Overview

This internal training manual, designated OH-5201 and dated January 1973, was produced by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) for Bell System employees. It serves as a comprehensive guide for Phase 2 training of Traffic Service Position System (TSPS) operators. The manual documents the procedures and logic required for managing long-distance telephone traffic during the transition from manual cord-board switching to computer-assisted electronic consoles.

Contents and Technical Detail

The manual provides a detailed breakdown of operator responsibilities, technical equipment, and standardized customer service scripts:

• The 100 B Traffic Service Position: Includes detailed keyshelf diagrams explaining the layout of functional lamps and buttons such as the SEA (Service Evaluation), AMA (Automatic Message Accounting), and POS RLS (Position Release).

• Call Handling Procedures ("Practice Tapes"): Step-by-step technical flows for various call types, including Person-to-Person, Station-to-Station, Collect, Credit Card, and Third-Number billing.

• Mark Sense Ticket Technology: Technical instructions and illustrations for both the front and back of IBM mark-sense cards. Operators used these cards to record billing data that could be read by early automated systems.

• Operational Philosophy (ACS): Training on the core tenets of Bell System service: Accuracy, Courtesy, and Speed. It emphasizes the importance of accurate key pulsing and efficient position management to minimize customer wait times.

• Special Conditions: Procedures for handling "Dial 0" emergency calls, requests for the Business Office or Repair Service, and mobile/radiotelephone connections.

Historical Significance

As a primary source for the history of technology and labor, this manual captures the technical shift toward automation in the telecommunications industry during the early 1970s. It reflects the highly structured environment of the Bell System, where operator interaction was governed by precise scripting and strict equipment-handling protocols. Notably, a handwritten addition at the end of the document commemorates a "plug from one of the last calls on the cord board" at a specific office in Burlington, N.C., symbolizing the end of the manual switchboard era.

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