This occupation is part of the Office and Administrative Support cluster
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About the Job
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
It is also Called
- 411 Directory Assistance Operator
- Bilingual Operator
- Central Office Operator
- Change Number Operator
- Charge Operator
- Customer Service Assistant
- Customer Service Representative
- Directory Assistance Operator
- Directory Operator
- Emergency Operator
What They Do
- Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
- Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, and/or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
- Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
- Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
- Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
- Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
- Calculate and quote charges for services such as long-distance connections.
- Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
- Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
- Consult charts to determine charges for pay-telephone calls, requesting coin deposits for calls as necessary.
Interests
People who work in this occupation generally have the interest code: CSR.
This means people who work in this occupation generally have Conventional interests, but also prefer Social and Realistic environments.
Work Values
People who work in this occupation generally prize Relationships, but also value Support and Independence in their jobs.
Things They Need to Know
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
- Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Things They Need to Be Able to Do
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Education Required
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Wages
In 2012, the average annual wage in California was $40,430 with most people making between $23,250 and $58,730
Outlook
During 2010, this occupation employed approximately 3,000 people in California. It is projected that there will be 2,700 employed in 2020.
This occupation will have about 0 openings due to growth and about 80 replacement openings for approximately 80 total annual openings.
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