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From: wasatch!cs.utah.edu!cuatro.bellcore.com!nao@cs.utexas.edu (Neil Ostroff)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Automated Operators
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Date: 26 May 89 16:07:40 GMT
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Reply-To: Neil Ostroff <wasatch!cs.utah.edu!maestro.bellcore.com!nao@cs.
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 177, message 4 of 6

Whether automated operators work 100% is not the issue for it is easily
solved.  When the voice/tone recognition system detects an invalid (or no)
response it simply times out and repeats one or more times.  It could say
something like, "I'm sorry but I did not understand your answer, I have a
collect call from [caller's name], will you accept the call.  Please answer
'yes' or 'no' now."  After two or more failures to get a valid answer, the call
would be routed to a human operator.  In a very short time, many people would
get used to this treatment and some may even welcome not having to deal with a
human when making an operator-assisted call.  For the few percent where the
automated system doesn't work, those calls would be routed to human operators.
Yes, you won't be able to eliminate the need for all operators, maybe only
80%.  That represents a HUGE savings.  In my humble opinion, there are many
reasons automated operators are not more popular.

1.  Unions (although being an operator is probably not very
    interesting, it pays and has benefits).
2.  Many people will resent having to deal with a machine (not
    the ones who use automated tellers).
3.  Regulators may need to approve the use of automated operators.
4.  It's an expensive technology.
5.  Phone companies want the public to know people are behind
    their network, not impersonal computers.
6.  Lack of patience - it takes time to plan, engineer and
    install automated operators.

Neil Ostroff
Bell Communications Research  |  UUCP:  bcr!maestro!nao
100 Schultz Dr.  NVC-5J443    |  ARPA:  nao@maestro.bellcore.com
Red Bank, NJ  07701           |  PHONE: (201) 758-5741