and checked, find there’s data in cdr table “mycdr”, so why it’s missed in asterBilling interface?
Reason 1: historyCdr issue
check your asterbilling.conf.php in asterbilling web scripts folder
by default the option is “useHistoryCdr = 1″, and asterbilling CDR page will go table “historycdr” to fetch data, but astercc daemon only put data to table “mycdr” untill someone “checkout” the records, the data will be moved to table “historycdr”, so if u cant find all data in web interface, change this option to “0″ or “checkout” the records.
Reason 2: clid issue
Even though the astercc daemon will put all CDR it get to database, but not all records will be billed, only after you set the “clid” in asterbilling. So if u see the value of fields “resellerid” and “groupid” in “mycdr” is -1, please check if u set the “clid” correctly, the “src” field should be matched with clid.
In asterCRM, it provides a survey features, so you can set survey for your customers, here will give you a simple introducation for this:
first you need to add a survey, login as admin/group admin go manager interface and click survey icon, click “Add” button for a new survey, you can add several options for one survey, and each survey it provides three kinds: radio, checkbox and text
Click the “item” link next to the option to enter items for this option
keep putting options and items until u finish this survey.
Then you can put a survey from the agent page
*when there’s a customer or contact in your record form, if u click the “Add” link of a survey, the result will be linked with the customer
Click the “Detail” link of a survey, u can get a statistic of this survey
astercc daemons are licensed by asterisk simultaneous channels, so how could we know the channel’s number of the asterisk server?
outbount: 1 call, 1 channel
callback: 1 call, 2 channels
queue: 1 call, 2 channels but if you select the ring strategy as “Ring All”, then u may get tons of channels when a call come in.
also when you goes to voicemail or login as dynamic agent, it will take one channel.
There’re some parameters in file astercc.conf for astercc daemons. We can change them to get a beter performance for asterisk billing.
please note that u need to restart asterrc daemon to reload configration.
refreshrate = 60
refreshrate is the seconds asterrc daemon reload data from database, when u change asterBilling setting a lot, like rate, clid … , u need this parameter, but once your system is stable, u can set it to -1, so that after asterrc load the data when it start, it would not read from database again and again.
refreshlock = 30
The seconds we refresh data for astercclock to lock booth, or lock group, reseller.
calculateallcdr = no
when set to yes, asterrc will re-calculate all records with groupid =-1 or resellerid = -1 in mycdr table, this could be used when u want to calculate the CDRs with no billing .
calculateoldcdr = no
when set to yes, asterrc will re-calculate all records in mycdr table, this could be used when u want to calculate the history CDR. This could be used when your rate changed and you want to reset all credits.
callbackbill = src
; src: bill src only
; dst: bill dst only
; both: both src and dst
removeNonSysCDR = 0
; if we need use asterrc to remove CDR with resellerid = -1 or groupid = -1
removeNoAnswerCDR = 0
; if we need use asterrc to remove no answer CDR
a2billing is a widly used billing system, so what’s the difference between a2billing and asterbilling?
a2billing work with asterisk through AGI, each call would be handled by a2billing.agi, so you need change your astierks context so that when your phone make calls it will go to a2billing.agi, of course you need to copy a2billing scripts to your asterisk server.
asterbilling runs as linux daemons, connect to asterisk via AMI over tcp, no need change anything on your asterisk, asterbilling can bill it. Even asterbilling could work with a2billing.
license & free:
a2billing: 100% open source and free to use.
asterbilling: only web scripts are open source, and provides 5 free simultaneous channels, have to purchase when need more channels.
performance:
a2billing: like 100 simultaneous calls on single server? i didnt test, 
asterbilling: passed 240 simultaneous calls testing, but didnt test more.
best usage:
a2billing: calling card, callback or wholesale solutions
asterbilling: billing for embedded astiersk, pbx (like all freepbx based system), callshop, hosted callshop soltution
other keywords:
a2billing: openser
asterbilling: realtime billing, reseller
In asterCRM config file: astercrm.conf.php, it provides a option, with the option, you can set the information displayed in the agent work page.
The parameter is “portal_display_type”, there’re two valid values, “customer” and “note”
When it’s “customer” mode, it would display all customers agent putted
customer mode
When it’s “note” mode, it would display customers with “note” and priority is greater than zero
note mode
