State of Maryland

A Telephone Operator I is the intermediate level of work operating a telephone switchboard to answer, screen and direct incoming calls, assist in placing outgoing calls and provide basic information about the agency.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive moderate supervision from a Telephone Operator Supervisor or other clerical or administrative supervision.  Employees in this classification may be assigned to day, evening, night or rotating shifts, which may include weekends and holidays.  Employees may be subject to call-in.  The work requires handling a heavy volume of calls.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Telephone Operator I and the Telephone Operator II are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Telephone Operator I performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Telephone Operator II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Receives incoming telephone calls and transfers the call to the appropriate person or extension number;

Provides callers with general information about the agency or facility such as its hours of operation and address;

Places long distance, local and interagency calls in accordance with individual requests and agency policy;

Prioritizes multiple calls so that emergency calls and situations are responded to immediately;

Maintains accurate and up-to-date records of long distance and other outgoing calls;

Maintains accurate and up-to-date phone numbers of offices and persons at the assigned agency or facility;

Accepts and conveys messages from callers to specified individuals;

May greet, announce and direct visitors;

May use other basic communication devices to contact security, maintenance, medical and other staff;

May report problems with communication equipment to designated repair persons;

May review telephone bills to verify consistency with records;

Performs other related duties

Ability to learn and apply the techniques and practices used in the operation of telephone switchboards;

Ability to learn the basic agency operations, agency employees and their telephone numbers and locations;

Ability to effectively handle heavy volume of calls through a telephone switchboard;

Ability to maintain telephone directories and logs of long distance and other calls;

Ability to provide callers with basic information about agency or facility operations;

Ability to prioritize calls, quickly assess the urgency of calls in emergency situations and exercise sound judgment under stressful conditions;

Ability to communicate clearly and courteously when operating switchboards or other communication equipment;

Ability to follow instructions.

Education:   Completion of the Eighth grade.

Experience: None.

Note: Candidates may substitute experience performing Telephone Operator duties on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department of agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit B- Administrative, Technical and Clerical classes.  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.