Telephone Switchboard Operator – 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m

Innovation At Work Inc; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Innovation At Work, Inc. is seeking a dependable Telephone Operator to provide on-site telephone and telecommunications support at the Kansas City VA Medical Center.

You will answer, process, and route calls for Veterans, visitors, employees, and healthcare providers with professionalism. Responsibilities include transferring calls, operating paging and emergency notification systems, and handling urgent situations per VA procedures.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 1–2 years of call-center, switchboard, telephone-operator, receptionist, or customer-service experience.
• Fluent English (read, write, speak).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Strong communication, customer-service, multitasking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to stay calm during emergencies and high-volume periods.
• Ability to obtain and maintain VA identification, suitability, security, and system access.

Responsibilities

• Answer incoming calls promptly and professionally.
• Identify caller needs and route calls to appropriate department or person.
• Operate VA telephone, paging, radio, alarm, and emergency-notification systems.
• Process emergency calls and alerts per procedures.
• Assist distressed callers or those in emergencies.
• Maintain call logs, messages, and service requests.
• Keep directories, pager lists, and electronic records accurate.
• Monitor equipment and report malfunctions.
• Protect Veteran, employee, and Government information.
• Follow HIPAA, privacy, security, safety, and VA requirements.
• Remain at workstation until relieved and complete required trainings.
• Provide weekend and holiday coverage as scheduled.

Skills

Customer service

Multitasking

Communication

English fluency

Medical terminology knowledge

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

Innovation At Work, Inc. is seeking a dependable Telephone Operator to provide on-site telephone and telecommunications support at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The employee will answer, process, and accurately route internal and external calls while providing professional service to Veterans, visitors, employees, and healthcare providers.

Availability

Rotating weekends and federal holidays required

Primary Responsibilities

• Answer incoming calls promptly, professionally, and courteously.
• Identify callers’ needs and accurately transfer calls to the appropriate department or individual.
• Operate VA telephone, paging, radio, alarm, and emergency-notification systems.
• Process emergency calls, Code Blue alerts, bomb threats, fire notifications, disaster communications, and other urgent situations according to established procedures.
• Assist callers who may be distressed, confused, threatening, or experiencing an emergency.
• Maintain call logs, alarm records, messages, service requests, and equipment-malfunction reports.
• Maintain accurate directories, call lists, pager lists, and related electronic records.
• Monitor telephone and communications equipment and promptly report malfunctions.
• Protect Veteran, employee, and Government information.
• Follow all HIPAA, privacy, security, safety, and VA requirements.
• Remain at the assigned workstation until properly relieved.
• Participate in required VA and company training.
• Provide coverage on weekends, federal holidays, or other tours when scheduled.

Performance Standards

• Maintain an average speed of answer of 10 seconds or less.
• Ensure no individual call rings longer than 30 seconds before being answered.
• Help maintain an average call-abandonment rate below 5%.
• Maintain accurate and professional call handling during routine and emergency operations.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• One to two years of call-center, switchboard, telephone-operator, receptionist, or customer-service experience.
• Working knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
• Ability to speak, read, write, and understand English fluently.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and electronic systems.
• Strong communication, customer-service, multitasking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to remain calm and professional during emergencies and high-volume periods.
• Ability to obtain and maintain all required VA identification, suitability, security, and system access.

This position is considered essential under VA disaster-readiness requirements.