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.
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
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.
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.
Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
Consult charts to determine charges for pay-telephone calls, requesting coin deposits for calls as necessary.
Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
Provide relay service for hearing-impaired users.
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.
Work Context
Telephone — 100% responded "Every day".
Spend Time Sitting — 99% responded "Continually or almost continually".
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People — 96% responded "Every day".
Contact With Others — 98% responded "Constant contact with others".
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 94% responded "Extremely important".
Deal With External Customers — 85% responded "Extremely important".
Frequency of Decision Making — 95% responded "Every day".
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 74% responded "Extremely important".
Interacting With Computers — 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 — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
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.
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.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
