HOW (FAST) CAN I HELP YOU - TONE OF VOICE AND TELEPHONE OPERATOR EFFICIENCY IN INTERACTIONS

This study examined how tone of voice related to directory assistance operators' speed at handling customer calls. Brief (5-s) audio exerpts of telephone operator conversation were presented to judges who rated these on 5 personality dimensions and 5 vocal qualities. When these m easures were correlated with a key measure of job performance, namely call duration, results showed that operators who were faster at handli ng calls were rated as significantly more enthusiastic, sympathetic, c onfident, professional, and friendly (average r = -.56). The voices of faster operators were also rated as significantly more changing (vs. monotonous) and as containing clearer (vs. slurred) pronunciation. Res ults are discussed in terms of the role that tone of voice plays in te lephone operator-customer interaction, and telephone interactions more generally.