Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!texbell!chinacat!telecom-gateway From: think!ames!icus.islp.ny.us!lenny@eddie.mit.edu (Lenny Tropiano) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: NY Tel New Service For Handling Operator Assisted Calls Message-ID: Date: 29 Nov 89 03:25:17 GMT Sender: news@chinacat.Lonestar.ORG Lines: 78 Approved: telecom-request@chinacat.lonestar.org X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 542, message 2 of 7 With my telephone bill this month I got one of NY Telephone's "Hello" announcements entitled, "New automated service: for handling your collect calls and calls billed to third number". [Gee, this would have helped things during the strike :-)] They should go to automated information (555-1212, 411) Or at least information type service where a PC user could dial in... :-) Here's a bit of the news ... "Starting in November and continuing through early next year, we are introducing new technology that automates the handling of collect calls and calls billed to another telephone number within your New York Telephone Regional Calling Area. Here's what to expect... As you do today, to make collect calls and calls billed to a third number you will dial "0", an area code (if required) and the number you want to reach. Then, you'll hear a tone and an automated voice will help you complete your call through a series of recorded announcements. The automated voice will ask you to indicate the type of call you want to make by dialing a number with your touch-tone phone. It will also ask you to state your name. Then, the automated system will call the person to be billed for the call, announce your name and ask if the charges will be accepted. Depending upon the response, the system either completes the call or informs you that the charges have been refused. Things to remember ... o Automated service for collect calls and calls billed to a third number will be available from touch-tone phones. This includes many New York Telephone public phones, as well as home and business phones. o Your call will not be voice automated if you're calling from a rotary phone, or from a push-button phone that doesn't provide tones when you dial. In these cases, after the initial recorded announcement you will be connected to an operator. o The new automated service will have no effect on how you use your NY Telephone Calling Card. o Automated service for collect calls and calls billed to a third number will be introduced in Nassau and Suffolk counties starting in November. It will be introduced from December through early 1990 for all other areas served by New York Telephone. ================================================ My comments are, I wonder if this voice-response system, which is getting more common, does actual voice recognition for the response given for accepting or rejecting the charges. Doubtful, but interesting nevertheless. Most likely it will expect touch-tone replies from the person to be billed, assuming that person has touch-tone too. I wish they wouldn't charge the money for for touch-tone, since today it's easier (or just as easy) to detect tones than pulses. I suppose the answer is revenue. Lenny [Moderator's Note: Can't you *just imagine* the fraud with this new toy? On being asked to record their name, caller responds: 'Meet me at the airport at seven'; 'Call me back at acc-xxx-yyyy'; 'I do not have change, but I'll be home soon.'; or a whole variety of messages to which the callee can refuse to accept charges. Is telco going to keep track of all the 'names' (heh-heh!) that callers use when placing collect calls? If telco thinks they have a hard time now keeping people from talking around the operator to deliver quickie messages think how much harder it will be now. If telco thinks they have a problem now with people using coded names to deliver unpaid messages under the pretense of a collect call, wait until complete automation! People won't even have to make pretenses; they can just say something to the tape, let the other person hear it and decline to 'accept the charges'. How many school kids in NYC will bother to pay for local calls to tell their parents they will be home late once they figure this one out? PT]