Telephone system adapted to telemarketing

A telephone method for automatically identifying an item for purchase to a merchandising agent provided with a telephone station set and an information display means, the method comprising the steps of:

• assigning a plurality of telephone directory numbers to the telephone station set;
• in a storage medium, storing a product information in association with each of said telephone directory numbers;
• in response to an incoming telephone call to one of said directory numbers, connecting said incoming telephone call to said telephone station set and communicating an indication of said directory number to the information storage medium;
• transmitting the information associated with the directory number from the information storage medium to said information display means;
• and
• displaying the associated information whereby the merchandising agent is automatically informed as to the item for purchase in association with the incoming telephone call.

A telephone switching system including a switching network being connected with a central office trunk, a PBX trunk, and at least one telephone station set, and comprising:

• an information display device physically adjacent the telephone station set and being connected to the switching network for receiving display data therefrom;
• an information server connected to the PBX trunk and being responsive to indictions of any of a plurality of predetermined extension directory numbers for providing associated information via the PBX trunk;
• and
• a call controller for connecting direct inward dialled calls identifying one of the plurality of perdetermined extension directory numbers to the telephone station set, for communicating an indication of said directory number to the information server, and for connecting the PBX trunk via the switching network to the information display device.