How to become a telephone operator
Official title: Telephone operator
Also called: Answering service operator, Emergency service dispatcher, Telephone operator (private exchange), Telephone operator (telephone exchange), Telephone switchboard operator (private exchange), Telephone switchboard operator (telephone exchange), Telephonist, Answering service operator, Emergency service dispatcher
Telephone operator operates telephone communication switchboards and consoles to establish telephone connections, receive caller inquiries and service problem reports, and record and relay messages to staff or clients.
Main tasks
- Operating switchboards and consoles to connect, hold, transfer and disconnect telephone calls
- Making connections for outgoing calls
- Dealing with telephone inquiries and recording messages
- Forwarding messages to staff or clients
- Investigating operating system problems and informing repair services
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $30,276 a year. The middle half earn $22,680 to $43,740 a year.
- Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Medical/Dental receptionist
- Travel consultant/reservation executive
- Receptionist (general)
- Hotel receptionist
- Passenger services agent
- Customer service officer/clerk
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Questions people ask
How much does a telephone operator earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $30,276 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $22,680 to $43,740.
Will AI change the work of a telephone operator?
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026