This topic describes what a service instance is, its common scenarios, and its benefits.
Service instance definition
A service instance is an alias for a group of real numbers. A service instance ID has the format 05710000XXXX. You can create a service instance in the console and attach real numbers to it. This lets you make outbound calls using the real numbers in the group. The primary purposes of a service instance are disaster recovery and improving call connection rates. When a service instance makes an outbound call, the caller ID displays a real number from the group. Features such as virtual number substitution and pass-through are not supported.
Benefits of a service instance
Improved connection rate
A service instance makes outbound calls using a real number that matches the callee's location. It can use scheduling policies, such as abnormal number demotion and memory-based scheduling priority, to improve the connection rate.
Disaster recovery
With a service instance, if a number fails and the call does not ring, the system automatically redials using a working number. The maximum number of retries is three per call.
Service instance scenarios
Number failure: With a service instance, if a number fails and the call does not ring, the system automatically redials using a working number. This improves the call connection rate.
Improving connection rate: Callees often reject calls from unfamiliar or out-of-area numbers. A service instance can use policies for priority calling and retries to improve the connection rate. This requires the service instance to include a number from the callee's location.