Building Professionalism & Effectiveness

This busy PSAP and dispatch center serves 12 cities in one Midwest US state and is staffed by 52-full-time dispatchers (plus 7 supervisors), who communicate with 12 police departments 13 fire departments, and 3 ambulance services.

The center answers nearly 177,000 9-1-1 calls and dispatches approximately 319,000 police and fire calls. According to the center’s operations director, Impact 360 for Public Safety plays an especially important role in enabling them to reconstruct entire events - from medical emergencies to major storms. This enables both the center and first responders to understand how events unfolded, determine best practices and processes, and identify areas where improvement is needed. 

Providing First Responders with the Information They Need

The center’s management is especially focused on maintaining a high level of professionalism and providing first responders with all of the information they need en route to a scene. Using Impact 360 for Public Safety, the center’s supervisors review a half dozen of telephone and radio recordings each week to ensure that call handlers verify information about callers and events and transmit that information correctly to first responders. Supervisors pay careful attention to call handlers’ tones and techniques as they talk to callers and first responders. They correlate this information with call outcomes and also use the recordings to address member agencies’ concerns. They also use review recordings to determine the types of calls that are most difficult for handlers to manage. And they share this intelligence with the center’s staff, using it to drive coaching and training and enhance scripts and procedures. 

A Collaborative Approach to Performance Improvements

On a regular basis, supervisors conduct one-on-one recording review sessions with the center’s call handlers for individualized training. Together they review recordings, with training assigned for various types of calls. Supervisors also use recordings, played over loudspeakers, to conduct group debriefings following significant events. These sessions enhance the learning process for the entire group and enable them to more easily identify best practices and target areas for improvement. 

A Key Role in Criminal Investigations and Legal Proceedings

The center frequently uses its Impact 360 recordings in legal proceedings, with dispatchers testifying in court as to specific events and providing recordings as evidence of what occurred. The center’s recordings are also used regularly by the police departments that it serves, providing valuable information for criminal investigations.

Find out what Impact 360 for Public Safety can do for your emergency communications or command & control center. Contact Verint today.