IBM, 2 Phone Firms Introduce Caller ID Setup for Companies

IBM, Northern Telecom Inc. and Nynex Corp. on Monday announced a product that links incoming phone calls at a company or organization with computerized information on the caller.

The system will make it easier, for example, for customer service representatives at a mail-order house to handle inquiries and for public-safety officials at a college to locate a caller in an emergency, the companies said.

Previously, such systems were available only to companies owning expensive in-house phone switching systems.

The new system is aimed at companies and organizations that do not have their own private phone system. It operates through the electronic central-office switch of the local phone company.

The systems match the number of an incoming phone call with a computer file. The file then pops up on a screen, using the same telephone network technology as residential “caller ID” systems that flash the number of an incoming call on a small screen near the telephone.

For instance, a customer’s file would appear on a screen at a mail-order catalogue company where that customer has an account.