Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-08-21
THE PUBLIC AS A TELEPHONE OPERATOR.
lac 'nap.nsss Vi .1e uS.ie,ai ruDiG iii nanl
linz the Telephone

ine 'lap.ness u ."e ose.ai ruD,'c in i,and-
ling the Telephone.
The lack of smartneSs i'm oper-
ting the public end of the
telephone system renders the service
given by that system far less efficient
than it might be we've there
thorough and intelligent cooperation
ON the part Of the public with the
efforts of the telephone company.
Among its mauy peculiarities the
telephone service enjoys the unique
distinction of being the only public
service in which the machinery is
actually under the control of The pub
lie and is handled by the public.
True, the public does turn on and off
its own gas. water and electric light.
and occasional lack of efficiency or
plain careleASnpSs or ignorance. results
in explosions. APPROPRIATIONS and other
troubles. even from Very simple opera
tiouS. But in The working Of the
telephone service. to attain the
efficiency that is generally aimed at,
something more is demanded Of the
public than a simple mechanical
operation, such as turning d key or
pressing button. That something
more is not very complicated or very
extensive, but it requires a certain
cOnSclentiOuSneSS, d recognition of
what is due to ones neIghbOr and
spirit of cooperation that are too
often wholly absent from the public
operation of the telephone. Since the
telephone operator first appeared in
the land she has been the butt for the
gibes and jeer> of the hippant news
paper writer. The changes have been
rung on every one Of her little lapSeS
and on all Of the natural difficulties
with which any telephone system has
to contend. But when the newspaper
writer Tor others stop to consider
that in any telephone connection there
must be cooperation between at least
three persons. the calling subscriber,
the exchange operator and the called
subscriber. and that consequently the
SubScriber-the public-are reSpon-
Sible for two thirds of the operating,
and the telephone operator for only
one third.
The exchange operator does certain
mechanical things on the instructions
Of the public. Ii these instructions
are not correctly and Succintly given,
errors and delays arise: if the called
subscriber does not answer promptly
to the operators ring, all she can do is
to continue ringing, she can not get
him tC the telephone by force or by
hypnotic influence. If the caller
leaves his telephone before the con-
nectiOn is established, lie has to be
rung up and brought back.
Yet, although it is clear that the
efficiency Of the telephone service lies
aG least aS largely in the hands of the
users Of it as in the hands of the COM
pany. how many telephone users do
We not all know, who habitually prac-
tce all the telephone sins of commits
Sion and omission? "WrOug numbers"
are often due To the SuUscrib Der who
trusts his memory too well. Cut
offs are often due to the subscriber
hanging up or signaling when he
should simply hold on. Delays in
completing connection are generally
due to the failure of d called subscriber
to answer the telephone promptly and
to the practice of making call and
then hanging up, when the operator
has to ring the caller back to the
telephone. Then there is the office
boy, who is undoubtedly one of the
most active curses of telephone service.
Both as caller and as an anSwerer
he is lax, inefficient, unintelligent and
usually impudent in the bargain.
The habit deputing an office boy to
call some one up over the telephone
and to get the person wanted on the
line before the real caller goes to the
telephone, is most perniciOuS one,
but it is difficult to get those who
indulge in it to realize that it involves
both d WaSteful use of the telephone
plant and gratuitOuS impertinence
to the person that is called. There
are few telephone experiences, to the
busy man, more aggravating than to
be called to the telephone and asked
by a boy if you are Mr.. SO-and-SO, and
then be told to wait minute, MI.
Blank wants to speak to you.
The aggregate effect on the efficiency
to the telephone service of the lack OF
intelligence, Of quickneSS and of con-
Sideration in the public operation of
the telephone is great and far reach
ing. Every error and every delay
Increase the amount of time that the
telephone plant is used unprOtitdbly,
and while the plant is working use
leSSly to get a wrong number or wait
ing TO get some laggard or indifferent
subscriber to the telephone, the way
is blocked to other calls. Since
telephone calls occur without mum Der
daily, the aggregate amount of time
that is wasted by needlessly slow
operation by the public, reaches
startling figures. Telephone mana
gers should do everything in their
power to train their subscribers, as
well as their operators. This is a
point that is very generally neglected,
but if telephone subscribers as body
could be impressed with the import
ance of scrupulous accuracy in giving
numbers. of always answering the
telephone as promptly as possible, of
always remaining at the telephone
until the called station answers, and
of always making calls in person and
never by deputy, there would be
general and marked improvement in
+ no ntfia # Z ho fol