Telephone switchboard operator vs exchange operator

The differences between telephone switchboard operators and exchange 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 exchange operator. Additionally, an exchange operator has an average salary of $31,600, 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 exchange operator are emergency calls, telephone calls, and PBX.

Telephone switchboard operator vs exchange operator overview

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Exchange Operator
Yearly salary	$30,681	$31,600
Hourly rate	$14.75	$15.19
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	27,103	27,129
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	53	53
Years of experience	2	2

Telephone switchboard operator vs exchange operator salary

Telephone switchboard operators and exchange operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Exchange Operator
Average salary	$30,681	$31,600
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between telephone switchboard operator and exchange operator education

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

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Exchange Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Telephone switchboard operator vs exchange operator demographics

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

	Telephone Switchboard Operator	Exchange Operator
Average age	53	53
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3%
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, 14.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between telephone switchboard operator and exchange 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

Exchange operator example responsibilities.

Dispatch engineering assistance request using the HotSOS program.
Train and monitor new hires daily PBX process and operations.
Initiate email and phone hotline to quickly troubleshoot clients' trading issues.
Monitor transactions in the AML and OFAC screening queues for potential suspicious activity.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.

Telephone switchboard operator vs exchange 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 exchange operator skills

Emergency Calls, 31%
Telephone Calls, 26%
PBX, 18%
Foreign Exchange, 18%
Two-Way Radio, 7%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Telephone Switchboard Operator
Telephone Switchboard Operator vs Exchange Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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