Telephones ‘Tailored’ For City Taxi Firm

Press, Volume C, Issue 29421, 25 January 1961, Page 7

Telephones ‘Tailored’ For City Taxi Firm

The engineers’ branch of the Post Office not only installs standard-type gear—it also “tailor-makes” equipment to its customers* orders. Recently it designed and built special “stacking equipment” for the Blue Star Taxis, to enable the firm to ensure that callers are dealt with in rotation. Previously, when the receptionists Were rushed, a call might accidentally get left unanswered for some time. The new equipment is the first of its kind to be installed in the South Island, although an Auckland taxi firm has a somewhat similar system.

To accommodate the “stacking” equipment, a special small room had to be built at the Blue Star headquarters in Moorhouse avenue. Into this come the five ordinary and four private lines operated by the company. Calls on all nine lines are stacked indiscriminately, except that staff of the National Airways Corporation on their private line may “jump the queue” if they wish, and take the first vacancy. The head receptionist may also pick up a call on any line. The receptionists, eight in all, sit at a T-shaped table. At the centre of the bar of the “T” is the head receptionist, who has in front of him a panel showing which lines are in use and which waiting, and also the state of affairs of the two radio links which the firm maintains with its fleet of 151 vehicles, up to 120 of which may be on the road at one time. The head operator may take over any or all of

the telephone and radio links. Normally, however, the radio links are managed by operators who sit on either side of him at the top of the “T” while the telephones are answered by five receptionists sitting along the leg of the “T.”

When a caller rings the office, his call may go straight through or may be “stacked” behind others already waiting. In any case, the "ringing” note is heard by the caller until the call is answered. As soon as the call gets to the top of the list, large red buibs light up in front of each receptionist. More than one receptionist may reach to answer it, but as soon as the first makes contact the others are automatically cut off, avoiding the situation found on many switchboards where more than one operator may answer a call and the caller wonder which one to talk to.

Not only the head receptionist, but the taxi supervisor may also listen in on any call under the new system. In addition, his panel includes a meter which shows the number of times each receptionist has taken a call over a period. In that way, he may check on the efficiency of each worker and also knows the total number of calls received.