Path: utzoo!telecom-request
Date: 16 Apr 91 06:33:40 GMT
From: John Nagle <decwrl!well.sf.ca.us!well!nagle@uunet.uu.net>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: How Were Large Call Volumes Handled Long Ago?
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jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) writes:

> ACDs have been mentioned a few times this week, which got me
> wondering:

> What did recipients of large volumes of calls do before ACDs? Did
> someone manually distribute calls?

     Yes, using "order turrets", special switchboards set up for the
purpose.  But Automatic Call Distribution was introduced in 1932, with
the No. 3. Order Turret.  The problem is very similar to distributing
calls from one level of selectors to the next in a step-by-step
office, and was first solved using that technology.  Definitely not a
new feature.


John Nagle