Defining Calling Card Rules

A calling card is information that Dialing Properties uses to create the sequence of numbers to be dialed on a particular call. The calling card can include a calling card number that can be dialed at a specified time during call placement. However, the calling card does not have to specify a card number (in other words, calling cards can also be used to define alternative procedures for direct dialing without a calling card number). To help you remember them, you can name calling cards anything you choose.

Dialing Properties includes predefined settings for several popular calling cards used in the United States, including AT&T®, Sprint, MCI, British Telecom, France Telecom Mercury, Telecom New Zealand, and others. You can modify and use these directly or copy them to create your own calling cards. Dialing Properties allows you to add new calling cards, edit existing calling cards, and remove calling cards you do not need.

The information stored in a calling card includes the name, card number, and the dialing rules for local, long-distance, and international calls.

To specify that you are using a calling card in Dialing Properties

1. In the My Locations properties, click the Dial Using Calling Card check box.

   

2. In the Change Calling Card dialog box, click your calling card type in the list (for example, AT&T), and then type your calling card number. Click OK.

You can also customize dialing rules by clicking the Advanced button in the Change Calling Card dialog box. The following two examples illustrate how you might use dialing rules.

If you are making a calling-card phone call from outside the United States and do not want Windows telephony applications to automatically add a "0" prefix to the number you are calling, precede the phone number with another numeric code, such as "144" in the following example.

To redefine numbers that automatically precede the phone number

1. In the Change Calling Card dialog box, click the New button, select the name of the calling card and type the card number, and then click the Advanced button.

   

2. In the Dialing Rules dialog box, complete the dialing rule fields. Insert a comma to include a fixed two-second pause; use multiple commas to increase the time. Use the following codes as appropriate.

For example, if you are using a British Telecom card, you need to precede the number you dial with 144 and complete the fields as follows.

1. Click OK, and then click OK again. In the My Locations properties, remove the leading zero from your area code (for example, "71" or "81" in London). Click OK.
2. Using Phone Dialer or HyperTerminal (or another tool), store your destination number in international format with only the country code (44), area code (without the leading 0), and local number (+44(71)5551212).

   When you choose the Dial option from Phone Dialer or HyperTerminal, the tool you are using automatically expands this number to include "144" and the card number, plus the pause codes.

In another scenario, suppose your organization in the United States uses a PBX system and you need to omit the "1" prefix before the area code. Create a calling card as in the following example.

To omit the "1" prefix with a PBX system

1. In the Change Calling Card dialog box, click New.
2. In the Create New Calling Card dialog box, type a name for your calling card, such as "Direct Dial Through PBX." Click OK.
3. In the Change Calling Card dialog box, click Advanced.
4. In the Dialing Rules dialog box, complete the text boxes and then click OK.