g system is not used for any other function since the hard drive must always be available for the collection of calls. A buffer box collects the call detail output from the PBX and stores The Telecom Handbook 8 119 CALL ACCOUNTING & TELEMANAGEMENT SYSTEMS it until the buffer is polled by the desktop PC with the Call Ac- counting software. For an organization where there are multiple offices, it is possible to have just one Call Accounting system and buffers (sometimes called black boxes or poll cats) at the remote sites collecting information from the telephone system at that site. The Call Accounting system can call into each of those buffers to collect data. This is also known as polling. Call Accounting software is sold by a group of companies who specialize in this area. Most are relatively small with annual sales under $15 million. Some companies sell the software di- rectly and others sell through distributors. Most of the telephone installation and maintenance companies will sell you a Call Ac- counting system to work with your telephone system. If you buy a Call Accounting system from them, be sure that a sufficient number of their customers have the same system to ensure that you will receive continuing support. You may want to consider purchasing the Call Accounting system from a company who specializes in them, such as Newcastle Communications in New York City, WWW.nccomm.com. As when purchasing any other type of system, check the track record of both the company manufacturing the Call Accounting system and the company who will install and support it. Sizing and Pricing the Call Accounting System When purchasing an on-site Call Accounting system, the dis- tributor may ask how many call records you anticipate. This may affect the capacity of the storage device you buy and may affect the size of the PC hard drive, although most now have more than sufficient capacity for most organizations' call volume. Most on- site Call Accounting systems are priced according to the number of telephones in use on the PB