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Telephone Operators

$38.33K Median Salary 400 Job Openings (Annual Projection) -25% Job Growth

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About This Career

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.

Reported Job Titles

411 Directory Assistance Operator, Directory Assistance Operator, Information Specialist, Live Source Operator, Long Distance Operator (LD Operator), Telecommunications Operator, Telephone Operator, Toll Operator

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Skills You'll Need

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Abilities

Oral Expression

Oral Comprehension

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Written Comprehension

Selective Attention

Problem Sensitivity

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service

English Language

Telecommunications

Communications and Media

Skills

Active Listening

Speaking

Service Orientation

Social Perceptiveness

Critical Thinking

Reading Comprehension

Technology Skills

Operating system software

Presentation software

Spreadsheet software

Helpdesk or call center software

Electronic mail software

Video conferencing software

Office suite software

Word processing software

Tools

Premise branch exchange PBX systems

Special purpose telephones

Photocopiers

Paging controllers

Typewriters

Alarm systems

Laser printers

Laser fax machine

Digital telephones

Phone headsets

Desktop calculator

Personal computers

Two way radios

Abilities

Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service: 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: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Telecommunications: Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Skills

Active Listening: 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: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.