Account Code Billing Administration

• Overview of Account Code Billing
• Defining the Dialing Sequence
• Assigning Account Codes
• Testing the Dialing Sequence

Overview of Account Code Billing

Account Code Billing gives you the ability to assign DEFINITY ECS or MERLIN LEGEND account codes to calls originated by INTUITY AUDIX voice ports. With this Account Code Billing, you can track the expense of outbound fax calls, calls to print faxes from subscriber mailboxes, message notification calls, and other types of calls. Account codes are not recorded by the switch for internal calls.

If you are a DEFINITY ECS user, you must administer account codes on your DEFINITY system before you can use Account Code Billing for INTUITY AUDIX calls. See DEFINITY ECS Administration documentation for detailed instructions on administering account codes. The MERLIN LEGEND system does not require preliminary account code administration.

Administration Process and Uses

This section contains the following tasks for administering Account Code Billing for INTUITY AUDIX calls:

• Defining the Dialing Sequence
• Assigning Account Codes
• Testing the Dialing Sequence

Account Code Billing is used primarily with the following INTUITY AUDIX features:

• FAX Messaging
• Outcalling
• Message Manager

Account codes are applied to all outbound calls placed by individual INTUITY AUDIX subscribers, as well as AMIS analog networking calls. This includes:

• Faxes sent to a printer from a subscriber mailbox
• Fax messages sent to fax machines
• Message notification outcalls
• INTUITY Message Manager audio connections
• Call delivery messages
• AMIS analog networking calls
• Outgoing calls originated by Enhanced-List Application (ELA) lists

The account code is included in the DEFINITY ECS CDR or MERLIN LEGEND station message detail recording (SMDR) record. DEFINITY ECS system administrators can specify filters to determine which calls (for example, local or long distance) produce a call detail recording (CDR) record. MERLIN LEGEND administrators do not have this capability.

System Requirements

To use the Account Code Billing feature, you must have:

• INTUITY AUDIX Release 4.4 or later
• A DEFINITY ECS or MERLIN LEGEND system
• A Call Accounting System (CAS) to interpret CDR or SMDR data

Defining the Dialing Sequence

The switch begins to record account code information for a given call when it receives an account code feature access code (FAC). The FAC must be received in the correct order in the sequence of digits dialed. This assures that the switch receives a signal to record the account code before the account code is sent to the switch. In other words, the INTUITY AUDIX system must send the FAC, account code, call destination, and other digits to the switch in the correct sequence. This sequence varies depending on the telephone system and the application. Therefore, you must administer a dialing sequence for the INTUITY Account Code Billing feature. This sequence is defined on the Outgoing Call Sequence screen.

Administering a Dialing Sequence

To administer a dialing sequence:

1. Start at the Messaging Administration main menu and select under Messaging Administration:

Messaging

Enter your login.The system then displays the AUDIX Command Prompt screen.

2. Enter change system-parameters dial-sequence at the enter command: prompt.

The system displays the Outcalling Call Sequence screen.
 

Note: The Outcalling Call Sequence screen shows the default screen. Account codes are not activated on the default screen.

3. Complete the fields on this screen by using the information provided in the table of Field Definitions: Test Outgoing Call Sequence screen.
    

   Note: You must include an uppercase N in the dialing sequence. If N is not present in the dialing sequence, the Outcalling feature will not function.

The cursor returns to the command line, and the system displays the message:

Command Successfully Completed.

4. Enter exit or another administrative command at the enter command: prompt.
    

   Note: If you are using the Outcalling feature or the Fax Messaging Feature, the subscriber might include the account code FAC and account code in the dial string for message notification. In this case, the FAC, account code, and notification number are all part of the destination number. When the system constructs the dialing sequence, the account code appears twice, once as the account code and once as part of the destination number. To avoid this duplication of account codes, it is recommended that subscribers be instructed not to include the account code as part of the dial string for message notification. However, if subscribers are including authorization codes in the dial string for message notification, there is no conflict with account codes. Subscribers can continue to include the authorization codes.

Dialing Sequence Examples

The following examples provide basic dialing sequences for sending account codes to the DEFINITY ECS and MERLIN LEGEND.
 

Note: You must include an uppercase N in the dialing sequence. If N is not present in the dialing sequence, the Outcalling feature will not function.

DEFINITY ECS

The DEFINITY ECS requires that the account code FAC be sent before the account code is sent. For the DEFINITY ECS, the account code FAC is set during the process of administering account codes on the switch. You must know this FAC before you can set the dialing sequence.

The following dialing sequence sends account codes from the INTUITY AUDIX voice ports to the DEFINITY ECS. In this sequence, *75 is the account code FAC, S is the subscriber account code, and N is the destination telephone number.

*75 S N

MERLIN LEGEND

The MERLIN LEGEND requires that the account code FAC be sent before the account code. Then the account code is terminated by a pound sign (#). For the MERLIN LEGEND, the account code FAC is preset.

The following dialing sequence sends account codes from the INTUITY AUDIX voice ports to the MERLIN LEGEND. In this sequence, #82 is the account code FAC, S is the subscriber account code, and N is the destination telephone number.

#82 S # N

Assigning Account Codes

The INTUITY AUDIX system assigns the subscriber's extension as the default account code when no account code is assigned. This default account code is not displayed on the Subscriber screen. Instead, the Account Code field on this screen appears blank in this case.

Account codes, other than this default code, can be administered for each subscriber.

In addition, an account code can be assigned to an Enhanced-List Application (ELA) mailbox. As with subscribers, the default account code is the mailbox extension. When an outgoing call is placed through an ELA list, the system records the account code of the:

• Originating user when the subscriber mailbox and ELA mailbox are on the same INTUITY AUDIX machine
• ELA mailbox when the subscriber mailbox and ELA mailbox are on different INTUITY AUDIX machines

To assign account codes to subscribers or to ELA lists:

1. Start at the Messaging Administration main menu and select under Messaging Administration:

Messaging

Enter your login.The system then displays the AUDIX Command Prompt screen.

2. At the enter command: prompt, enter add subscriber name/extension or change subscriber name/extension where name/extension is the name or telephone extension of the subscriber who is being assigned an account code.

The system displays the Subscriber screen, Page 1; Adding an Account Code.

3. Enter the account code using the information in the table of Field Definitions; Subscriber screen, page 1. For new subscribers enter other information as needed. For instructions on adding a new subscriber, see Adding Subscribers.
4. Press F3 (Enter) to save this information to the system database.

The cursor returns to the command line, and the system displays the message:

Command Successfully Completed.

5. Enter exit or another administrative command at the enter command: prompt.

Testing the Dialing Sequence

You can verify the dialing sequence by using the Test Outgoing Call Sequence screen. The Test Outgoing Call Sequence screen:

• Displays the string of digits that is dialed during an outgoing call.
• Executes the test call by attempting to dial the digits displayed in the Dialed Digits: field. The system displays information about the dialog that occurred during the test call on the Test Results screen.

Use this screen to:

• Test a mailbox to determine if an outgoing call placed on behalf of the associated subscriber is being made correctly.
• Test outgoing call functionality in general. For example, you can use the test screen to place an outgoing call to a nearby telephone to verify call completion.
• Account for each digit in the displayed dial string by examining the contents of the Dialed Digits: field, for example, the account code feature access code, account code, pauses, and destination number.
• Test AMIS account code processing by leaving the Mailbox to be Tested field blank.

To test the dialing sequence:

1. Start at the Messaging Administration main menu, and select under Messaging Administration:

Messaging

Enter your login.The system then displays the AUDIX Command Prompt screen.

2. Enter test outgoing-call-sequence at the enter command: prompt.

The system displays the Test Outcalling Call Sequence screen.

3. Complete the following fields by using the information provided in the table for Field Definitions: Test Outgoing Call Sequence screen:
• Port Number
• Mailbox to be Tested
• Destination Number
4. Press F3 (Enter).

The system fills in the Dialed Digits: field with the digits defined in the Dialing Sequence field of the Outgoing Call Sequence screen. For example, the Dialed Digits: field might contain the account code FAC, followed by an account code and a destination number.

5. Press F3 (Enter) to make the test call.

The system displays the results of the test on the Test Results screen. The system monitors the test call for 10 seconds after the last digit is dialed and reporting actions and events that occur while the call is placed. After 10 seconds, the connection is dropped.

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