Back in the dim and distant days when dotcoms were getting funding, based on some crazy business models, there were various schemes for linking domain names to telephone numbers. It seems that none of these has prospered.
Today’s invention is simply to replicate the concept behind domain names (words are more convenient than digits), to make it easier to call a company. Those organisations who discourage contact by telephone or even email, eg Microsoft Corporation, are generally to be avoided, in my experience.
A web-enabled phone (what other sort is there?) allows the user to key in eg “ibm.com”. The message is relayed, by the phone company server, to the ibm server which then sends the numeric contents of a small file eg ibm.phonecontact back to the phone which automatically dials the number.
Even so, you’ll still probably end up talking to a machine or someone with no stake in the company…
