Telephone switchboard operator vs answering service telephone operator

The differences between telephone switchboard operators and answering service telephone 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 telephone switchboard operator and an answering service telephone operator. Additionally, an answering service telephone operator has an average salary of $35,244, which is higher than the $30,681 average annual salary of a telephone switchboard operator.

The top three skills for a telephone switchboard operator include telephone switchboard, on-call schedules and customer service. The most important skills for an answering service telephone operator are customer service, appointment scheduling, and transferring calls.

Telephone switchboard operator vs answering service telephone operator overview

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Answering Service Telephone Operator
Yearly salary	$30,681	$35,244
Hourly rate	$14.75	$16.94
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	27,103	26,945
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 32%
Average age	53	53
Years of experience	2	2

Telephone switchboard operator vs answering service telephone operator salary

Telephone switchboard operators and answering service telephone operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Answering Service Telephone Operator
Average salary	$30,681	$35,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between telephone switchboard operator and answering service telephone operator education

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

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Answering Service Telephone Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Health Care Administration
Most common college	-	-

Telephone switchboard operator vs answering service telephone operator demographics

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

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Answering Service Telephone Operator
Average age	53	53
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.7% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.1% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between telephone switchboard operator and answering service telephone operator duties and responsibilities

Telephone switchboard operator example responsibilities.

Protect patient privacy by following HIPAA regulations, as well as maintaining confidential information within the hospital intranet.
Receive, answer and forward calls on a busy switchboard for doctors, attorneys and numerous businesses.
Work the operator switchboard answering incoming calls and place direct, third party, collect calls and provide customer assistance.
Monitor security equipment and train to contact APD when the situation call for it.
Maintain great customer relations with VIP arrivals

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

Telephone switchboard operator vs answering service telephone operator skills

Common telephone switchboard operator skills

Telephone Switchboard, 36%
On-Call Schedules, 21%
Customer Service, 11%
Direct Calls, 8%
Inbound Calls, 6%
Front Desk, 5%

Common answering service telephone operator skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Telephone Switchboard Operator
Telephone Switchboard Operator vs Answering Service Telephone Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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