Speaking Clock: Why are people still dialling for the time? At
the third stroke, the Speaking Clock will be 75 years old. But
why in an era of laptops and mobiles do many people still get
the precise time from a recording of a well-spoken woman? Time
is inescapable - it's there in the flick of a wrist, push of a
mobile phone button and glance at a computer screen. You could
argue there is no real need to pick up a landline and dial 123
to hear BT's Speaking Clock and be charged 31p for doing so. But
the service still receives 30 million calls each year, with
demand peaking on four very time-sensitive days. People want to
celebrate New Year at precisely the right time, they like to
double check when the clocks have gone either forward or
backward, and they want to ensure they start their two-minute
silence at exactly 11am on Remembrance Day. Anecdotally, it is
also rather popular just before five o'clock, when call-centre
staff are desperate to avoid picking up a 20-minute call from an
irate customer. The Spea