Block Outbound Calls Outside Business Hours

You can stop a single extension from placing outbound calls (calls that leave your phone system, such as calls to external phone numbers) when the current time falls outside the working hours set for that extension’s time zone. While the restriction is active, the extension cannot dial out during off-hours or on holidays. Inbound calls and internal calls between extensions are not affected.

Blocking after-hours dialing is a common way to control phone costs and to reduce toll-fraud exposure (unauthorized long-distance or international calls charged to your account) while the office is closed and unattended.

Before you begin

Two things must already be in place, or the restriction has no schedule to follow:

• Define the business hours for the time zone you want to use.
• Assign that time zone to the extension. You set this under Extension and Trunk > Extension > Features > Business Hours.

Note

“Business hours” is the working-time schedule you define per time zone. This restriction reads that schedule from the time zone assigned to the extension, so both the schedule and the time-zone assignment must exist first. If the extension is assigned the wrong time zone, calls will be blocked on the wrong hours.

Restrict the extension

1. Sign in to the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) management portal, open Extension and Trunk > Extension, then open the extension you want to change.
2. Select the Security tab.
3. Under Call Restrictions, tick Disable Outbound Calls outside Business Hours.
4. Select Save, then Apply.

Caution

The change only takes effect after you select Apply. Selecting Save on its own stores the setting but does not activate it. This restriction applies only to the single extension you are editing, so repeat these steps for every extension you want to limit.

What happens next

Outside the working hours defined for the extension’s time zone, and on any holidays configured for that time zone, the extension can no longer place outbound calls. Inbound calls and internal calls keep working normally.

Danger

Because this blocks all outbound calls during off-hours, it can also block emergency calls (for example E911, Enhanced 911) dialed from that extension after hours. Before you rely on this restriction, confirm that anyone who might need to reach emergency services after hours still has a working way to call out.