Call Blocking

Call Blocking allows you to block phone numbers from being dialed within the Hosted PBX, or from calling into the Hosted PBX. The system automatically blocks all 900 numbers from the Hosted PBX, and specific numbers can be manually blocked, both incoming and outgoing.

The Call Blocking screen lets you search, create, edit, and delete blocked numbers (also referred to as Call Blocks).

Searching for a Blocked Number

From any L2 screen:

1. Navigate to the appropriate customer.
2. Click Services in the main menu and click Call Blocking in the side menu.

3. Enter the full phone number in the Search box.To Clear the Search Results, click x in the Search box.

Note: To Clear the Search Results, click x in the Search box.

Creating a New Call Block

From any L2 screen:

1. Navigate to the appropriate customer.
2. Click Services in the main menu and click Call Blocking in the side menu.

3. Click the New Call Block button.
4. Enter the full telephone number (including the area code) to be blocked.
5. Click the Direction dropdown list and select Inbound or Outbound:
   • Inbound – the outside caller will hear a busy signal.
   • Outbound– the Play dropdown list will appear below. Choose what the caller will hear when a blocked number is dialed:
     • Busy – a busy signal.
     • Play Message – a prerecorded system message stating that the number has been blocked.
6. Optional: Add a comment in the Comment field to indicate why the number is blocked, to whom the number belongs, etc.
7. Click the Save button when you are finished.

Tip: You can use the above method to block calls masking caller ID by pulsing out 0000000000. If the incoming Number is matched, caller hears “your call cannot be completed as dialed”.
Disadvantages: Fails if the Caller ID Name is “Restricted” even though the actual Number is presented as caller ID Number.

Editing a Call Block

1. From the Call Blocking screen.
2. Click the Phone Number or the View/Edit link.
3. Make the necessary changes to any of the fields on the screen.
4. Click the Save button when you are finished.

Deleting a Call Block

1. From the Call Blocking screen.
2. Click the Phone Number or the View/Edit link.
3. Click the Delete button.

Additional Ways to Block Calls

Privacy Manager

(“Screen for Privacy” on the Phone Number detail page).

If no 10-digit incoming Number is presented, the caller is prompted to enter a 10-digit number to complete the call.

Disadvantages: Fails if a generic 10-digit number such as 0000000000 is presented initially; the caller may enter ANY 10-digit number at the prompt.

Caller ID Routing

To use CID Routing you route a TN to the caller ID route.
In this case, you route the If No Match to where the TN would normally have routed (time frame etc).
If the incoming Number or Caller ID Name is matched, routing occurs as specified in the rule.

Suggested keywords:

Anonymous
Restricted
Unavailable
Unknown
NOCALLERID
0000000000

The call can be routed to a voicemail box if you want to give the caller the option of leaving a message after explaining you are not accepting calls with blocked caller ID.

To disconnect the call you can route to an auto attendant with no Options or Timeout defined (leave everything on “Select”).
You could also record a message stating you are not accepting calls with caller ID blocked so the caller knows why the call is failing.
Be aware however that in that case, the caller could dial an extension during the time the message is playing even if no Options are set.