# Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

> Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

- **SOC code:** 43-2011.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00
- **Also known as:** CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator), Communications Specialist, PBX Operator (Private Branch Exchange Operator), Switchboard Operator (SB Operator), Central Communications Specialist, Communications Operator, Information Specialist, Switchboard Receptionist (SB Receptionist)
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
- Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained.
- Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones.
- Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.
- Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
- Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
- Complete forms for sales orders.
- Relay or route written or verbal messages.
- Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash.
- Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(ability)_
- Speech Clarity _(ability)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Administrative _(knowledge)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(transferable_skill)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Telecommunications _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Word _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Windows _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Access _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Windows _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- IBM Notes
- M-Tech Hotel Service Optimization System HotSOS

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 74th percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 73rd percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 59th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 88th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 91st percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -26.3% growth (Declining); 2.8k annual openings; 36.6k → 27k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $38,370; 35,730 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 43% automation, 37% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 3.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. _(1.5% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules. _(0.5% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. _(0.4% of measured AI use; none)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
- Help me perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.
- Help me answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-2011-00_