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Article: Hold the phone: Blackfoot telephone automates directory assistance.(Industry Innovator)(Blackfoot Telecommunications)
- Article from:
- Rural Telecommunications
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 National Telephone Cooperative Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Blackfoot Directory Assistance. City and state, please?"
"Missoula, Montana."
"Are you looking for a business, government or residential listing?"
"Residential, please."
"What listing?"
Although the conversation sounds ordinary, this customer of Blackfoot Telecommunications in Missoula, Mont., isn't speaking with a live operator. Blackfoot's new speech-recognition system is helping directory assistance customers find the information they need, without ever contacting an operator or pressing a touchtone keypad.
Blackfoot installed its automated system last February. After starting with business and government listings, it quickly expanded the service ...