Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

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

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Complete forms for sales orders.

• Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.

• Perform clerical duties, such as typing, proofreading, accepting orders, scheduling appointments, and sorting mail.

• Stamp messages with time and date, and file them appropriately.

• Answer simple questions about clients' businesses, using reference files.

• Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity and conciseness.

• Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred.

• Relay and route written and verbal messages.

• Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones.

• Monitor alarm systems in order to ensure that secure conditions are maintained.

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Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

• Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

• Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

• Job training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

• Examples: These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Svp range: (4.0 to < 6.0)

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Knowledge

Browse 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.

• Clerical
  Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• 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.

• Public Safety and Security
  Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Telecommunications
  Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

• Education and Training
  Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

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Skills

Browse 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.

• 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.

• Speaking
  Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Service Orientation
  Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Learning Strategies
  Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Social Perceptiveness
  Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Writing
  Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Instructing
  Teaching others how to do something.

• Coordination
  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Speech Clarity
  The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

• 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.

• Near Vision
  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Written Comprehension
  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• 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 there is a problem.

• Category Flexibility
  The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

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Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
  Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

• Getting Information
  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
  Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

• Processing Information
  Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

• Assisting and Caring for Others
  Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

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Work Context

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Spend Time Sitting
  How much does this job require sitting?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
  How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

• Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
  How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?

• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
  How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?

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Interests

Browse Interests

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

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Work Styles

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

• Concern for Others
  Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

• Integrity
  Job requires being honest and ethical.

• Self Control
  Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Stress Tolerance
  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

• Social Orientation
  Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

• Independence
  Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Moral Values
  Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

• Activity
  Workers on this job are busy all the time.

• Independence
  Workers on this job do their work alone.

• Supervision, Human Relations
  Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.

• Working Conditions
  Workers on this job have good working conditions.

• Support-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

• Company Policies and Practices
  Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.

• Supervision, Technical
  Workers on this job have supervisors who train their workers well.

• Security
  Workers on this job have steady employment.

• Working Conditions-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

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