Cases may arise when the intelligent number handling is not enough to estimate which number is best dialed when agents are calling each other between differenct locations (that is, when one agent at one location calls another agent at another location by, for example, making an enquiry call to a skill, queue, or a separate agent).
For example, there can be an internal short cut between physical switches that cannot be expressed in the configuration of extension locations in ACE Admin. Suppose that you, for a call from location a to B, must add the prefix 900 in front of the extension number to be able to make internal calls from A to B in the switch system. This cannot be handled by the intelligent number handling. To solve the problem you must, in ACE Admin, configure an access code from location A to B. So, access codes specify which prefix for routing that shall be used from one location to another. Note that the configuration is one-way; an access code is only applicable from one location to another.
If access codes are configured between two extension locations, this short cuts the intelligent number handling when agents call each other between these locations.
Unlike extension locations where access code configuration is an exception, configuration of access codes is normally necessary from IVR locations to extension locations and from extension locations to IVR groups. This is because the intelligent number handling does not yet handle IVR locations and IVR groups.
A workplace can, for example, have the extension number 2901. The extension, the number, is not enough to connect a call from an IVR location to the workplace and the same number can exist at several locations. To connect a call to an extension at another location, the switch that will be executing the connection must know both the connection the call is going to and a prefix that shall be placed in front of the extension number. The prefix varies depending on where the IVR is located in relation to the extension location. In the case where bot the IVR and the extension are located under the same physical switch, the access code does not have to be configured.
A call is being connected from the UppsalaIVR location, to the extension 2355 at the Uppsala-Centrum extension location.
The IVR and the extension location are located under different switches but the switches are connected to the same area code area.
The access code fro traffic from UppsalaIVR to Uppsala-Centrum is 0-18 where 0 is the prefix for calls out from the switch and 18 is the extension prefix for Uppsala-Centrum. The number dialled by the IVR is consequently 0-182901
Configuration of access codes is done in ACE Admin, the Telephony | Locations, switches, and access codes... menu choice under the The Access codes, IVR locations tab and The Access codes, IVR groups tab.
Also see The IVR groups tab, The IVR locations tab and Basics about park and requeue of calls