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Telephone Operators
Telephone Operators 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.
Table of Contents
Job description
Telephone Operators 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.
- 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.
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Salary
Telephone Operators with little to no experience tend to make between $23160 and $28290 while the more experienced ones can earn over $49520 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| NY | $23 | $48,270 |
| DC | $21 | $44,150 |
| HI | $21 | $44,040 |
| CT | $21 | $44,010 |
| VA | $21 | $43,480 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Telephone Operator is to move to a higher paying state like NY. Right now, the highest paying states for Telephone Operators are NY, DC, HI, CT and VA.
However, a higher pay at NY doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at NY might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Telephone Operator is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Telephone Operators what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by less than a High School Diploma.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
NAPros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Telephone Operator.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes to follow routines |
| Suitable for people who values relationships between co-workers and customers and wants to work in a friendly non-competitive environment |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
| It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career. |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally |
| Salary is below average |
| Demand for this career is declining |
What is the job like
66% of Telephone Operators said they were satisfied with their job and 48% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas..
They also like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.
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Related career information
Telephone Operators job description, Telephone Operators salary, Telephone Operators information, what is the job of a Telephone Operator like, pros and cons about Telephone Operators, colleges and universities for Telephone Operators, is Telephone Operators the right career for me, careers in Office and Administration
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