Call Features and Access Controls

This article covers a set of smaller call-handling and access tools in UCBC: Call Block, Call Broadcast, Click to Call, PIN Numbers, Feature Codes, Call Queues (FIFO), and Access Controls.

Call Block#

Call Block lets you reject specific phone numbers before they ever ring a phone — either numbers calling in (inbound) or numbers your extensions try to call out (outbound).

The Call Block list

Screenshot needed · call-block-list

How to Add a Blocked Number#

1. Go to Call Block.
2. Click Add.
3. Choose the Direction: Inbound (block calls coming from this number) or Outbound (block calls going to this number).
4. Choose which Extension this rule applies to, or leave it set to apply to all extensions.
5. Enter a Name to label the rule (for your own reference — this is not caller ID matching).
6. Enter the Country Code prefix and the Number to block.
7. Choose the Action to take when a matching call comes in: Reject, Busy, Hold, or route it to a specific Extension, IVR Menu, Ring Group, or Voicemail box instead.
8. Set Enabled to Yes.
9. Optionally add a Description.
10. Click Save.

How a Blocked Call Is Rejected#

When a call matches a Call Block entry, the system takes the action you configured (reject the call outright, send busy, place it on hold, or redirect it) instead of letting it ring through normally. Each rule also keeps a running count of how many times it has matched, visible in the Call Block list.

How to Edit or Delete a Blocked Number#

1. Go to Call Block and click the entry you want to change.
2. Update the direction, number, action, or enabled status, then click Save.
3. To remove a rule, select its checkbox from the list and click Delete.
4. To temporarily turn a rule off without deleting it, click its Enabled/Disabled status in the list to toggle it.

Call Broadcast#

Call Broadcast places outbound calls to a list of phone numbers automatically — for example, an appointment reminder or notification campaign.

How to Set Up a Call Broadcast#

1. Go to Call Broadcast.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter a Name for the campaign.
4. Set the Start Time (when the broadcast should begin placing calls).
5. Set the Timeout (how long, in seconds, to let each call ring before giving up) and the Concurrent Limit (the maximum number of calls to have in progress at once).
6. Set the Caller ID Name and Caller ID Number to use for the outbound calls.
7. Set the Destination — what the call should connect to once answered (for example, an extension, IVR, or audio message).
8. Upload a list of phone numbers as a CSV/text file, or paste them into the phone number list field. A sample file format is available for reference.
9. Choose whether Voicemail Detection is used, so the system can tell the difference between a live answer and an answering machine.
10. Click Save.

How to Start or Stop a Broadcast#

1. Open the broadcast from the Call Broadcast list.
2. Click Start to begin placing calls, or Stop to halt a broadcast in progress.

The Call Broadcast setup screen

Screenshot needed · call-broadcast-setup

Click to Call#

Click to Call lets you trigger an outbound call from a web page/browser instead of dialing from a phone — useful for staff who want to click a button to call a customer, with both legs of the call connected automatically.

How to Use Click to Call#

1. Go to Click to Call.
2. Fill in the Source fields: the extension or number placing the call, and optionally the caller ID name/number to present on that leg.
3. Fill in the Destination fields: the extension or number to connect to, and optionally the caller ID name/number to present on that leg.
4. Choose whether to Auto Answer the source leg (skips the phone needing to be manually picked up, if the device supports it).
5. Choose whether to Record the call.
6. Choose a Ringback tone style to play while connecting.
7. Click Call.

This feature is typically wired into another application (like a CRM "click to call" button) rather than used as a standalone form day-to-day, but the form on this page can be used directly to test or manually place a connected call.

PIN Numbers#

PIN Numbers require a caller to enter a PIN before a call is allowed to proceed — commonly used to restrict who can place long-distance or international calls on a shared extension.

How to Create a PIN Number#

1. Go to PIN Numbers.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter the PIN Number itself.
4. Optionally enter an Account Code, used to track or bill calls placed with this PIN separately.
5. Set Enabled to Yes.
6. Optionally add a Description (e.g. who the PIN belongs to).
7. Click Save.

How PINs Are Applied to Calls#

A PIN Number by itself does nothing until it's attached to an outbound route. On the outbound route you want to protect, there is a PIN option that can be set to require any valid PIN from this list (or a specific PIN) before the call is allowed to complete. Once that's set, a caller dialing through that route is prompted to enter a PIN, and the call only proceeds if it matches an enabled PIN Number.

How to Edit or Disable a PIN#

1. Go to PIN Numbers and click the PIN you want to change.
2. Update the PIN, account code, or description, or set Enabled to No to disable it without deleting it.
3. Click Save.

Feature Codes#

Feature Codes are the short star-codes (like *72) a phone user dials directly from their handset to turn a feature on or off — for example, enabling call forwarding. This page is a reference list only: it shows which feature codes are currently active on your system and what each one does; you cannot add or edit a feature code from this page (codes come from the underlying features you've enabled elsewhere, such as Call Forwarding or Do Not Disturb).

How to Look Up Your Feature Codes#

1. Go to Feature Codes.
2. Review the list — each row shows the dial code, the feature's name, and a description of what dialing it does.
3. Click Export to download the list as a PDF, useful for printing a quick-reference sheet for staff.

Call Queues (FIFO)#

FIFO Queues are a lightweight, simple "first in, first out" waiting line for calls, separate from the full Call Center Queues feature (which has agent login/logout, skills, and detailed reporting). Use FIFO when you want a basic hold queue without the overhead of a full call center.

How to Create a FIFO Queue#

1. Go to Call Queues (FIFO).
2. Click Add.
3. Enter a Name and an Extension for the queue (the number callers or agents dial to reach it).
4. Enter the Agent Status feature code agents will dial to log in/out of the queue, and the Agent Queue extension agents dial to wait for a call or pick one up.
5. Choose a Strategy for how waiting callers are connected to agents: Longest Idle Agent or Simultaneous (ring all available agents at once).
6. Add Members (the agents/extensions that take calls from this queue).
7. Set the Timeout in seconds (0 means no timeout).
8. Set an Exit Key a caller can press to leave the queue, and an Exit Action for where they're sent if they do.
9. Choose Music to play while callers wait.
10. Set the queue Order and Enabled status.
11. Click Save.

Monitoring a FIFO Queue#

Go to Active Queues to see a live, auto-refreshing view of calls currently waiting and agents currently available in your FIFO queues.

Access Controls#

Access Controls are reusable allow/deny lists based on IP address or hostname. They're used elsewhere in the system (for example, to control which IP addresses are allowed to connect as a trunk, or which networks can reach certain features) rather than being a feature you "call" on their own.

How to Create an Access Control List#

1. Go to Access Controls.
2. Click Add, or open an existing list.
3. Enter a Name for the list (this name is referenced elsewhere when attaching the list to a trunk or other setting).
4. Set the Default action: Allow or Deny — this is what happens for any address that doesn't match one of the specific entries below.
5. Add one or more nodes: an IP address or network (CIDR) or a hostname, each marked as Allow or Deny, with an optional description. A plain IP address is treated as a single host; a hostname is automatically resolved to its IP addresses when saved.
6. Click Save.

How to Edit or Remove Entries#

1. Open the Access Control list from the list page.
2. Add, change, or remove individual IP/hostname entries.
3. Click Save — changes take effect immediately (the system automatically reloads its access list after saving).

Field Reference#

Call Block#

Call Broadcast#

PIN Numbers#

FIFO Queue#

Access Controls#

Tips & Common Issues#

• Call Block rules only stop future calls — if you want to know why a specific past call was blocked, check the matching rule's Count, which increases every time it fires.
• A PIN Number does nothing on its own — it must be attached to an outbound route before callers are actually prompted for it.
• Feature Codes is read-only. If a code you expect to see is missing, the underlying feature it belongs to (e.g. Call Forwarding) may not be enabled yet.
• For Access Controls, remember the Default setting is what applies to everything you haven't explicitly listed — setting Default to Deny without adding any Allow entries will block everyone.
• FIFO queues are intentionally simple; if you need agent skills, detailed wait-time reporting, or supervisor monitoring, use the full Call Center Queues feature instead.