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Telephone Operators: Job Description

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.

What Tasks Do Telephone Operators Take On?

The day-to-day responsibilities of telephone operators span:

• 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.
• Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
• Update directory information.
• Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
• Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
• Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective telephone operators rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Top Knowledge Areas

Related Job Titles

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

• 411 Directory Assistance Operator (411 Directory Assistance Op)
• Central Office Operator (CO Op)
• Change Number Operator (Change Number Op)
• Charge Operator (Charge Op)
• Communications Operator (Communications Op)
• Customer Service Assistant
• Directory Assistance Operator (Directory Assistance Op)
• Directory Operator (Directory Op)

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 886,197 telephone operators working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +3.3% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Telephone Operators Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$53,949
Hourly median	$25.94
10th percentile	$33,007
25th percentile	$43,478
75th percentile	$64,420
90th percentile	$74,891

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Pay by State

State	Annual median salary
California	$56,770
New York	$53,510
Hawaii	$52,160
District of Columbia	$47,890
Massachusetts	$46,370
Maryland	$41,220
New Jersey	$40,770
Connecticut	$40,620
Michigan	$40,300
Ohio	$38,110
Kentucky	$38,100
Wisconsin	$37,830
Oklahoma	$37,400
Texas	$36,800
Georgia	$36,510
South Carolina	$36,160
Pennsylvania	$36,040
Louisiana	$34,050
Puerto Rico	$27,410

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for telephone operators vary by region. The following regions pay the most:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Far Western US	$49,510	9.5%	0.82
Middle Atlantic	$43,170	39.9%	2.01
New England	$40,620	1.1%	0.74
Great Lakes	$38,635	9.2%	1.14
Southwest	$36,835	24.9%	1.74
Southeast	$36,350	14.3%	1.47
Other U.S. Territories	$27,410	1.1%	1.29

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Telephone Operators

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	CA	$52,990	70
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	NY	$51,390	380
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	MA	$46,370
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	DC	$44,400	90
Worcester, MA	MA	$43,760
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	TX	$43,680
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	GA	$42,440	50
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	MD	$41,220	70

Industry Breakdown

The largest employers of telephone operators are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Health Care and Social Assistance	2,170	$39,030
Information	380	$47,760
Accommodation and Food Services	360	$36,910
Management of Companies and Enterprises	80	$49,140
Educational Services	80	$39,090
Retail Trade	70	$37,710
Finance and Insurance	60	$35,550

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tech Stack

• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

Work Environment

Daily working conditions for telephone operators is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Telephone Conversations
• Contact With Others
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Education and Training

Entry-level telephone operators positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Computer Network Support Specialists (Supplemental)
• Cashiers (Supplemental)
• Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (Primary-Long)
• Telemarketers (Primary-Short)
• Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service (Primary-Short)
• Billing and Posting Clerks (Supplemental)
• Customer Service Representatives (Primary-Short)
• File Clerks (Supplemental)

Sources

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 43-2021.00 (Telephone Operators).