Answering service telephone operator vs call center operator

The differences between answering service telephone operators and call center operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an answering service telephone operator and a call center operator. Additionally, an answering service telephone operator has an average salary of $35,244, which is higher than the $31,022 average annual salary of a call center operator.

The top three skills for an answering service telephone operator include customer service, appointment scheduling and transferring calls. The most important skills for a call center operator are strong customer service, patients, and data entry.

Answering service telephone operator vs call center operator overview

	Answering Service Telephone Operator	Call Center Operator
Yearly salary	$35,244	$31,022
Hourly rate	$16.94	$14.91
Growth rate	-	-4%
Number of jobs	26,945	215,083
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	53	53
Years of experience	2	2

Answering service telephone operator vs call center operator salary

Answering service telephone operators and call center operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Answering Service Telephone Operator	Call Center Operator
Average salary	$35,244	$31,022
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $52,000	Between $22,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Vacaville, CA
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between answering service telephone operator and call center operator education

There are a few differences between an answering service telephone operator and a call center operator in terms of educational background:

	Answering Service Telephone Operator	Call Center Operator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	-

Answering service telephone operator vs call center operator demographics

Here are the differences between answering service telephone operators' and call center operators' demographics:

	Answering Service Telephone Operator	Call Center Operator
Average age	53	53
Gender ratio	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between answering service telephone operator and call center operator duties and responsibilities

Answering service telephone operator example responsibilities.

Protect patient privacy by following HIPAA regulations, as well as maintaining confidential information within the hospital intranet.
Maintain great customer relations with VIP arrivals

Call center operator example responsibilities.

Manage confidential documents and records with strict compliance to HIPAA.
Manage patient's records and make sure they are protected under the HIPPA laws.
Page all Dr's and staff when need.
Comply with HIPAA regulations at all times.
Create daily reports to monitor patient census, food allergies and nutritional plans.
Oversee scheduling, re-scheduling, and input appointment information into the systems EMR.

Answering service telephone operator vs call center operator skills

Common answering service telephone operator skills

Customer Service, 38%
Appointment Scheduling, 12%
Transferring Calls, 12%
Two-Way Radio, 10%
Switchboards, 9%
Computer System, 7%

Common call center operator skills

Strong Customer Service, 50%
Patients, 10%
Data Entry, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Phone Calls, 4%
Telephone Calls, 3%

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Answering Service Telephone Operator
Answering Service Telephone Operator vs Call Center Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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