Richard Bowles <bowles@stsci.edu> (04/05/91)
I don't know about Boston, but once-upon-a-time I worked for the DA vendor for Pacbell in California -- and probably half of the software involved gathering huge amounts of statistics regarding DA operator performance. The items included how long per call, per key-stroke, number of keystrokes per call, number of listings retrieved per call ... and many more. The key issue is that the DA operator was PAID based on his or her performance on a number of the criteria, so you can rest assured they are at least tempted to be less than cooperative on potentially long or complicated calls. While I didn't have a lot of contact with the actual operators (I was a programmer), what I saw and heard made it sound like one of the worst, most demeaning, and high-pressure jobs available. These people were monitored constantly, handled calls at an unbelievable rate without any pauses, and even had put up a little sign when they needed to go the bathroom. DISCLAIMER: My knowledge is over five years old and a bit fuzzy. Opinions are just that and mine. This has NOTHING to do with my present employer.