In telecommunications, the directory assistance or directory request is the phone service used to find out specific residential, business, or governmental telephone numbers and/or addresses.
Video Directory assistance
Technology
The directory assistance system incorporates various automations to reduce the cost of human operators. Almost all systems use custom database software to search the list quickly.
Most directory assistance systems use automated readback systems to provide phone numbers. This frees the directory assistance operator to move to another caller as soon as the correct listing is located.
Some systems have "save and advanced" technologies that record "city and state" callers who request and then play the city and state speech to the operators before they come online and then say "Residential or business listing?" or just "what listing?"
An interactive voice response system has been added to many directory assistance systems. This complex system uses speech recognition and speech synthesis recording or speech to handle all calls without direct operator intervention.
Most systems recognize locations and lists. If confidence is high, the best results will be shown to the caller. If the trust is low, the caller request is played back to the live operator, which places the correct list.
Maps Directory assistance
North America
In the North American Numbering Plan (including Canada and the United States), directory assistance can be reached by pressing 4-1-1 (one of the N11 codes). To get a list in a remote or non-local area code, directory assistance is available in 1- area code -555-1212. In some cases, 411 calls from home phones will result in local, national, and sometimes international lists.
Most phone companies allow up to two lists per 411 calls. All wireless carriers offer nationwide listings with 411, and some offer additional Directory Upgrade Help services. However, the wireless number for residential customers is not available through 411.
Billing
Historically, tariffs for cable phone service allow customers to place a number of directory assistance calls for free each month. Recently, phone companies charge customers for each directory assistance call.
US cable telephone companies classify DA into four tariff classes:
- 411 LDA: Local Directory Help. 411 is contacted and the operator is requested to search the list in the local area code group to the caller (LATA). Example: callers live in area code 630 (Oak Brook, IL) and request listing for business in area code 312 (Chicago, IL). In this case, AT & amp; T Illinois charged the call.
- 411 NDA: National Directory Help. 411 is contacted and the operator is requested to search the list in a non-local area code to the caller. Example: Callers live in area code 630 (Oak Brook, IL) and request listing for business in area code 213 (Los Angeles, CA). In this case, AT & amp; T Illinois charged the call.
- (area code) 555-1212: National Directory Help. This example assumes callers are in Oak Brook, IL (area code 630) and use Verizon as their remote operator. Example: Callers are looking for lists in Los Angeles, CA (area code 213) and play 213-555-1212. In this case Verizon calls the call.
- 00 and ask the international directory assistance operator. AT & T provides International Directory Help calls. See www.consumer.att.com/global/english/country_codes.html for additional information and country and city codes.
Free-free directory help
In the US, directory assistance for companies with "toll free number 800" (with area codes 800, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888) is available from the help of toll-free directories.
Free-free directory assistance is provided by telecom providers, AT & amp; T and Verizon, as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. Companies should require that their toll-free numbers be registered and pay the service provider each time their phone number is released to the Toll free directory assistance directory. In 1999, AT & amp; T requests permission to discontinue the service but remain active.
Directory help data source
The 4-1-1 query service is often redirected to a call center that specializes in that functionality. Historically, when a sole operator provides most telephony services for a region, the data used to satisfy a search may come exclusively from the operator's rolls. Currently, when markets are fragmented among many carriers, data must be aggregated by data aggregators that specialize in directory lists, such as LSSi. Data collectors distribute data to service 4-1-1 either "directly", actually serve each query, or by periodically transfer large swaths of lists to the call center system for local search.
Data collectors collect data from rolls of many telecom operators. Some operators like Vonage do not send their customers to the aggregator. Their customers can get their list in the directory help directory using free services like ListYourself.net.
Companies specializing in free directory assistance
Private companies have entered the directory assistance market by offering free directory assistance. Customers often have to listen to ads before receiving directory services.
Australia
Directory assistance is available from Telstra by calling 1223 for domestic or 1225 numbers for international numbers.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, directory help is called directory request.
Quest Directories are provided by different companies, with different call charges, each company is contacted by dialing a six-digit number starting with 118. These companies provide information from the Operator Service Information System (OSIS), run by Directory Solutions, a division from BT Wholesale. OSIS receives updates from telecommunications providers seven days a week, and supplies that information to investigation firms six days a week. There are currently more than 200 providers. Four of them, 118 118 (The Number), 118 212 (Maureen), 118 247 (Yellow Pages) and 118 500 (British Telecom) are among the most expensive and have more than 90% of the market, mostly because of heavy advertising..
Directory requests are used to call by 192 (domestic number) or 153 (foreign), with services provided by telephone companies that provide fixed or mobile services to telephone calls. Historically this service is free at the time of use. During the 1990s the indictment was brought in to use the service from home or business lines, although for several years after a directory investigation was free from a pay phone. These numbers were turned off on August 24, 2003 after the introduction of competition for directory questions.
Pricing
The pricing structure for UK directory requests is reformed by Ofcom on July 1, 2015. Call costs consist of access fees and service charges. Access fees are set and stored by landline or caller cellular operators. The service fee is set by the directory query service but is collected by the caller telephone provider and then forwarded to the directory query service.
Access charges are set at a rate per minute and typically 2p to 13p per minute from landlines or 5p up to 55p per minute from mobile phones. The access fee is always the same as the rate applicable for calls to 084, 087 and 09 numbers and should be displayed clearly in the rate list.
Service fees may be charged per call, per minute, or a combination of both. The per-call portion may be anywhere from 5 to £ 16 and apply as soon as the call is answered. Portions per minute can be anywhere from 1 p to Ã, Â £ 8 and may apply from the start of a call or may take effect after the first 60 seconds have passed. There are 100 price points of service fees available, known as SC001 to SC100. The service charge must be declared next to the number wherever it is advertised or promoted.
The applicable service fee code is also shown in the BT price table section 2, section 15. After finding the "SC" code for a particular number, then need to refer to section 19 to find the cost.
Controversy
The number that offers a directory query service allows people to request to be entered into a mobile number established in June 2009. 118 800 proved controversial, however, when it was revealed that it made available 15 million cell phone numbers that had been purchased from market researchers. The website was suspended within a few weeks of its release so the company could re-engineer the site to allow a large number of ex-directory requests to be handled more efficiently. By 2017, site 118800.co.uk remains non-functional.
By 2014, 118500 service run by BT was fined Ã, Â £ 225,000 by PhonepayPlus (now renamed the Pay-Phone Service Authority) for customers who are over charging and fail to display call charges clearly. BT is also ordered to return the money of affected customers.
Then in 2014, a similar failure to state the cost of the call clearly generates a fine for service 118118.
By 2017, soaring call charges for directory question services including 118118 and 118500 drove the Ofcom reviews of 118 services.
Some directory information services are accused of inappropriate methods to promote their services, which effectively deceive people into calling. Unallocated geographic and non-geographic numbers play an announcement that directs callers to call specific directory questionnaires for help. People may hear this message when they mistakenly call the desired number or may seem to have missed a call from an unallocated number and hear this message if they call back.
Charities
Some services donate some of their income to charity, such as animal welfare and football clubs.
China
In mainland China, (area code) 114 is called for directory assistance in the area code.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, 8123 was contacted for directory assistance. This service can also be accessed through the Afalagi website
Israel
In Israel, 144 or 1344 are contacted for directory assistance. This service can also be accessed online through the Bezeq website
Philippines
In the Philippines, 187 calls for PLDT and Digitel customers.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, directory assistance is available by calling 105 from the mobile phone, or by dialing 104 from the landline.
See also
- 555 (phone number)
- Phone directory
References
External links
- Mark Lawson, The Guardian , March 19, 2005, "Play 0 for progress"
- Directory record help
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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