Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Office and Administrative Support
Calls come in and go out through switchboards, intercoms, two-way radios, or public-address systems, and the operator routes them, takes messages, or pages the right person. Visitors are logged in, given security badges, and matched with an employee escort. The same desk may watch emergency alarms, make announcements, or send urgent calls to the right place. Some posts also collect payments, make deposits, or manage petty cash. The work suits people who like sitting at a switchboard, listening closely, and switching quickly between callers, visitors, and alerts.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$38'630
Median Wage Market Position
$38'630
What you might do
- Answer incoming calls and transfer them
- Take messages and reword them for clarity
- Greet visitors and issue security badges
- Monitor alarms and route emergency calls
- Page people when a call is waiting
- Collect payments and make bank deposits
Skills that matter
- Close listening on every incoming line
- Brief greetings and clean call transfers
- Messages rewritten for clarity and brevity
- Pages and relays to the right person
- Visitor logs, badges, and employee escorts
- Emergency alarms heard and calls routed
AI & the future of this role
Routing calls, taking messages, and directing inquiries are already heavily automated by phone menus and virtual assistants. Remaining live coverage may center on edge cases, but the core relay-and-record workload looks highly vulnerable.
Does Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service fit your values?
Take the free LostInCareer assessment to see personalized matches based on your core values—not just a personality label.
Related careers
Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details