Glossary
Telephone Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential telephone operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key telephone operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in telephone operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- 911 transfer
- Sending emergencies to dispatch.
- Average handle time
- Average call length.
- Call detail record
- Log of a call.
- Collect call
- Receiver pays.
- Communications assistant
- Relay operator.
- Confidentiality
- Keeping calls private.
- Console
- Operator workstation.
- Directory assistance
- Finding phone numbers.
- Operator-assisted call
- Call placed with help.
- Queue
- Calls waiting.
- Relay service
- Connects deaf and hearing callers.
- TRS
- Telecommunications relay service.
- TTY
- Text telephone.
- Verbatim
- Word for word.
- VRS
- Video relay service.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Telephone Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Telephone Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.