Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.

“Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.” is a core task performed by Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. Among the occupation's 19 rated tasks, workers place it 3rd by importance (#17 most important). About 95% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance. in Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Perform administrative or clerical activities. in Performing Administrative Activities

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E1. Direct exposure — a language model could plausibly cut the time to do this task by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 1.00. Automation potential label: T3.

How AI is actually used on this kind of task

The Anthropic Economic Index observes how people actually use AI on tasks like this one across millions of real conversations.

• 82% of that use is work-related
• Most common interaction: directive
• Average autonomy of the AI: 2.9 (1–5; higher = more autonomous)
• 98% of interactions still needed a human in the loop

Observed AI use describes people choosing to use AI as a tool on this kind of task today. It is augmentation and assistance, not a measure of jobs replaced.

Working with AI vs. handing it off

Of the AI conversations mapped to this task, the split between people working alongside AI and people delegating the task to it.

How people interact with AI on this task

Other tasks in this occupation

• Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address. · importance 4.7
• Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary. · importance 4.7
• Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts. · importance 4.7
• Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained. · importance 4.6
• Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones. · importance 4.6
• Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location. · importance 4.5
• Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness. · importance 4.5
• Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment. · importance 4.4
• Complete forms for sales orders. · importance 4.4
• Relay or route written or verbal messages. · importance 4.3
• Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash. · importance 4.2
• Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed. · importance 4.2
• Answer simple questions about clients' businesses, using reference files. · importance 4.2
• Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately. · importance 4.1

See all tasks on the Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-20427,
  title  = {Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-20427}
}