KnowledgeBase Article: Call Costing
- Why are some Operator Service calls charged at a high rate?
- Why are 190 InfoCalls charged at a high rate?
- How do I apply a mark up or a discount on different call types?
- We have our own negotiated carrier rates. How do I implement this into PhoneControl?
- Will PhoneControl still work if meter pulses are removed from the PABX?
Q. Why are some Operator Service calls charged at a high rate? A. Some Operator calls are charged at a high rate of $14.67 connection fee for the first 3 minutes then $3.89 per minute thereafter. These include the following numbers beginning with: 123, 124, 120,121, 0101 and 011. The reason for this is because these services may connect you to any national or international destination. The PABX will just record the operator number and therefore we cannot tell if the call was connected to another destination. So, we assume this may happen, and hence have applied a high charge to cover you. There are three options available; to leave the charges as they are, to bar these types of numbers, or lower the charge. To bar these numbers contact your PABX maintainer, or, to modify the charges contact Technical Support. Other services, including; 013, 1223, 1225, 0173, 0175, 12455 are charged at 44 cents (GST inclusive).
Q. Why are 190 InfoCalls charged at a high rate?
A. All 190 Information Calls are charged at a high rate of $30 connection fee for the first 6 minutes then $5 per minute thereafter. These services range from Chat, Sports, News to Adult services. In reality, tariff rates vary from 35 cents to $5 per minute and fixed fee calls from 35 cents to $30. There are hundreds of 190 services changing their rates frequently, or, are valid for a certain period of time, like competition lines. Because of the high maintenance required PhoneControl applies the highest rate possible to all 190 InfoCalls. There are three options available; to leave the charges as they are, to bar these types of numbers, or lower the charge. To bar these numbers contact your PABX maintainer, or, to modify the charges contact Technical Support.
Q. How do I apply a mark up or a discount on different call?
A. This is done in the "Discount" section of the Carrier.txt file, located in the main PhoneControl installation directory. The figures next to these entries represent either a percentage markup or discount. For example, "DiscountMobile: 5" would give a 5% discount on Mobile calls for the selected carrier. To apply a markup on a call type you must insert a minus sign (-) in front of the number.
Q. We have our own negotiated carrier rates. How do I implement this into PhoneControl?
A. The rates for each carrier in your PhoneControl system have been carefully implemented by PhoneControl technicians. Inputting your own specific rates could take a considerable amount of time, and your success is not guaranteed. Training on this procedure is available from your PhoneControl distributor, and this training is supported by considerable documentation. Alternatively, ask your PhoneControl distributor about a maintenance contract which will provide professional maintenance of your carrier rates.
Q. Will PhoneControl still work if meter pulses are removed from the PABX? A. Yes, PhoneControl will automatically continue to work but you should be aware that meter pulses provide an excellent indication whether a call was successfully connected. Also, call charging is accurate because meter pulses comes directly from the Telstra exchange. However, if meter pulses are removed, for example when changing carriers, then the PABX is unable to tell us whether or not the call was successfully connected. For this reason we make an assumption in PhoneControl that on average it would take 30 seconds to get connected. This is to allow for dialing, connection and answer time. We have found this setting to provide an overall good result. This setting is configurable and can be found in the "MinDur" section for each carrier, listed within the Carrier.txt file. You will notice a change in the reports because calls less than 30 seconds will not be charged. The call cost calculation will be based on the internal carrier rates in PhoneControl, called the Cost Tables.
