Instruction manual

System Features
INTER-TEL
®
5000 ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE – Issue 2.3, September 2007
Page 140 Automatic Route Selection (ARS)
Automatic Route Selection (ARS)
ARS is a money-saving feature that allows the system to be programmed to select the least
expensive route for placing outgoing calls. It can be used for placing outgoing calls and trans-
ferring or forwarding calls to outside phone numbers. Endpoints can be restricted to using only
ARS for placing outgoing calls. Also, because users do not have direct access to trunks on
other nodes, ARS is the only way users can place calls using the other nodes’ trunks.
ARS is programmed using route groups and facility groups.
• Route Groups: A route group contains dialing patterns and facility groups.
– The dialing patterns are used to determine the calls that will be routed through the
route group. For example, the default dial pattern for Route Group 1 is N+ (any
number of digits beginning with digit 2–9). If a number is dialed that begins with 1,
it will not be routed through this route group.
– Each route group has an ordered list of facility groups that contains lists of local
trunk groups and/or nodes. There can be 100 facility groups in the system. The
facility groups should be programmed so that the least-expensive route is checked
and, if available, is selected first. If the least-expensive facility group is not avail-
able, the system checks the other groups in the list until it finds an available trunk.
• Facility Groups: A facility group contains trunk group/node lists and dial rules.
– The trunks can include local trunk groups or nodes.
– The dial rules tell the system what to dial. The system can have up to 32 dial rules,
26 of which are programmable. Each facility group can use up to 32 dial rules. For
example, if the selected route group requires that the number contain “1” but no area
code, the dial rules include the 1 and drop the area code. The modified phone num-
ber can contain up to 32 digits. (If SMDR is enabled, the modified phone number,
not the digits dialed, will appear in the SMDR call record.) When programming
ARS, you can use preset dial rules or create new dial rules that add up to 16 digits
each.
– The preprogrammed dial rules are:
– Dial Rule #1 – Echo Equal Access: This non-programmable dial rule includes the
equal access digits (10XXX or 101XXXX) in the number, if dialed.
– Dial Rule #2 – Echo Toll Field: The toll field (1, 0, 01, or 011) is included in the
number, if dialed. This dial rule is non-programmable.
– Dial Rule #3 – Echo 3 Digits After Toll Field: With this non-programmable dial
rule, the three digits after the toll field are included in the number. (These digits are
usually the area code or country code.)
– Dial Rule #4 – Echo Local Address: This non-programmable dial rule allows ARS
to dial the phone number that was dialed by the user.
– Dial Rule #5 – Add Account Code: This non-programmable dial rule causes the
system to dial the account code that is associated with the call, when it is available.
The account code can be entered using any of the account code types, including All
Calls Following, as long as the system receives the account code before the end of
dialing. (To use an optional account code, the code must be entered before the num-
ber is dialed.)
– Dial Rule #6 – Add Extension Number: This non-programmable dial rule tells the
system to include the extension number of the endpoint or voice processing system
application that is being used to place the call.
– Dial Rule #7 – Add #: This dial rule adds a pound (#) to the number dialed. This
dial rule can be programmed.