Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-18
RICHMOND HELLO GIRLS
and PEOPLE THEY KNOW
Voices That Tell Real Life Stories
and Give an Insight to Char
acter and Temperament.
SIMPLE RULES WORTH WHILE
Particularly Trying Subscribers on
Many Lines Wrong Number
Troubles Not All Due to Opera
tors-Nian That's Slow to Answer.

great many people harbor tho inn
preston that to telephone operator
| subscriber Is merely a number. or a
signal. In the case o: some subscribers
probably many CT thcm-this hold.
true. In most cases the operator
knows the subscriber only as voice.
But the operator wouldn't be human
| II the virtues and the lach thereof did
not stand out in her memory. Being
human. she sees telephone subscribers
in her minds eye. She sees their kind
ness. their courtesy, their needs. their
sharpness. their dizziness, their little
rani;ies. their impaticnce. their reason
ableness and unreasonableness
The hello girl has not had all the
human qualities trained out OF her.
She's not a machine. She would not
bo good operator II she were ma
chinelike. She's just a perfectly nor
NAL young woman with a high degree
Of training. She treats al! subscribers
with the same degree OF attention and
courtesy. but sometimes she can't help
liking one more than another or having
kinder memories OF one than OF an
other.
u must be admitted that there arc
some subscribers who are particularly
trying. A group of operators in one
OF the telephone company rcstrooms
were talking on this subject the other
day. and talking about some OF tho
hard-to-p!ease subscribers. One Of
those in the group mentioned man
who complained continually, and even
refused to give his Number TO the girl
claiming She was mockinS him when
she rolled her RS"
They used to have 4 mean one at
Blanks establishments" said another
girl. One day a woman from there
cGlne in and aid she wanted TO see
the girls az work. The chief operator
showed he: around and explained
everything. When the visitor was
You don't know me. I'm at Madison
-. and l know I've been an old
she-devil to these girls at times. But
no more-rm cured"
There's an old story to the effect that
! in the pioneer days OF ;he West there
message ot which wa. something like
this: Don't shoot the pianist: he's do
ing the best he can. Even II you
! should get wrong number once in i
while. II might he good idea TO apply
the advice 20 the telephone operator.
Unless you are absolutely sure CT the
telephon number. look Il up In the
not only takes up a busy operators
time. but causes annoyance to the per-
son called in error.
Suppose the person who calls from
memory wants TO get in touch with a
business friend. The number called
sounds something like the number
wanted, but il is that OF Il telephone
located in a residence. The woman OF
the house, who happens TO he upstairs
al the time. rushes down 10 answer tho
summons. She Announces herself AMI
The person on the o;her end of the limo
says: Wrong Humber." and hangs UP
the receiver.
The housewife mutters something
about stupid operators. aud goes back
upstair.. The caller realizes his guilt
and hu-riedly ioons up the risht num-
her. Then he says 10 the operator in
wrong number: want +li!4." Is it any
wonder why the telephone company
asks its patrons 10 consult the te.e-
phone directory:
Slow answering holds up the service.
The person who lets the bell ring sew
eral Times before answering is not fair
10 himself TO the person calling. or to
the operator He is not fair 10 himself
because the call may he an important
one 10 him: The other person may get
tred or waiting and hang up. and the
call is lost.
He is unfai" 10 the other person be-
cause ne keeps that person waiting.
The fact that the person is waiting on
the end az 4 telephone lines. where ne
or she cannot see what causes the de-
lay makes II doub!y desirable that the
call should be answered promptly.
lie is unfair to the operator because
the calling party frequently hlames the
operator for what he thinks il slow
service. The operator can ascertain
tho number wanted and ring the bell
of the called party, but She cannot force
the called party TO answer promptly or
TO answer 81 all. In that respect she
Is as helpless as the calling party.
slow service ret-rds Il.