Getting Started with 8x8 Call Blocking

The 8x8 Call Blocking application lets you block specific phone numbers from reaching your 8x8 Work PBXs and 8x8 Contact Center tenants, lock down extensions so outside callers cannot reach them, and set up an extension that blocks the last number that called it. This article covers how to install the portal, enable and configure call blocking, set up extension lockdown, and configure Block Last Caller Extension.

Applies to

• 8x8 Work (PBX): Admins

• 8x8 Contact Center: Admins

• 8x8 Geo Routing & Call Blocking portal

Before you begin

You must install the Geo Routing & Call Blocking from the 8x8 App Store before you can use the portal. Installing the app enables access for your account and provisions your account automatically.

1. Open the 8x8 App Store at https://appstore.8x8.vc/. You can also reach it from your 8x8 Admin Console.

2. Find and open the Geo Routing & Call Blocking application tile in the PS container.

3. Click Install App.

4. Read and accept the Terms and Conditions.

5. Click Install.

6. Select the default access:

   • No Access: Only administrators will have access to the applications.

   • All Scopes: All users will have access to the applications.

   • Selected Scopes: Only the users or groups you choose will have access to the applications.

7. After configuring access, you are returned to the Geo Routing & Call Blocking application page. Click the Open App button.

8. When prompted, authorize the app with your token. This connects the app to your account and provisions your account.

Once installation is complete, open the portal and continue with the steps in the next sections of this article.

Note

If the portal tells you that you do not have access, confirm the app is installed from the App Store. Access is granted as part of installation.

Navigate the portal

• Choose Call Blocking from the navigation. The Call Blocking page has three tabs: Blocked Numbers, Extension Lockdown, and Block Last Caller Extension.

• Use the list on the left to pick the PBX (8x8 Work) or Tenant (Contact Center) you want to configure.

• Each page includes a collapsible Help & How to use section with a quick reference.

Note

Depending on your plan, call blocking may be limited (for example, five call blocking entries). When you reach the limit, a banner appears with an option to request an upgrade. Contact your 8x8 representative to unlock unlimited entries.

Call blocking

Call blocking lets you block specific phone numbers from reaching your PBX (8x8 Work) or your Contact Center tenant.

Note

Only entries with status APPROVED are enforced. Pending requests do not block calls until they are approved.

Step 1: Enable call blocking

Here you have the option to either select individual PBXs or Contact Center tenants, or to enable on all PBXs and tenants at once.

• For an individual PBX (8x8 Work), select the PBX and click Enable Call Blocking, then confirm. The page shows Call blocking enabled when complete.

• For an individual Tenant (Contact Center), select the tenant, enter your Action Request Token, and click Save Token.

Note

To find your Action Request Token:

• Open Configuration Manager for Contact Center from the My Applications page.

• Select “Integration” from the left-hand navigation panel.

• Select API Token from the top menu.

  • If an Action Request Token is populated, copy the token to be pasted in the Call Blocking Action Token field. CAUTION: If there is a token in this field, do NOT click New Token. This will break any other configuration using the Action Request Token.

  • If the Action Request Token field is empty, click the New Token button, then copy the token to be pasted in the Call Blocking Action Token field.

Note

If a PBX has custom configuration, the button reads Contact Support to Enable and call blocking cannot be turned on from the portal. Contact 8x8 support to proceed.

Step 2: Set up your Contact Center script (Contact Center tenants only)

For Contact Center tenants, call blocking only takes effect after you add a check to your VCC script in the Configuration Manager. This check asks the call blocking service whether the incoming caller should be blocked, and hangs up if so. This variable check must be configured on every script where call blocking is to be used.

Note

This step applies to Contact Center (VCC) tenants only. 8x8 Work (PBX) call blocking does not require any script changes.

1. Add the _hangup variable. This step only has to be completed once.

   • Open your script in the Configuration Manager.

   • Click the View Variables tab (top-right hand side of the script editor), click the “add new” variable button, and name it _hangup (case-sensitive).

   • Select String as the Data Type.

     

2. Directly under MainIVR in your script (the very top of the script), add a “Forward to External IVR” object.

3. Configure the Forward to External IVR Object

   • Set the object tag to something such as “check for blocked call” or “call block?”.

   • Set the Phone Number field to exactly AdvIvr8x8_v2-callblocking (case-sensitive).

4. Click the Resume node that was added under the Forward to External IVR object and click add. Add a “Test Variable” IVR object to the resume path of the Forward to External IVR object.

5. Configure it to test whether _hangup = true (case-sensitive).

   • Set the object tag to whatever you want.

   • Select _hangup (string) from the Condition dropdown.

   • Select the '=' sign in the middle field.

   • Type true in the third field.

   • The condition reads: _hangup = true across the three fields.

     

6. Configure the branches of the Test Variable node:    

   • True: click True and then click [add]. Add a Hang Up IVR object. You may also want to add a Say node if you want to play a message to the caller first, then a Hang Up node.

   • False: there is no configuration for this branch; the call continues with the rest of your normal call flow. If left blank, the script simply continues.

     

Warning

The values AdvIvr8x8_v2-callblocking, _hangup, and true are all case-sensitive. If any of them do not match exactly, call blocking will not work.

Step 3: Add a blocked number

Return to the Call Blocking application to add phone numbers to be blocked.

1. Click + Add to This PBX or Tenant to add a new entry on the selected PBX or tenant. Click + Add to All PBXs and Tenants to add the entry to all at once.

2. Enter the Phone Number including the country code (for example, 14085551234 for US/Canada, or 966512345678 for Saudi Arabia). Punctuation such as +, spaces, dashes, and parentheses is fine and is ignored.

3. Select a Direction: Both, Inbound, or Outbound. Contact Center tenant entries are always Inbound.

4. Optionally, add a Reason and a Requested By (who asked for this number to be blocked).

5. Click Save.

Tip

Enter the full number with the country code and the same caller is blocked no matter how the network formats it (with or without +, a leading 00, and so on). Enter one full number per entry.

Advanced: the Phone Number field also accepts a regular expression, so you can match a range of numbers with one entry. For example, ^1416\d+$ blocks any number that begins with 1416. To block a whole area code or country instead of a single number, use a regular expression or contact your 8x8 representative.

Warning

Enter the full number, including the country code. Earlier guidance said to remove the country code; that was incorrect and has been corrected. Re-enter any older entries saved without the country code using the full number so they match reliably.

Block a number across all PBXs and tenants

To block one number across all of your PBXs and tenants at once:  

1. Click + Add to All PBXs and Tenants. 

2. Enter the phone number, including the country code. 

3. Select a Direction: Both, Inbound, or Outbound. This direction is applied to every PBX (8x8 Work) the number is added to. Contact Center tenant entries are always saved as Inbound.

4. Enter an optional reason and an optional Requested By.

5. Click Add to All.

Note

The Direction you choose applies to each 8x8 Work PBX the number is added to. Contact Center tenant entries support Inbound call blocking only, so they are always saved as Inbound regardless of the direction you select.

Review and approve requests

Pending requests appear at the top of the table highlighted, with a banner showing how many are awaiting review. For each one, click Approve to start enforcing the block, or Deny to remove the request.

Note

Pending requests only appear if your account has an optional 8x8 Professional Services customization that lets your users dial an extension to block the last caller. Those user-submitted blocks arrive here as pending requests for an administrator to approve or deny. If you do not have this customization, you will not see pending requests, and every entry you add is enforced once saved. To scope this customization for your account, contact your 8x8 representative.

Bulk upload by CSV

1. Click Bulk upload to add many blocked numbers at once. 

2. Use the following CSV format. Enter phone numbers with their country code:
   tenantOrPbx,phoneNumber,direction,reason,requestedBy
   my-pbx,14085551234,Both,,
   my-tenant,966512345678,Inbound,Spam calls,Jane Doe

3. The direction, reason, and requestedBy columns are all optional. Use Export to download your current entries.

Extension lockdown

Extension Lockdown lets you stop outside (external) callers from reaching specific extensions on a PBX, while internal calls to those extensions keep working normally. It is useful for extensions that should only ever be reached from inside your organization, such as overhead paging systems, lobby phones, or door buzzers. You will find it as the Extension Lockdown tab on the Call Blocking page.

Note

Only calls that come in directly from outside (the public phone network) to a locked-down extension are rejected. Internal calls, transfers, and calls that reach the extension through a ring group or call queue are not affected.

Note

Extension Lockdown applies to 8x8 Work PBXs only. It is not available for Contact Center tenants.

How to lock down an extension

1. Open the Call Blocking page and switch to the Extension Lockdown tab.

2. Select the PBX from the list on the left. Extension Lockdown uses the same enablement as Call Blocking, so if you have not enabled call blocking on that PBX yet, click Enable Call Blocking first (this also activates Extension Lockdown for the PBX).

3. Click Add Extension.

4. Enter the Extension to lock down (for example, 1234) and, optionally, a Reason.

5. Click Save.

To edit or delete an entry, use the controls on the row. To enable the feature across every eligible PBX at once, use Enable Router on All PBXs.

Bulk upload by CSV

1. Click Bulk upload on the Extension Lockdown tab to add many extensions at once. Use the following CSV format:
   pbxName,extension,reason
   my-pbx,1234,Internal only
   my-pbx,1500,

2. The reason column is optional.

Block Last Caller Extension

Block Last Caller Extension gives you a dedicated extension on your PBX that anyone can dial to block whoever most recently called that extension. This is useful for stopping a robocaller or scam caller right after they call in, without needing to know their number in advance. You will find it as the Block Last Caller Extension tab on the Call Blocking page.

When someone dials the extension, they hear a short menu of reasons (for example, “press 1 for robocaller, press 2 for scam call”) that you configure. Whichever reason they choose is recorded along with the block.

Note

Block Last Caller Extension is available for 8x8 Work (PBX) only. It is not available for Contact Center tenants, and it requires the Call Blocking or FULL plan tier. If your account is on a different plan, the tab shows a locked upgrade prompt instead of the configuration page — use the link there to request an upgrade.

Step 1: Set up your extension

Block Last Caller Extension is configured on an Auto Attendant extension on your PBX.

Warning

Set up a new, dedicated Auto Attendant extension for this feature — do not reuse an extension you already use for something else. Its configuration is replaced when you activate Block Last Caller Extension (and restored only if you later change the extension or delete the feature).

1. Open the Call Blocking page and switch to the Block Last Caller Extension tab.

2. Select your PBX from the list on the left.

3. Click Configure Extension.

4. Enter the Extension of a new Auto Attendant you have set up for this purpose (for example, 1008). This must be alphanumeric only, and it must already be set up as an Auto Attendant on your PBX.

5. Click Save.

The system verifies your extension is a valid Auto Attendant before saving. If it isn’t, you’ll see an error explaining why:

• The extension doesn’t exist — double-check the extension number and try again.

• The extension exists but isn’t an Auto Attendant — Block Last Caller Extension can only be set up on an Auto Attendant. Set up a new, dedicated Auto Attendant extension for this feature, or work with your 8x8 representative to set one up.

Note

Setting up or changing your extension deploys the configuration to your PBX. This can take a few minutes to complete.

To change the extension later, update the value and click Save again — your prior extension is automatically restored to its previous configuration, and the new extension is set up in its place.

To remove Block Last Caller Extension entirely, click Delete. Your extension is restored to its configuration from before Block Last Caller Extension was set up.

Step 2: Configure your reasons list

The reasons list is the menu callers hear when they dial your Block Last Caller Extension extension (for example, “press 1 for robocaller, press 2 for scam call, press 3 for wrong number”). You can add, edit, reorder, and remove reasons at any time.

1. Open the Reasons section on the Block Last Caller Extension tab.

2. Click + Add Reason.

3. Enter the reason text as you want it announced (for example, “Robocaller”).

4. Click Save.

Reasons are numbered in the order they appear in the list — the first reason is “press 1,” the second is “press 2,” and so on. To change the order, use the controls on each row. To edit or remove a reason, use the controls on that row.

Tip

Keep your reasons short and specific so callers can quickly identify the right option.

8x8 Call Blocking: frequently asked questions