Working as an Operator
    • 12 Feb 2025
    • 4 Minutes to read
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    Working as an Operator

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    Article summary

    Operators assigned to a Department are able to interact with callers in real-time, answering questions and offering assistance efficiently.

    Let's take a look at working as an Operator in Dialpad.

    Who can use this

    Agents can work as an Operator once they have been assigned to the Department by their Admin.  

    Answer a call

    To answer a Department call, you'll need to set your status to Active. 

    Operators list showing active status and contact information for AeroLabs San Francisco.

    Answer calls from within the Dialpad app, or by using the floating notification — simply click Answer and you'll pick up on behalf of the Department.

    Incoming call interface showing options to answer or decline the call.

    Departments ring out to Operators based on the routing rules set by the Department's Admin(s). If no Operator answers, the call gets moved into the hold queue or a fallback option.

    Keep in mind that you cannot block a number as an Operator; only an Admin may block a number for a Shared Line.

    Call waiting

    If enabled by your Department Administrator, Department lines can feature call waiting. All Operators must be busy in order for a call waiting to appear. You'll have the following options:

    • Answer: Puts the first caller on hold while you interact with the second

    • Merge: Joins both first and second caller on an active call

    • Decline: Sends your second incoming call directly to your voicemail

    Click the desired option and Dialpad will take care of the rest. 

    Incoming call notification for Sofia Chang at AeroLabs, with options to answer or decline.

    Note

    Answer-Merge is currently only available through your desktop app.

    Place a call

    Operators can place calls using the Department's number instead of their own direct number.

    To call from a department number:

    1. Select Make A Call (that's the phone icon)

    2. Click the drop-down menu beside your name

    3. Select the desired Department's number

    4. Both primary and secondary numbers belonging to this Shared Line can be used to place outbound calls

    That's it, you're good to go! Enter the phone number and complete the call. 

    Your caller ID will remain set as that department until you change it again.

    Call recording

    If enabled by the Admin, Operators in a Department can stop and restart a call recording.

    If the call is automatically being recorded, you'll see a 'Stop admin rec' icon at the bottom of your call bar. 

    • To stop the recording, select Stop rec in the call recording banner

      A user interface showing a live call with options to stop recording.

    • To restart the recording, select Record

      User interface showing a live call with options to record and manage calls.

    Transfer call

    Operators can transfer calls to another Shared Line or person.

    1. Select Transfer

    2. Enter a name or number to transfer the call to
      Transfer options for Kristen Carlel to Sofia Chang with action buttons displayed.

    3. Select Ask First or Transfer Now

    Recipients of a transferred call will have the option to answer or decline.

    When a call is transferred between multiple Departments, the incoming transfer will display only the Department name that the call is being directly transferred from, not the details of previous transfers. 

    Notes

    Calls can only be warm transferred to a Contact Center or a Department if they already have an assigned number.

    Calls cannot be transferred to Off Duty operators.

    Tips

    Transfer now

    When an operator makes a blind transfer to another available operator on the same Department, the call goes straight to that operator and keeps the same Department line settings.

    When an operator blind transfers a call to another operator in a different Shared line (Contact Center, Coaching team, Department or Main line), the call will follow the settings of that Shared line. If the receiving operator is unavailable, the call will go to that Shared line's voicemail.

    Ask first

    When an operator makes a warm transfer to another available operator on the same Department line, the call will keep the Department line's settings. But when warm transferring to a different Shared line (Contact Center, Coaching team, Department or Main line), the call will follow the settings of the receiving Shared line.

    Send a message

    Operators can send and receive messages from the Department they're assigned to.

    During an active call, type your message into the text box and press enter to send.

    A chat interface showing a live call and a message about a rate sheet.

    Search contact

    Search for a known caller who's contacted your Department.

    From the Dialpad app, select Search

    Enter a name or number and you'll see a color tag and department name. 

    Contact list for Claudia Aguirre with various roles and contact details displayed.

    Department inbox

    Department inbox displays the hold queue, live calls, Operators, new notifications, missed calls, voicemails, all notifications, recordings, interactions flagged as spam, and faxes.

    AeroLabs San Francisco interface showing messages, calls, and department details.

    Hold queue

    Operators can see a list of all calls awaiting an Operator to pick up and how long callers have been on hold for.

    From the Dialpad app, select Hold Queue.

    AeroLabs San Francisco interface showing no callers in hold queue and contact details.

    Select Refresh to update the view at any time. 

    Ask your Department Admin to customize the hold queue.

    Enable email notifications

    To enable your Department email notifications, head to your Admin Settings from Dialpad.com 

    1. Select Departments

    2. Select the desired Department 

    3. At the top of the page, choose how you'd like to receive notifications in addition to the types of notifications this Department shares with you.

    AeroLabs San Francisco CA department settings with notification options for voicemails and faxes.

    Operators must enable or disable email notifications manually; the setting depends on each Operator, not what a Department Admin selects.

    Active status 

    Use your Active toggle to determine if you want to allow inbound calls on your Department's line. 

    When you are set as Active, you can receive inbound Department calls. If your Active toggle is off, you'll only receive inbound calls on your personal line, not the Department. 

    Operators list showing active status and contact details for AeroLabs San Francisco.

    Personal working hours

    Set your Personal Working Hours to ensure that you don’t accidentally receive a call on your Department’s line outside of your work day. When enabled, your status automatically updates and prohibits inbound calls to your individual line, your mainline, and any Departments that you are assigned. 


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