tra-office voice calls. Some systems track internal calls as well, SO managers can see how the departments within the company are interacting and who is talking to whom. HOTEL APPLICATIONS Hotels are big users of Call Accounting systems. They use them to create your bill for telephone calls when you check out. The system enables hotels to mark up the cost of calls. This is done either by adding a fixed service charge or just by billing a higher cost per minute than the hotel pays to its long distance carrier. In hotels, the Call Accounting may be part of a property management system. This uses the telephone system to track other hotel functions such as the occupied and "made uf t status of the rooms. LAW FIRM APPLICATIONS AND ACCOUNT CODES Law firms are also big users of Call Accounting systems. After dialing a telephone number, an account code of varying length may be entered using the touch-tone dial pad. This is usu- ally called a client/matter number. When the Call Accounting report is printed, the calls may be sorted by account code for the purpose of billing the calls back to each of the law firm's clients. AUTHORIZATION CODES A few organizations require PBX users to enter an autho- rization code before a call can be made. This is typically a function of the PBX, but the Call Accounting system does 124 The Telecom Handbook CHAPTER 6 have the ability to capture the Authorization Code and create reports sorted by this code. ACCOUNT CODES AND AUTHORIZATION CODES FROM TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS Many telecommunications service providers also offer their customers the ability to enter an account code or be required to enter an authorization code when placing a call. At the end of the month, a management report is delivered along with the invoice that sorts the calls by code. This has nothing to do with the on- site Call Accounting system. Some PBXs may need programming to enable the dialing of additional digits for the account codes. Old Call Accounting "Stories" There are a few of old stories relating 