next call and then force feed the call onto the agent's headset send the Mercury access code to the trunk handler, then send the without the need for the application of ringing tone. The incoming Mercury PIN, and then the routing digits. call handling software is also required to interface with the real time The software of the outgoing call handler is made even more call statistics software, which is a feature of ACD operation. The complicated if an automatic route selection (ARS) or least cost status of all calls in the queue, the number of calls lost, how quickly routing (LCR) suite of software is included in the PABX, as this the calls are being answered, the mean time of individual agents to software contains numerous algorithms for routing calls based on deal with customers, are presented as management information for the time of day, the load on the private network, and the charges the ACD supervisor to adjust the staffing levels of the system and being applied to the calls by the main carriers at that particular time. therefore dynamically change the incoming call handling par- An outgoing call request has to weave its way through all this ameters of the system. software before the digits can be dialled out from the PABX to place the call. The outgoing call handling has a further subdivision to cater for 34.6.4 System reports and logging software private networking and access the data base with the private net- work numbering schemes and routing plans. For example banks use The software described so far has all had to operate in real time, but easily remembered numbers to access other banks and as all banks there are a few areas within the PABX where the operation is not have a unique sort code then the PABX must be capable of translat- time critical and therefore the tasks can be allocated a lower priority. ing between the sort code dialled and the routing information via the These tasks are mainly concerned with logging of calls, generating private network. reports on the status of the system etc. An im