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Article:

12 Jobs on the Brink: Will They Evolve or Go Extinct?

Find Out If Your Job is on the Endangered Occupations List

Switchboard operator: The end of the line?

The voice prompting us to push buttons and recite the "last four" of our "Social" used to be a live person sensitive to our manners.

Voice recognition has made the phone operator nonessential and probably happier in some alternate universe where "please" and "thank you" are as common as YouTube videos.

Verdict: Extinct. Some of us still speak kindly to the automated voice, in case an actual operator or our mother overhears us. But many of us just repeatedly punch "0" for Customer Service in hopes of venting to a real human once again.

 

  • Heather Dugan

    Heather Dugan is a freelance writer/photographer and voice-over/on-camera talent with an international business clientele who specializes in spotlighting the inspiring and often humorous elements of business, family and travel. Her articles … Read more...