What does a service operator do?
A service operator is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the callers' inquiries and concerns, depending on which business they are employed. Service operators process callers' requests by directing them to specific resources or coordinate with the appropriate person to resolve callers' issues. They also keep an organized record of resolutions for the business reference, as well as for immediate callbacks as needed. A service operator must have excellent knowledge of the industry they are working for, as well as impeccable communication skills to verify and address the callers' needs.
Service operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real service operator resumes:
- Manage incoming calls from patients and medical professionals by utilizing telephonic paging system and manual messaging.
- Train to be CDL certify by PVTA.
- Comply with HIPAA standards and procedures.
- Operate and drive commercial HAZMAT liquid nitrogen transports.
- Operate CDL trucks in a safe manner to and from location.
- Hang drywall, painting; install windows, plumbing, and walls.
- Place orders for customers in windows base system/assist customers with online order placement.
- Used HAZMAT training to clean hazardous materials such as oil, paint, gasoline etc.
- Rig up up/down transfer horse and ensure drains and air reliefs are install in proper places.
- Communicate using telephones, switchboards.
- Operate production line machinery and computers and troubleshoot production line machinery.
- Develop effective relationships with vendor support to troubleshoot and resolve problems.
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding HIPAA regulations.Communicate questions and issues to the team and supervisor.
- Register patients, schedule appointments, process referrals, verify insurance, forward messages to proper destination.
- Illistrate confidentiality of veterans when discussing concerns as it relate to medical treatments in compliance with HIPPA regulations.
Service operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Service Operators are proficient in Customer Service, Food Handling, and Emergency Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Customer-service skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Service Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 19%
Handled multifaceted clerical tasks (data entry, records management and customer service) assisting customers when having difficulty completing telecommunications.
- Food Handling, 18%
Set up dining rooms, sleeper cars, assist with food handling.
- Emergency Calls, 9%
Route emergency calls appropriately, including paging individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging and interoffice communication equipment.
- CDL, 7%
Obtained a Texas Class A CDL
- Inbound Calls, 4%
Processed inbound calls and provided internet based customer service; insured adherence to quality standards.
- Service Calls, 3%
Scheduled and tracked service calls within HelpStar application to maximize efficiency.
"customer service," "food handling," and "emergency calls" are among the most common skills that service operators use at work. You can find even more service operator responsibilities below, including:
Customer-service skills. Many service operator duties rely on customer-service skills. "representatives help companies retain customers by professionally answering questions and helping to resolve complaints.," so a service operator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways service operator responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "helped assist the service advisors by answering phone calls and scheduling appointments for customers. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for service operators to perform their duties. For an example of how service operator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "representatives should be able to create positive interactions with customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a service operator: "demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and professionalism when contacting over 250 alumni daily to update them on smu events. ".
Listening skills. service operator responsibilities often require "listening skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "representatives must listen carefully to ensure that they understand customers in order to assist them." This resume example shows what service operators do with listening skills on a typical day: "communicated company policy and provide alternative approaches to resolve customer issues as appropriate. "
Patience. A commonly-found skill in service operator job descriptions, "patience" is essential to what service operators do. Service operator responsibilities rely on this skill because "representatives should be patient and polite, especially when interacting with dissatisfied customers." You can also see how service operator duties rely on patience in this resume example: "included data entry, multi-tasking, typing, filing, customer service, patience, integrity, compassion, and professionalism"
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a service operator does. Service operator responsibilities require this skill because "representatives must determine solutions to customers’ problems." This resume example highlights how service operator duties rely on this skill: "handled and resolved customer complaints while providing excellent customer service. "
The three companies that hire the most service operators are:
- Halliburton89 service operators jobs
- Ryerson24 service operators jobs
- ISS A/S23 service operators jobs
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Compare different service operators
Service operator vs. Receptionist/customer service
Receptionists or customer service professionals are considered as the first contact point of the clients. They usually greet and welcome guests visiting an office or organization. These are employees who serve as administrative or office support. They take responsibility for digital communication. It is their job to coordinate the front desk activities such as redirecting phone calls and distributing correspondence. They should be equipped with skills like attention to detail, dependability, and communication skills.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a service operator are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "emergency calls," "cdl," and "preventative maintenance." On the other hand, a job as a receptionist/customer service requires skills like "phone calls," "data entry," "front desk," and "credit card payments." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, receptionist/customer services reach similar levels of education than service operators. Receptionist/customer services are 2.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Service operator vs. Central communications specialist
A central communications specialist is in charge of overseeing the public and media relations of an organization. Although their duties may vary upon their company or industry of employment, it usually involves handling media requests and press releases, developing newsletters and press kits, facilitating communication lines with clients, and coordinating with media partners and advertising agencies. Moreover, in some companies, a central communications specialist may also participate in utilizing social media and other web platform strategies to raise brand awareness and public interest.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real service operator resumes. While service operator responsibilities can utilize skills like "food handling," "emergency calls," "cdl," and "service calls," central communications specialists use skills like "data entry," "administrative tasks," "traffic flow," and "sops."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Central communications specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than service operators. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service operator vs. Switchboard operator, receptionist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from service operator resumes include skills like "food handling," "cdl," "service calls," and "preventative maintenance," whereas a switchboard operator, receptionist is more likely to list skills in "greeting visitors," "data entry," "front desk," and "direct calls. "
When it comes to education, switchboard operators, receptionist tend to earn similar degree levels compared to service operators. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Service operator vs. Switchboard operator assistant
Types of service operator
Updated January 8, 2025
