Mechanized billing of AMA toll messages

THE billing of 140,000,000 toll messages a month to 17,000,000 toll using customers, representing about 60 per cent of the total telephone customers, is a major operation involving approximately 15,000 Bell System clerical employees. Toll message volumes have more than doubled in the past 10 years, and further growth seems likely. While many important improvements have been made in the billing processes in order to handle the increased volume more effectively, the mechanization of this work continues to remain a challenge.