Telephone Operators Are No Longer Needed: Here’s Why
If you’re looking for a phone number anymore, forget calling 441 or the operator. According to a notice posted by AT&T, there is a reason why we will no longer…
If you're looking for a phone number anymore, forget calling 441 or the operator. According to a notice posted by AT&T, there is a reason why we will no longer need operators to man the 411 number and to be quite honest, when's the last time you used it.
With new technology, there just doesn't seem to be a need any longer for a service that maybe 20 to 30 years ago was so valuable. A job that called for a relaxed, yet clear and concise speaking voice...but those days will soon be gone all together.
The Mike & Carla Morning Show actually put out a call for those that did perform the job as "operator" whether it be on a national level or even local working at a hotel. The job it self seemed to be quite interesting from those that we talked to. The numbers customers would ask for and some of the information some thought they could get if indeed they call 411.
However, beginning sometime later this month, as mentioned above, according to a notice by AT&T, customers with digital landlines will no longer be able to dial 411 or 0. Now this isn't really surprising since just a couple of years ago, AT&T ended operator services for cell phones.
For other carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and other major carriers, they still offer the service, but for there is a fee.
Did you know that operator services like 411 have been around for 100 years, so why are they ending now? An AT&T spokesperson said, "Nearly all of these customers have internet access to look up this information." So basically what they're saying that you really don't need an operator anymore because you can just GOOGLE IT yourself.
In 2021, there were fewer than 4,000 telephone operators, down from a peak of 420,000 in the 1970s. But there ARE still people who call the operator. In 2019, the FCC estimated that 71 million calls annually were placed to 411. So see...we still might just need this service! But you need to hear what happened when The M&C Morning Show call 411 this morning...just take a couple of minutes and listen to the segment from this morning and enjoy!
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