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Telephone Area Office (TAO)
In the 1970s, all telecommunication services for a geographical area were the responsibility of the Telephone Area Office (TAO). Further updates are expected during 2007, so please do call on again.
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| History of Telephone Areas | Directories | Reception & Sales Bureau | Sales Division | Trimphones | Telephone Accounts Group (TAG) | Traffic Division | Union Office |
History of Telephone Areas Telephone Areas represented the local face of the business to the public in the form of vehicle fleet logos, telephone directories, sales literature and telephone bills. Over the years the 'corporate identities' have changed considerably, as well as the trading names, departments, divisions and job titles. These pages attempt to identify the key dates and changes, as well as looking at the daily work... The provision of telephone service was originally under the control of Sectional Engineers who were organised in small groups. As demand grew, larger geographical Telephone Areas were established and the responsibility was transferred to a Telephone Manager. Research suggests that Bradford was the first Telephone Manager's Office (TMO) to be set up in 1936. Reception & Sales Bureau Reception & Sales Bureau In the 1960 and 1970s, most Telephone Manager's Offices had a Sales Bureau for members of the public to apply to 'go on the telephone'. Often there were shortages of both line plant and equipment and, in many cases, potential subscribers were placed on the Waiting List. On display in the Bureau you would find a selection of leaflets such as 'Using the Telephone.' Marketing & Sales Division Marketing & Sales (MS Division) was at the forefront of revenue generation, selling new lines, services and equipment. Soon after the introduction of the PST (Plug, Socket, Telephone) system of wiring, an innovative new way of marketing telephones, 'The INPHONE Intro' was launched. Telephone Accounts Group (TAG) Telephone Accounts Group (TAG) The Telephone Accounts Groups (TAG) were responsible for accurate billing of DMUs (Dialled Metered Units) and itemised calls (dialled direct) as well as those connected via an operator. Directories Directories In the late Sixties, telephone directories were still produced by the Post Office and were a combined  book of at least two sections within a single binding : Alphabetical Section Classified Section (Yellow Pages) Traffic Division The Traffic Division was responsible for Operator & Customer Services (OCS) and this covered a wide remit which also included circuit planning and exchange loadings as well as numbering ranges. The Customer Services aspect dealt not only with staffing of exchanges, but also fault reports and disputed accounts due to possible service problems. Union Office Union Office The Trade Unions continue to play an important role in the ever evolving Posts & Telecommunications industries in the UK, helping to shape their futures, maintain decent working practices and support the workers.
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