The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-11
SAVING CENTURIES EVERY YEAR
IT T USERS WHEN "cENTRAL" CUTS A ANSWERING CALI-TELEPHoNE
 OFFICIALS ENGAGED
 AGAINST TIME

ments as they come up. When the subscriber makes the call. the inspec- tor supervises operations by attach ing an instrument called a test set" to the telephone. This test set Is con- tained in a little box which goes into the pocket. The inspector is then "on the line" and many times the various processes of operation with a stop watch down to the fraction of a sec ond from the time the call starts un- til the conversation Is finished. He notes the speed of the operators an- swer then the speed of manner of handling it-that is to say, whether the operator is courteous, besides be- ing accurate. and whether she takes pains to give the subscriber exactly what he wants in the way of connec- ton. He observes, also, how long it is before busy" is reported, if the line is not free, and likewise the Inter vals during which the operator waits before ringing again. If any fault is found, 1t is noted in the inspectors re- port, which is exceedingly minute and comprehensive, going into details that can be understood only by experts,
 These reports are made up into summaries, each covering some group of offices. Taking for an example a certain group of fifteen offices, 1t Is seen that the average time of the operator's answer is about four sec onds, while several years ago the av- craze time for the whole country was twice that length of time. By this means, standards are established; and if an office is not up to these stand ards in any particular. however small, the fault is corrected by instructing and coaching the operators upon the noint in question.
 Inspectors in territory outside of the large cities have defenite dis- tricts They are shifted about from time to time. in order that they may have a variety of experience and the central dpartmnt may get the benefit of their different observations. The tnpsectors are a superior class of men, nearly all of whom are graduates Of colleges or technical schools-many are from the Massachusetts Institute of TechnoIogy-and they are on the way to filling administrative positions, as ofice managers and the like. The preference is generally given to college men for inspectors positions. not that any bright young man with nigh school education might not be selected. hut that experience has proved that four years more of learning how to use ones brains give college gradu- ates A superiority over those who have not had this advantage. When any thing goes wrong, man must req son about 1t to discover the source of the trouble; and, naturally, trained student accustomed to reasoning can 40 this better than others without his preparation, especially when the care fuI course of instruction given tc in- spectors is considered.
 The system of inspection inside the telephone offices is permanent one. essentially the same as that followed by the outside inspectors. Every large office has on its chief operators desk A testing apparatus by which any particular operator can be called m inst as she would be by a sub scr,ber and the results observed in the same way as previously described. This is done for certain number of onerators every day and the results Summarized The operators are i'm terested in this constant race against time and often ask to see the results of inc tests for the week or month. Tests like this are being made all the time wherever Bell companies are found. They have improved the ser vice during the last five years to a vyonderfuI extent both In speed and in aeouracy. While accuracy Is the first