Dispatchers today face massive challenges and struggles that only contribute to an already stressful environment. In fact, 91.6% of dispatchers surveyed view their job as highly stressful(1). This is attributed to a host of internal and external stressors that have plagued the industry with a very high turnover rate of 35.66%, according to a 2018 report on employee turnover by the American Ambulance Association(2). Dispatchers across the country are overworked and dispatch centers are understaffed, making proper training a critical issue. But how do you recruit and train the next generation of dispatchers when your command center software doesn’t resemble the digital experiences they encounter in their personal lives? Having the right dispatch console solution in place can make all the difference. Let’s explore what the dispatch console of the future should look like to help curb the stress relating to this profession.
Immediate Access to Critical Features and Functionality
The dispatch console of the future should be designed so that the most frequently used features and critical functions are located right where they need to be, rather than hidden in poorly designed navigation menus. That way, no matter how pressure-packed the call becomes, dispatchers can keep their focus on what matters. No more struggling through complicated menus – the streamlined user experience of the dispatch console of tomorrow will help minimize mistakes and eliminate confusion.
Fully Customizable User Interface
The dispatch console of the future should have the flexibility to be fully customizable to an agency’s unique operational workflows and as adaptable as the dispatchers themselves. Dispatchers should be able to interact with the console via touch, type or click, ensuring that it works for them, not the other way around. It should have robust customization features like colors, icons, alerts and tones to customize the experience with identifiers that have established meaning within the agency. It should be customizable for any workflow and designed to be adaptable to tackle everyday use, large scale events, off-site or remote operations, and fire or EMS specific dispatching. All of this means that the customizable dispatch console of tomorrow will lower the learning curve for new hires and ensure a smooth transition for existing dispatchers, giving them the flexibility to have a console that truly represents their operations.
Connect Across Different Communication Platforms
The dispatch console of the future should be able to seamlessly communicate and connect across multiple types of communication platforms simultaneously. When the task at hand evolves and requires a more coordinated response from neighboring agencies and other public utilities, dispatchers need the freedom to get work done and communicate confidently without being limited by the technology of existing dispatch console systems.
Access to New Innovative Features without Disrupted Operations
The dispatch console of the future should put dispatchers in control of the updating process. It should be fast and as easy as they experience in their personal life. Updates should be downloaded without requiring a specialist to be on site, taking only minutes or seconds instead of days. If administrators are not satisfied with the intended outcome, they should be able to quickly and easily roll back to an earlier release. The dispatch console of the future should not only provide enhancements and updates to existing feature sets of the console but also the most innovative capabilities available so public safety professionals know they are always dispatching with the best.
Unified Workflows Across Applications
Today, dispatchers face an epic battle of finding, coordinating and communicating valuable information to and from the field across as many as nine different siloed applications. This forces dispatchers to find unique workarounds such as swiveling their console chairs back and forth between applications, learning to use a mouse with their left hand and taking notes with pen and paper. The dispatch console of the future will simplify dispatcher’s workflows as the incident unfolds across a fully integrated suite of applications. The console will provide a consistent user experience across applications and provide dispatchers the ability to break the digital divide between disparate applications through innovative hardware and software integrations.
THE FUTURE IS HERE TODAY
The good news is that the future is closer than you think. Not only are the capabilities and features outlined above not hypothetical, they are, in fact, being developed for the new CommandCentral AXS dispatch console launching in March of 2020 with future plans for additional capabilities. CommandCentral AXS is the result of Motorola Solutions’ tireless quest to understand how dispatchers work. Our user experience design team conducted more than 5,000 hours of in-field observation of call takers and dispatchers across the world. The output of these research sessions resulted in a user experience design that improves ease of learning and leverages modern design patterns and in-application tools to assist in streamlining workflows. In addition, CommandCentral AXS reduces costs associated with training and helps eliminate new user frustration and burnout.
Your agency can have the dispatch console of the future, today.
Check out www.motorolasolutions.com/CommandCentralAXS to learn more.
Experience the Future of Dispatch Communications, Today!
Watch the CommandCentral AXS demonstration video:
Sources:
1: https://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2014/06/17/stressful-jobs/3.html
