Caller ID is generally understood, most cellular phones will match the number of an incoming call with a name in the phone address book and display the name of the caller.

Taxi and private hire booking and dispatch software can take this one step further and can cross reference the incoming callers ID (telephone number) with a database of information so not only can it display a stored name or address to alert the operator of who is calling, it can also cross reference the booking history of the caller to further assist the telephonist to select job details that may be based on previous booking data.

Although the simplest caller ID systems are based on a single phone line, taxi booking and despatch software needs to integrate with a wide range of PBX systems that taxi companies use. In their simplest form the PBX will allow a number of telephone lines (typically 2 to 16 lines) to be routed through a small branch exchange that will allow a number of telephonist extensions to choose to answer any of the incoming calls.

The PBX must provide certain features that are often omitted by even the most popular makes. The first requirement is that the exchange must be equipped to communicate the trunk ringing data on either a serial interface or an IP detailed call reporting port. The trunk cards must recognise the caller ID on either the ISDN or Analogue lines that are connected to it. This can easily be demonstrated if the digital extensions display the number of the calling party.

The second requirement is that the PBX will report the callers ID in real time. Some exchanges are designed to only report the caller ID when the line is answered. This is very limiting as it does not allow the telephonist to pre-empt the call and prioritise which calls to answer on a busy night. This feature has an industry nickname it is called cherry picking.

The third important requirement is that the PBX must report again in realtime which extension has answered the call. This enables the taxi booking and dispatch software to then display the callers booking history and allow the telephonist to use this information to populate the new booking. This dramatically cuts down on the amount of typing that a telephonist has to perform.

The fourth requirement is a “nice to have” and that is that the exchange has call on hold reporting. What this means is if the call is placed on hold and transferred to another extension then the software can transfer any booking details to the new telephonist who has taken the call.

A fifth nice to have feature is CTI computer telephony integration which allows the software to direct incoming calls to extensions, this facilitates the telephonist using the mouse or keyboard to answer the call especially handy on a busy night when a headset is worn.

Navigator Metro taxi booking and dispatch software accommodates all these features and gives the telephonist a truly integrated experience on both single phone lines and complex PBX installations. The software can be downloaded free from: http://www.navigator-metro.com

It is also reviewed and has a forum thread on http://www.diplomat.co.uk/

Stewart Harding is the CEO of Navigator Software Systems Ltd.

Stewart Harding is the CEO fOR DIPLOMAT UK / Navigator-Metro.