Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Median salary

$38,630

Average salary

$42,300

Employment

34,280

Projected growth

26.3% decline

Annual openings

2,800

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Do

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Administrativeimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
Telecommunicationsimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.8/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 2.7/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Telephone Conversations5.0/5
Contact With Others5.0/5
E-Mail4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.5/5
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Bailiffs96% skill match
Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks96% skill match
Public Safety Telecommunicators96% skill match
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys96% skill match
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop96% skill match
Cashiers96% skill match
Animal Control Workers95% skill match
Psychiatric Aides95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.6/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.5/5
Persuasionimportance 2.4/5
Negotiationimportance 2.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

IBM Notes
M-Tech Hotel Service Optimization System HotSOS

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cooperation
Social Orientation
Attention to Detail
Self-Control
Integrity
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
RealisticMedium
EnterprisingMedium
SocialLow
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where switchboard operators, including answering service make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).