Template-based management of telecommunications services

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform data communications operations comprising:

• receiving by a call control engine of a data communications server programmed to provide data communications, a call from an endpoint device, the data communications server being configured to interface with a plurality of remotely-situated client entities via a first programming language that is to use a message exchange protocol between the data communications server and data sources;
• identifying at least one call control template written in a second programming language that is different from the first programming language, that provides client-specific commands associated with one of the plurality of remotely-situated client entities for directing call processing functions carried out on behalf of said one of the plurality of remotely-situated client entities, wherein the call control template includes call processing functions common to a plurality of end-users of the client entity;
• executing the call control template written in the second programming language to retrieve data from at least one data source, wherein the retrieved data relates to call processing functions for particular end-users of the plurality of end-users;
• and
• implementing one or more call processing functions specified by the call control template as being conditional upon the retrieved data based on client-specific data retrieved from a configuration database.

A data communications server comprising:

• one or more computer processor circuits coupled to memory circuits and configured to interface with a plurality of remotely-situated client entities, wherein the server is configured to:
• provide a database with a set of virtual office features including client-specific call routing functions available to the client entities based on a subscription;
• provide, to the client entities, a set of instructions written in a first programming language that is to use a message exchange protocol between the server and data sources, the set of instructions including portions to be populated with client-specific directives associated with virtual office features of the set of virtual office features available to the client entities;
• receive, from each respective client entity, client-specific sets of control data written in a second programming language that is compatible with the first programming language, wherein the client-specific sets of control data are generated by the client entity populating the set of instructions with a set of client-specific directives associated with the virtual office features available to the client entity;
• and
• provide virtual office features to each respective client entity based on the client-specific sets of control data.

A data communications server comprising:

• a computer-accessible database storing a set of virtual office features including client-specific Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functions and other client-specific data communications routing functions available to respective client entities based on a subscription;
• computer circuitry configured to interface with a plurality of remotely-situated client computers operational on behalf of the respective client entities, wherein the computer circuitry is configured to:
• provide data communications services to the respective client entities consistent with a set of instructions, the set of instructions being written in a first programming language that is not used by the client entities and being associated with certain of the virtual office features available to the client entities;
• and
• receive, from each of the plurality of remotely-situated client computers, respective client-specific sets of control data written in a second programming language that is compatible with the first programming language, wherein the client-specific sets of control data are operable or executable for populating the set of instructions to define respective sets of client-specific directives associated with the virtual office features available to the respective client entities,
• wherein during operation, the computer-accessible database is revised in response to the received client-specific sets of control data provided by the plurality of remotely-situated client computers, and the computer circuitry accesses the computer-accessible database to provide the data communications services associated with the virtual office features to the respective client entities.