Phone operator vs pbx operator

The differences between phone operators and pbx operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a phone operator and a pbx operator. Additionally, a phone operator has an average salary of $30,289, which is higher than the $29,942 average annual salary of a pbx operator.

The top three skills for a phone operator include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for a pbx operator are customer service, patients, and emergency codes.

Phone operator vs pbx operator overview

	Phone Operator	PBX Operator
Yearly salary	$30,289	$29,942
Hourly rate	$14.56	$14.40
Growth rate	-4%	-
Number of jobs	87,484	30,866
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	53	53
Years of experience	2	2

What does a phone operator do?

The primary job of phone operators is to help customers by answering questions, providing information, and transferring calls. They handle special billing requests from customers such as credits or refunds for bad connections or incorrectly dialed numbers and third-party charges. They may also handle emergency calls and aid children or people with disabilities to make phone calls. Other tasks of phone operators include calculating and quoting charges for services, operating telephone switchboards, and monitoring automated systems for collect calls placement.

What does a pbx operator do?

A PBX operator is an individual who works in an office environment and is responsible for answering incoming calls and transferring calls to other individuals within the organization. PBX operators are required to provide excellent customer service and must handle basic questions of customers, such as hours of operation, directions, and direct phone numbers for individuals and departments. They should know how to use the private branch exchange switchboard that can include new connections for long-distance and transmit messages. PBX operators must also perform various tasks such as typing, checking, and recording information.

Phone operator vs pbx operator salary

Phone operators and pbx operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Phone Operator	PBX Operator
Average salary	$30,289	$29,942
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $36,000	Between $24,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Colusa Casino Resort
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between phone operator and pbx operator education

There are a few differences between a phone operator and a pbx operator in terms of educational background:

	Phone Operator	PBX Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Phone operator vs pbx operator demographics

Here are the differences between phone operators' and pbx operators' demographics:

	Phone Operator	PBX Operator
Average age	53	53
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between phone operator and pbx operator duties and responsibilities

Phone operator example responsibilities.

Manage incoming calls from patients and medical professionals by utilizing telephonic paging system and manual messaging.
Answer phone calls for att and directv
Up sell customers to DirecTV bundles as well as internet, cell phone service, long distance and home phone service.
Illistrate confidentiality of veterans when discussing concerns as it relate to medical treatments in compliance with HIPPA regulations.
Up sell customers to DirecTV bundles as well as internet, cell phone service, long distance and home phone service.

Pbx operator example responsibilities.

Manage incoming calls from switchboard and delivery of accurate messages to appropriate individuals in timely manner
Process all guest reservations including guest follow up obtaining all necessary information and accurately entering it into computer system.
Utilize the features of the PBX consoles, headsets, telephones and other relate equipment.
Direct call to guest rooms, staff, or departments through the switchboard or PBX system.
Deliver patient messages, up holding HIPAA standards, and perform special projects assign by multiple departments.
Operate a multi-line telephone console system, alerting system and TDD system for the deaf and hearing-impair.

Show more

Phone operator vs pbx operator skills

Common phone operator skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Phone Calls, 13%
Telephone Calls, 9%
Front Desk, 4%
Computer System, 4%

Common pbx operator skills

Customer Service, 21%
Patients, 18%
Emergency Codes, 7%
Reservations, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
Phone Calls, 5%

Phone Operator vs. similar jobs

Phone Operator related careers

Phone Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z