Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 15:50:34 EDT
From: Thomas Lapp <thomas%mvac23.uucp@udel.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: 25 Years of 800 Service
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 639, Message 13 of 14

A cover story appeared in today's Wilmington, Delaware {News-Journal}
discussing the 800 telephone number service.  I thought some of the
pieces from the articles (written by staffer Jane Brooks) would be of
interest to TELECOM Digest readers.  It appears that the majority of
the articles were based on data obtained from AT&T.

Some factoids:

o The number of calls per year made to 800 numbers has skyrocketed
  from 7 million during the first year to an estimated 11,000 million
  (11 billion) this year.

o In France, Italy, Norway and Denmark, they're known as "green number"
  services.  In Japan, they are "auto-collect calls."  In Germany, they're
  "130 Service."

o About 40% of the calls going through AT&T's network during a typical
  business day are 800 calls.  Contrast this to Canada (20%),
  France and Germany (less than 10%).  However, this number went over
  50% during the airline price promotions.

o Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines has 384 lines coming in for
  travel agent use.

o Breakdown for usage?  49% for sales, 21% for product inquiries,
  19% for employees/internal use, and 5% for reservations (other:6%).
  (Source is AT&T.)

The main article discussed some history:

  "For 20 years, AT&T was the sole provider of 800 service, which
   evolved through three separate phases:
   
   -> In the Automated Collect Call phase (1967-76), 800 usage
   grew slowly.  It was created as a technology solution to meet
   an anticipated shortage of telephone company operators and was
   not part of a marketing strategy.

   ->The second phase (1977-86), coincided with the coming of age
   of the AT&T Worldwide Intelligent Network, and was marked by
   explosive growth.  The installation of common channel signaling
   made it possible to connect calls faster than ever and the
   creation of computerized databases in the network allowed
   businesses to advertise a single 800 number anywhere in the
   nation ..."
   (It then goes on to say that consumers and baby boomers found
    out how easy it was to use 800 numbers for shopping, etc.)

   "-> In the third phase, from 1987 to the present, the 'Electronic
   Storefront' unfolded.  Competition emerged.  Changes in the
   regulation of telecommunications brought prices down, making
   the service affordable even for the smallest businesses.  Shrinking
   leisure time led consumers increasingly to shop by phone ..."

   (the rest of this section talks about AT&T is facing competition
   from other LD carriers, as well as from resellers who sometimes
   use AT&T's name when making sales, causing headaches from
   purchasers who think that they are getting AT&T follow-up
   service as well.  It mentions how the local companies are
   getting into the act as well for intrastate (sic) phone
   service (I think they actually meant intra-LATA?), since
   Delaware has a huge credit-card banking industry which 
   relies heavily on 800 service.)

Finally, a side article discusses how small businesses are using 800
service by profiling several of the companies.  However, the headline
is somewhat ironic, since the title is "With 800, Business Has Got
Your Number" (followup page says "Call 800: Business Has Your
(toll-free) number").  I was looking to see if there was anything in
the article about how businesses can get call detail on their 800
numbers, thus getting ANI from callers.  But not a word about it.  I
guess they didn't want to scare off the 800-using population too 
much. :-).


tom   internet: thomas%mvac23@udel.edu (home) 
                lapp@cdhub1.dnet.dupont.com (work)