Path: utzoo!telecom-request
Date: 4 Apr 91 23:19:22 GMT
From: tad@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Strange Phone Calls
Message-ID: <telecom11.267.7@eecs.nwu.edu>
Organization: TELECOM Digest
Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 267, Message 7 of 11
Lines: 29

In article <telecom11.266.4@eecs.nwu.edu>, bernhold@red8.qtp.ufl.edu
(David E. Bernholdt) writes:

> I received a rather strange series of phone calls at my home last
> night.  I answered the phone and a synthesized female voice says
> "Please hold the line, I have a call for this number."

> After several seconds of silence, it says "I am trying to connect your
> call, please hold." (Or something to that effect.)

> I've never heard of anything like this before.  Does anybody recognize
> what it might be, besides a failure (at least in this case)?

This is an automatic dialing system used by phone solicitors.  The
idea is to increase the productivity of phone solicitors by having a
machine call people and que them up for the next available solicitor
 ... kind of like when you call the airline, and get a recording saying
"ALL OUR AGENTS ARE BUSY NOW...PLEASE HOLD FOR THE NEXT AVAILABLE
AGENT"... only in reverse.

These things are supposed to be set up for minimum or no waiting
time, based upon statistics and a large number of agents.


Tad Cook   Seattle, WA   Packet: KT7H @ N7ENT.#WWA.WA.USA.NA
Phone: 206/527-4089     MCI Mail: 3288544   Telex: 6503288544 MCI UW  
USENET:...uw-beaver!sumax!amc-gw!ssc!tad   or, tad@ssc.UUCP