Anatomy of a real-time trial: Bell Telephone's centralized records business office

Abstract

In the spring of 1965, The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania undertook a trial designed to eliminate most of the paper records used for negotiations in a business office. The objectives were to computerize these files, recall the records in real-time with video display devices and direct the customers' incoming calls with an Automatic Call Distributor. August 28, 1967, a Service Representative successfully handled the first customer contact. Currently an average of 3,000 contacts weekly are handled at twenty display terminal positions.