From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 25-Jun-14 13:58, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   > On Wednesday, June 25, 2014 2:18:03 PM UTC-4, Stephen Sprunk wrote:   
   >> Yes, some had tie lines between sites to save on toll charges, but   
   >> they didn't want those expensive lines tied up by customers who   
   >> could easily dial the other site directly--and at their own cost.   
   >   
   > On the hospital PBX, sometimes they would use the tie-line to   
   > transfer a call to our affiliate; I think if it was when the caller   
   > was long distance.  Normally they never did that, and told the caller   
   > the number of the separate institution.   
   >   
   > Our radiology department had its own small PBX, but outside callers   
   > would be connected to that (their PBX had both outside lines and   
   > hospital extensions on it).  Actually, I was surprised they had   
   > enough internal traffic to justify their own small PBX and attendant,   
   > but apparently so.  Today, something that sized would probably be   
   > served by an advanced key system, not a PBX.   
      
   Nah, today they'd just be another "site" on the same PBX.   
      
   VoIP systems in particular are designed to be able to handle hundreds of   
   sites on one PBX in "the cloud".  There's nothing special about an   
   attendant anymore; they might have a fancier phone and better training,   
   but every user now has access to all the same functionality.   
      
   >> Yes, there are some more advanced features, but most are typically   
   >> used only by secretaries or receptionists, who get more detailed   
   >> training on the specific functions they need.  Most systems work in   
   >> similar ways, too, so an experienced temp can get up to speed in   
   >> minutes.   
   >   
   > FWIW, my own observation is that many PBX attendants today aren't   
   > that well trained.  They are not aware of some advanced features or   
   > certain basic courtesy practices that were very common in the past.   
   >   
   > I suspect this is because in the old days, more attendants were   
   > needed and as such there was a PBX group.  Bell provided training   
   > (Bell literature emphasized service courtesy).  Today, with   
   > automation, only one attendant may be needed, and even she might be   
   > only part time with other duties.  So, she doesn't get the training   
   > and experience that was once provided.   
      
   There's really no such thing as an "attendant" anymore; most places just   
   dump the few remaining parts of that job on the receptionist, who is   
   most often a temp.  And why provide extensive training to a temp?   
      
   > Far too often I'm left dangling on HOLD by a PBX attendant who failed   
   > to  monitor the progress of a call.   
      
   With modern systems, if you transfer the call and it isn't answered,   
   after a few minutes the system will abort the transfer and ring the   
   previous user.  However, they're either they don't remember the call   
   anymore or already on another call.   
      
   > In the old days, attendants were trained to pick up on unanswered   
   > calls and offer to take a message, page the desired party, find   
   > someone else, or whatever action was appropriate to the   
   > circumstances.  Attendants were trained to find an alternate party   
   > in case of emergency.   
      
   That's mostly handled by voicemail and IVR systems today.   
      
   > Other times attendants don't really know their organization well   
   > enough to connect outside calls to the proper extension.  For   
   > instance, they'll connect someone to a generic accounting office   
   > extension even if the caller asks specifically for accounts payable.   
      
   A temp isn't going to know anything about the company other than the   
   list of extensions in front of her--if that.   
      
   >> Call parking is a lot harder to explain but _much_ more commonly   
   >> used.   
   >   
   > Could you explain "call park"?  I thought it was simply HOLD.   
      
   Imagine an environment where users have no a fixed location (and   
   therefore no fixed extension), e.g. retail.  When the receptionist gets   
   a call for Bob, how does she transfer it to him?   
      
   In a key system, she puts the call on hold, notes it's holding on line X   
   and pages Bob to pick up that line.  However, that means that every line   
   has to appear on every phone, which is expensive for analog systems.   
   Even for digital or VoIP systems, it means every phone needs a button   
   for each line, which means buying more expensive phones.   
      
   In a PBX, the receptionist presses the "Call Park" button, and her phone   
   tells her that the call is parked on orbit X.  Then she pages Bob to   
   dial X.  When Bob dials X, the call is retrieved from orbit and   
   connected to wherever Bob happens to be.  The orbits (and any calls in   
   orbit) don't need to appear on _any_ phone, so you can do this with   
   cheap single-line phones--and get much larger scale.   
      
   You can often tell whether a retail store is using a KTS or a PBX by   
   whether their pages say "Bob, line X" or "Bob, dial X".   
      
   > Speaking of HOLD, many companies these days have recorded sales   
   > pitches to callers on HOLD (it used to be merely music).  These   
   > announcements become very tedious after a short period time,   
   > especially if one repeatedly calls an organization.  For isntance,   
   > veterinarian offices will give you a zillion ways your pet will need   
   > treatment.   
      
   Why waste valuable time giving people free entertainment when you can   
   use it for marketing instead?  I'm so used to this that it usually only   
   bothers me when the hold is so long that the message(s) repeat.   
      
   OTOH, many systems now have a "virtual hold" feature that will take your   
   number and call back when you get to the head of the queue.   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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