In message , Bob Eager
writes
On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:41:39 +0000, tony sayer wrote:

In article .
com, Owain scribeth thus
On Feb 24, 9:54*pm, Bob Eager wrote:
Which is a pain for real callers from behind switchboards like
myself.
Reputable companies and organisations don't hide phone numbers.
I just wonder what mechanism you would employ to *not* hide numbers..

Some form of "presentation number"

which might be the DDI of the council switchboard extension or a general
number. There's unlikely to be a problem presenting a BCO number, but in
some cases the council would not want to reveal that eg social work had
phoned, if they couldn't speak to the person they wanted.

Owain


It isn't really a problem they can preset a CLI of their switchboard
reception number like they do here in Cambridge.

01223 457000

And in a big organisation, the switchboard wouldn't have a clue who to
put them through to.

Sorry Tony,
I agree with Bob on this one. Not only do the switchboard get inundated
with calls that they don't know how to route, because the caller doesn't
know who called them, but also imagine that you have just been to the
STD clinic, ( to get it back on topic for phone systems!!) and they
call you at home, your wife comes in, does a 1471 and then how do you
explain the hospital calling you? Fast thinking is not always easy!!

I spend a fair bit of time in a hospital, as you know Tony, and the
above are the 2 main reasons why they do not show CLI, we have discussed
it a few times when I've been in the switchboard.



--
Bill