Bat phone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A bat phone is a common business euphemism for a private telephone number that is handled at a higher priority than a public line. The name derives from Commissioner Gordon's secure line to the "Batphone" in the 1960s-era Batman television show. The "bat phone" is the phone that gets answered after hours, or the number that does not make the caller wait on hold or navigate through cumbersome voice menus, or the number that rings straight to high-level management or technicians without having to be escalated from the front lines.
Bat phones are common in many industries. The phone numbers are typically given to key customers so that they may reach important individuals in case of emergencies or critical situations. Bat phones can also provide direct access to politicians or notable people.
Bat phones often shield technical personnel from receiving telephone calls except from people who are likely to report technical problems rather than solicit technical tutoring. Typical Internet service providers offer a selection of Internet services that range from dial-up access to secure web server hosting. Customers using the secure web hosting facility would be given access to a 24-hour bat phone for prompt resolution of technical issues, while dialup customers seeking technical support would be required to wait on hold and/or call only during business hours.
[edit] In popular culture
On the TV show Entourage, Jeremy Piven's character, Ari Gold, often refers to his Palm Treo 650 as "The Batphone."
[edit] References
- MSNBC.com "Telemarketers call Bloomberg's secure "bat phone", January 10, 2007
- Producers of the Real World, The Real Cancun Film Facts (page 3 describing production crew's bat phones)
