Secrets of a Directory Assistance Operator
Do You Want to Know a Secret?
I worked for a major telco as a 411/directory assistance operator, and boy did I learn alot. You would be surprised at some of the things people do without realizing who's on the other end... Taking millions of calls just might cause a person to change their view of society.
We Really Can "Hear You Now"
The sound quality is awesome on our end. The operator can not only hear you very well, they can also hear whispers at a distance. We get tons of crank calls from kids playing on the phone. One of my first, involved a girl being egged on to razz me. I could clearly hear the other party at the top of the stairs whispering at her what to say, so i repeated it to let them know that I knew, that quickly shut the call down.
Secret #1: Be careful what you say when on the phone. The operator can hear much better than you think. If you knew how well your voices carry, you'd be more aware when calling in.
One is the loneliest number
Skip tracers are a particular menace to most 411 operators. These odious people spend all day tracking down folks to harass them on the phone. They would utter the dreaded "I'd like two verbal listings," the reason for this is they want to squeeze more numbers out of the rep, so they can make more money. Isn't two better than one?
Secret #2: The general public may not know this, but you can get two listings per call instead of just one. You can also ask for a verbal listing to make sure you get the correct number. Operators hate doing this, but you have the right to get what you pay for.
Lost and Found
One of the most rewarding things about the job was helping to find runaways. When you're in this job for awhile, you tend to learn the ins and outs of locating people. I still remember the call from a woman who was looking for her son. He was 15, and had run away from home, she thought he might have gone to a city in Florida. I asked her some details about him: What did he like, his hobbies, and his beliefs. Now, that's important because this child was found when I gave her the number to a Greek Orthodox Church in Florida. A week later I heard back from her that she had been reunited with her son based on the information I found. I'm still proud of that call.
Secret #3: Experienced operators can help you find your loved ones. Think: Driver license centers, Churches, schools, hobbies etc. I once found someone in a comic book shop. Whenever a runaway lands in a new location, they usually keep the same habits, which can be successfully used to find them. This last tip could save a life.
After taking millions of calls, i finally hung up the headset. Yet the many people i helped, and the stories i shared along the way stay with me, in the satisfaction of a job well done.
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