according to one embodiment of the present invention , a first automated system monitors at least one call characteristic to determine whether quality of service standards are being met by the various carriers being utilized by the system . such an at least one call characteristic can be stored in a database for later retrieval by an automated link diagnosis system . if appropriate , a link re - routing system can respond to an analysis of the link diagnosis system in order to re - route calls — by either taking at least one link out of service or by placing at least one link back into service .