The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-29
INCREASE SPED Of
ANSWER IS THE
PURPOSE
Of Travelling Chief Operators,
Says Miss Flo Walters in
Regard to Her Work.

travelling about over the districts
In which the Northwestern Telephone
Exchange company operates. and
visiting the various local exchanges
for the betterment of the service are
number of travelling special chief
operators for the exchange company.
The duties of the travelling chief
operator are many. one of the most
important being that of increasing
as much as possible the speed of
answer" of the operators in the local
exchange.
This one item of time saved to the
public using the telephones is regard
ed by the operating companies as
very important one, and a carefully
planned campaign has been worked
out whereby the special chief oper-
ators are bending every energy in the
effort to train the local operators to
a higher degree of efficiency, to make
them in fact so expert that the time
which elapses from the time patron
takes down the receiver until he re-
ceives a reply from central" will be
reduced to minimum.
"Take for instance" said Miss Flo
Walter, the travelling chief who was
here several days ago, in commenting
on this phase of her work, offices
where the speed of answer averages
about five or five and one-half Sec
onds. Such offices have, perhaps,
from 5000 to 1000 calls per day. If
we can cut the time down to four or
four and one-half seconds it will
readily be seen what an immense saw
ing of time will be made to the public
In day. week. or a month, on the
number Of calls mentioned.
"The speed of answer in the ex-
change of the Grand Forks exchange
compares most favorably with other
large Offices in the northwest. The
average speed is about four and
fraction seconds which is considered
very good. There are few offices in
the Northwestern exchange where the
speed averages is a little better, say
three and half seconds. while there
Is an exceptional case or two where
the speed average on various tests has
been two and fraction seconds. To
appreciate this speed one should con-
slider that it means a response from
central almost instantly, when the
receiver is taken down.
"The various exchanges are affect
ed, to large degree, by local condi-
tons, and these local conditions prob
ably differ in each town or city. The
travelling chief operator has an excel
lent opportunity to get acquainted
with the various local conditions. She
gets ideas here and there that may
be excellent to work out in other
places where the conditions surround
Ing the operating departments are
similar. The operators in the local
exchanges have never worked any,
where else. They may have a system
of their own that has been worked
out and which might be materially
changed for the betterment of the
service had the operators the benefit
of ideas from other exchanges. One
of the important duties of the travel
Ing chief Is to study the conditions
of the local exchanges and make ap-
plicable, as far as possible, good ideas
learned in other exchanges.
"The travelling chief operators must
be careful and discriminating obsery-
ers of the methods of every exchange
they visit. If they see opportunities
to make changes that will be for the
good of the service. they are expected
to make recommendations to that eff
feet.
"One of the features of the BUSH
ness of the Northwestern Telephone
Exchange company is the maintain
ance at Minneapolis of school of
instruction for operators. The COM
pany brings to this school to instruct
operators, expert operators from all
over the country. The training there
given is of inestimable value and some
splendid results have been had by
reason of the school.
"The work Of a telephone operator
is clean, swift and fascinating. Girls
who have once taken up the work
rarely give it up for any other sort
of employment. AS a rule. it requires
but short time for a new operator
to become very proficient on the ex-
change board. Such a one is care
fully coached for a week or more by
an expert operator who stands at her
side. After the new operator is left
to work by herself there are always
older operators on either side whose
duty it is for another period of time
to render her any assistance that
may seem necessary"
...-.