Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately.80
• Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.75
• Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred.75

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.65
• Perform administrative tasks, such as accepting orders, scheduling appointments or meeting rooms, or sending and receiving faxes.65
• Relay or route written or verbal messages.60

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.20
• Process incoming or outgoing mail, packages, or deliveries.20
• Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.25

Task exposure values and classifications are published, versioned estimates audited against the anchored rubric. This page reads them from the data release rather than generating them at request time. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 49 puts Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in the most-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this high is about the mix: 4 of 19 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 9 augmentable, and 6 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

Shown only when the target is at least 10 points lower under the same score version and skill overlap is at least 50%. These are adjacent roles with lower task exposure — not guaranteed “safe careers”.

Labor-market context

• $38,630median wage
• 34,280employed
• 2,800annual openings
• -26.2%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Telephone Operators 65
• Receptionists and Information Clerks 49
• Office Clerks, General 52
• Customer Service Representative 56
• Telemarketer 63
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance 50

How this score was calculated

FAQ — Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Will AI replace Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?

This score cannot predict whether this occupation or any individual job will be replaced. It shows which tasks current and near-term AI can perform or accelerate, which tasks remain more durable, and where a worker can adapt. Employer decisions, demand, regulation, and how the role changes are outside the score.

What does a score of 49 mean for a Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?

It means that, weighted across the 19 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 49 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the most-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately; Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules; Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred. Exposure comes from the published, rubric-scored data release rather than being generated when you open this page.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location; 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. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.