Telephone Operators
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $25K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $29K
Median Salary: $37K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $48K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $58K
Demand
Core Tasks
Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
Calculate and quote charges for services such as long-distance connections.
Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
Consult charts to determine charges for pay-telephone calls, requesting coin deposits for calls as necessary.
Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
Provide relay service for hearing-impaired users.
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate.
Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
Update directory information.
Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
92%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language
85%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Telecommunications
66%
Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Communications and Media
62%
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Clerical
55%
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Transportation
48%
Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Education and Training
47%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Administration and Management
46%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Geography
44%
Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Computers and Electronics
41%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation
75%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
65%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking
60%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
60%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Complex Problem Solving
55%
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination
53%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring
53%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management
50%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
90%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension
85%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity
83%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
78%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension
65%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Selective Attention
63%
The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Problem Sensitivity
60%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning
58%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Finger Dexterity
58%
The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Inductive Reasoning
58%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Top 10 Work Activities
Interacting With Computers
89%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
86%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
80%
Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Getting Information
76%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
75%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
75%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Documenting/Recording Information
72%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Processing Information
70%
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
68%
Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Developing and Building Teams
66%
Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Detailed Work Activities
Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information.
Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
Assist individuals with paperwork.
Assist disabled or incapacitated individuals.
Operate communications equipment or systems.
Discuss account status or activity with customers or patrons.
Calculate costs of goods or services.
Sort mail.
Proofread documents, records, or other files to ensure accuracy.
Promote products, services, or programs.
Enter information into databases or software programs.
Maintain call records.
Work Context
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Deal With External Customers
How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
Education
Interests
Conventional
96%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
62%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising
58%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Realistic
58%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Artistic
19%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Investigative
15%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Top 10 Work Styles
Stress Tolerance
99%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Dependability
97%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity
97%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Adaptability/Flexibility
94%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Self Control
94%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attention to Detail
92%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation
92%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Independence
86%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Achievement/Effort
82%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Concern for Others
81%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Work Values
Relationships
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence
43%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Achievement
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
