Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: woody Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Payphone message service trial ending Message-ID: <12451@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 21 Sep 90 03:09:51 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 23 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 668, Message 1 of 9 From the Bell (Canada) News, it seems that the Payphone Messenger trial that has been going on in Ottawa is something of a success. This is the service for payphones that allows one to leave a voice message should a called number be busy or unanswered. If the caller wants to leave a message, the '#' button is pressed and the caller leave a message. The called number will ring every fifteen minutes until answered or until two hours have passed. Leaving a message costs the coin deposit (25c); the caller can also hang up on the busy or no-answer and get the deposit back. The Ottawa trial will end on 1st October, and the service will stop, at least until the service is offered commercially next year, as a feature of the new Millenium payphones. The Marketing and Development groups of Bell Canada involved in the trial won an award for the project. 89% of Payphone Messenger users who tried the service were satisfied with it. On the receiving end, three-quarters of those receiving a payphone message considered it a "major improvement" in payphone service. (The figures were based on those interviewed with respect to the message service).