A station or attendant can conference in a ringing station or transfer a party to a ringing station. When a station conferences in a ringing station and then drops the call, the ringing station is treated like a party without disconnect supervision. However, when a station transfers a party to a ringing station, the ringing station party is treated like a party with disconnect supervision. Two timers, Attendant Return Call Timer and Wait Answer Supervision Timer, are provided to ensure the call is not locked to a ringing station.