roy@seismo.CSS.GOV@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (12/22/86)
Here's something I've often wondered about. When you call long distance directory assistance, after you get the number you want (either from a human operator or a digi-cording, the connection is broken and you have to dial the number yourself. Wouldn't it make more sense to just connect you with the number? They've already figured out a long distance routing for your call, all they have to do now is locally patch the call through to the right exchange and emit some tones telling the billing systems "OK, no more free message units; start billing this call the next time you see the line go off hook." If you hang up and dial again, you get to tie up all that switching equipment all over again while they figure out how to route your call from here to there once more. Granted, you don't *always* want to call a number as soon as directory assistance gives it to you, but the overwhelming majority of the time you do. Maybe you could have the recording say "The number is ...; If you need further assistance, stay on the line; If you want me to patch you through, touch "#" (or flash the switch-hook)". Here's an interesting one. I called directory assistance for (609) the other day and got a number. Usually the recording tell me "The number is ... X.X.X ... X.X..X.X (the dots and spaces indicate approximate length of pauses). This time, however, it was "X.X ... X.X ... X .. X .. X". It's amazing how deep rooted the 3-3-4 pattern of phone numbers is (well, in North America, anyway). With the different cadence, I could barely write down the digits!
jsol@BUIT1.BU.EDU (12/24/86)
I believe that Directory Assistance uses special trunks to complete and there are only a fixed number of those trunks. Getting you to hang up and dial the number yourself causes you to use one of their normal trunks which they have far more of ... --jsol