Will AI replace Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
Estimated risk score: 80 out of 100
Very high replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (61 to 99).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 19 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 43-2011.00 · Office and Administrative Support
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 15 of its 19 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
- Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred.
- Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately.
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.
- Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 4 of its 19 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Process incoming or outgoing mail, packages, or deliveries.
- Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash.
- Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones.
What the job is
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
Also called: Switchboard Operator (SB Operator), PBX Operator (Private Branch Exchange Operator), CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator), SB Operator, CBX Operator, Desk Operator, Test Operator, SB Receptionist.
Closest jobs we score by hand
In the same field (Office and Administrative Support). Different jobs, each scored by a person.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate