If you’re looking for a career in the contact center industry, the realm of public safety - or any other industry, for that matter - a great place to start your job search is at a career fair.

Career fairs bring together companies who are actively recruiting new employees with job seekers who just might be the perfect fit. But with so many different companies and such a large crowd of job seekers at each one, they can be overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve put together a guide to making the most out of your career fair experience. By following these steps before and during the career fair, you’ll have a much higher chance of standing out and being memorable – and that will improve your chances of landing the job.

Do your research.

In the days before the job fair, do some in-depth research on the companies that will be there. You should learn enough about each one to be able to converse knowledgeably with the recruiters about their company as well as their industry. An applicant who is obviously interested and informed will stand out from the crowd. It also helps because you can skip over basics (“What does your company do?”) and immediately go in-depth (“So your company does ______. Is it looking to become involved in _____?”). If you aren’t going to take the time to do a quick search on a company, recruiters won’t be interested.

Come up with a 30-second commercial.

Also known as an elevator speech, this is the short, succinct sound bite you’ll use to introduce yourself to each recruiter, so you want to ensure that it is snappy, memorable, and paints an accurate picture of your skills and strengths. Choose at least three aspects of your personality and/or work ethic that you want to highlight (teamwork, great at thinking on the spot). Spend some time tweaking this until you’ve got it just right – you’ll be glad you did when your introduction differentiates you from the all the rest.

Make your resume shine.

Recruiters will head home with a mile-high stack of resumes after a career fair so make sure yours is one they'll remember and look for first in the pile. It should be well written and reflect your experience, education, and skills. Depending on the industry visuals can be just as important in determining whether it gets read at all. Make sure yours stands out in a positive way ! Don’t forget to bring enough copies so you have enough to distribute two each recruiter you meet.

Look and act the part.

It goes without saying that you should dress in your best business attire when at a career fair. But not only should you look your best, you should also act in a way that reflects the best possible version of yourself. If you like to crack jokes, don’t hide that part of your personality; instead, be sure to do it at the appropriate moment and without being offensive. You could showcase your love for fashion by wearing a bold lipstick or statement necklace. Convey a positive attitude and look people in the eyes and smile as you offer them a firm handshake. Your demeanor will help make you memorable. And remember, they’re people too! Asking them how they are, what they love about their job, and why they chose a certain industry help make the conversation memorable.

Prepare a few intelligent questions for each company.

Ask the recruiter about his or her take on industry-relevant news and ask for details on their corporate culture. You can even take the next step and ask them directly where they see your specific skills fitting into the company. Going that extra mile and coming prepared with questions will also help you stand out from the crowd.

While showing that you are prepared is important, asking questions is really about vetting companies for yourself and discovering if it’d really be a good fit for you. Think about what is the most important to you as far as career, responsibilities, and company culture and base questions around them. Questions can revolve around the following:

These questions and more can help you filter out companies that would work well for you and those that just don’t hit the mark. Instead of saying yes to every offer that comes your way, you can decisively say yes to those that will be the best fit for you.

Hold a mock conversation

Have a family member or friend pretend to be a recruiter for a specific company. Prep them with notes on the company (so they can answer your questions) and provide them a list of questions you anticipate being asked (so you can practice). To get a feel for the day, dress in appropriate attire, carry your briefcase and/or padfolio with resumes, and act as if you are first meeting them. Have them offer points on whether you made good eye contact, if the handshake was too firm or lackluster, and critique the way in which you responded (including physical reactions like gestures). Take these notes and work on them. You’ll feel more prepared for the actual event.

Maximize the opportunity.

Yes, career fairs can be exhausting – there are long lines to wait in, many different people to speak to, and all while trying to show off your best self to recruiters. But if you’ve already made the effort to show up prepared, then finish the marathon by taking advantage of every single opportunity you’re presented with. Wait in those lines, even if they seem daunting. Put your best foot forward at each new introduction, even if you’ve already spoken with many others. Make sure to gather business cards so that you can follow up with each person you meet. That way, when you leave for the day, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it your very best and that doing so might just have landed you the job.

Career fairs are full of like-minded individuals who are all seeking one thing: A job. Therefore it’s important for you to take every step to ensure that you are seen as an ideal candidate, enough to make a recruiter want to call you to continue with the hiring process. Presenting you well, showing a genuine interest, and a friendly personality are staples in gaining interest for yourself as a potential job candidate!

A significant amount of time, attention, and money is invested in training a call center workforce to handle calls appropriately and provide outstanding customer service. From recording calls for quality assurance to implementing employee-training programs, contact center supervisors understand the importance of constant improvement as they strive to present their company in the best possible light. With all this focus on agent performance, however, another aspect of a customer’s call center experience falls by the wayside: the music or messages they hear while on hold.

What the customer hears while waiting can have a meaningful impact on their perception of the overall call experience. Call centers should strive to provide the same level of customer service during wait times as they do when a customer is speaking with a representative by taking the following dos and don’ts into consideration.

Do prepare callers while they wait on hold.

Time spent on hold is usually perceived as wasted time. Change that perception by playing a recorded message reminding customers on hold to have their account number handy or their payment information readily available. If customers use this time to gather necessary information, they will not only  feel time has not been wasted, but will help make the rest of the call a smoother experience.

Don’t tell them you’re busy.

If your recorded message repeatedly states that your agents are busy helping other customers, those on hold will not feel valued. Customers on hold already know why they’re waiting; there’s no need to remind them. Instead, thank them for waiting and remind them that their time and business is greatly valued!

Do entertain customers on hold.

Depending on your customer base, this can mean playing appropriate music or playing entertaining recorded messages. Tailor your messages to your brand’s image, telling relevant stories or even jokes. Try giving a how-to explanation or sharing some helpful tips. The more you capture a customer’s attention, the less time they will feel they’ve been on hold.

Don’t repeat messages on a loop.

Repeating the same 60 or even 300 second-long message on a loop only emphasizes to a customer how long they’ve been waiting and increases their frustration each time it repeats. Aim to have a recording last only four minutes. If a customer has been through the entire rotation and the message begins to repeat, then it’s a signal they’ve been on hold for a while. This could also help improve customer service by training dispatchers to not let customers wait too long.

Do tailor music to the situation.

Rather than using the same music for anyone on hold, vary the tunes for each different situation. Slower music with a beat that matches the resting heart rate is perfect for calming upset customers calling to complain while faster music can help spark excitement in a customer waiting on a sales line. Your system will need to be set up so your dispatchers can select the appropriate music selection. If you don’t have a system with these capabilities, then choose music that best fits your brand. Surfboard company? Play some beach-inspired tunes. Winery? Opt for music that makes customers feel as if they’re strolling through a vineyard or enjoying a nice champagne outside a Paris bistro.

Don’t leave customers on hold in silence.

Worse than annoying music or repeating recordings is simply silence. Customers become uncertain when on hold, wondering if they’ve been forgotten, and silence only reinforces that doubt, making them worry they may have been disconnected. The best you can do for your customers is to play some type of recording, even if it is a melody that alerts them they are still connected.

Do answer FAQs in recorded messages.

If you provide enough helpful information in your on-hold messaging, you may end up answering your customers’ questions before their call is ever answered, thus freeing up their time as well as your call center workforce’s time. It could also help a customer formulate more questions to ask a dispatcher, ensuring that they understand the most about their situation. Now is also a good time to market (“Did you know our _______ was voted #1 in ______” or “At _________ we value…”) and reinforce your brand to your clients.

By putting these seven tips into practice in your call center’s on-hold recordings, you can make your customers’ perceptions of their wait more positive, which will lead to a better customer experience overall.

While every different job comes with its own set of required skills and talents, the work of a 911 dispatcher is unique. So when a PSAP supervisor interviews job applicants, it’s especially challenging.

Public safety answering point professionals must be trustworthy, reliable, thoughtful, alert team players who can learn from their mistakes and remain calm in extremely stressful situations. Those traits are difficult to ascertain from just one interview.

So we’ve compiled a list of some interview questions PSAP supervisors can use to get a feel for how well any given applicant would do as a 911 dispatcher, along with guidelines as to which answers reflect the best fit.

1. Why do you want to be a PSAP dispatcher? Listen carefully here for honesty, as well as a real understanding of what it means to be a dispatcher. If the applicant says it’s for the money, they probably aren’t your best candidate! But if they know it’s a difficult job, and look forward to the challenges in order to be able to help people, you’re on the right track.

2. Have you done anything to prepare yourself for this job? Being a 911 agent means constantly learning, both through formal training and through on-the-job experience. If a candidate has taken the initiative to take some courses on their own, or has even done a sit-along with an agency, you’ll know they are willing to devote themselves to that continued learning.

3. Describe a time when you became very upset, but had to recover quickly.  It will be very helpful to know how applicants handle themselves in stressful situations, and how quickly they can work through personal emotions in order to take care of business. Find out exactly how candidates calmed themselves – someone who is aware of the means they used to recover is more likely to be able to use that skill again when necessary.

4. How would you try to control a conversation with an upset caller? You don’t want to hire someone who will try to bully their way through emergency calls; instead, look for people who say they would talk more slowly and deliberately, or break their instructions down for the caller into even tinier steps than usual to get them started.

5. What do your friends and family think about you applying for this job? Not only will the answer to this question give you insight into the way a person’s family views their talents and abilities, but it will also let you know what kind of support system each candidate would have in place if they were to be hired. If someone’s entire family is against the idea, they may not end up sticking with it long-term.

6. You’re working alone when you get a call reporting a heart attack at the same time as a call for help from an officer. What do you do, in what order, and why? There’s not necessarily a correct or incorrect answer here, but the candidate should be able to quickly come up with a plan, and then explain thoughtful reasons for each step taken. This will demonstrate their ability to think quickly and clearly under pressure.

Asking questions like these will enable you to see which qualities the candidates each bring to the table, and which would be most likely to succeed long-term at this career.

Just as in any workplace, public safety answering points come with their own unique set of problems and sources of employee friction. But in the high-stress environment of a PSAP, these issues are often magnified, causing high rates of turnover.

In order to make your PSAP run as smoothly as possible, and avoid common workforce problems, it’s a good idea to put preventative measures in place before these issues need addressing. But even if you’re already experiencing friction in your 911 dispatch center, taking the bull by the horns and committing to tackling the problem head-on will go a long way towards restoring calm.

To help, we’ve come up with some suggestions for solving common PSAP workforce problems.

1. Unclear responsibilities off the phone

When dispatchers are on the phones, they know exactly who does what, and in what order. But when it comes to other office responsibilities away from the phones, sometimes it’s not as clear-cut. Gather your employees and lead a discussion where everyone shares their understanding of the role they play in the PSAP. Everyone is responsible for contributing to a positive work environment, no matter what their job description.

2. Poor communication skills

Internal communications within a PSAP can be the source of much unintentional and avoidable friction. Hold a training session for your staff about being careful in their communications, and considering how the receiver of their message might interpret their words. Those sending messages should be as clear as possible, and those receiving them should ask for clarification rather than jumping to conclusions. Avoid expressing your frustrations in messages because we need to remember that everyone is doing their part the best they can. No need to bring someone else down, or stress them out, because you are frustrated.

Stressed male call center operator

3. Resistance to change

If change is forced upon people with little or no explanation, it’s natural for them to resist. However, if you involve your PSAP workforce in the decision-making process, allowing them to give input, and then fully explain the need for any changes, they will be much more likely to cooperate. The result reaction will be a lot more cooperative if you ease your workforce into all the changes. You could even hold workshops or training sessions and work with them through the changes so that there isn't any confusion and they know what is expected.

4. Lack of accountability

It’s important for an environment of mutual trust and respect that all employees be held to the same standards, and be held accountable for failing to live up to them. In cases of chronic tardiness, sick leave abuse, skipping meetings, and other negative behaviors, supervisors need to make sure that consequences are enforced, so that those who do follow the rules don’t feel taken advantage of. As supervisors, it is important that you lead by example and keep up with your own standards. This way, your employees will feel completely equal and will help motivate them to keep up with your standards as well.

contact center call

5. No conflict resolution process

If PSAP employees experience a conflict, and there is no official process in place to help them resolve it, it may fester and grow until it affects the work environment significantly, leading to high turnover. Institute a conflict mediation process in which those affected are encouraged to talk out their differences in the presence of a group of trained peers, in order to work through the problem before it is magnified. When a conflict arises, try to deal with it immediately and figure out how the conflicts begin so they can be avoided next time.

6. Problems not being addressed

It’s a common complaint that people know something is a problem, and yet never do anything to address it. Sometimes that’s because of an assumption that this is just the way things are in a PSAP. But by acknowledging that something is a real problem for your employees, such as stress or negativity, and then actively looking for a way to mitigate that problem, you will gain the appreciation and gratitude of your employees. Make sure that you are considerate and accommodating with your teams so that if they do have problems, your team members feel comfortable coming to you with them.

Avoiding these 6 problems in your PSAP takes work and dedication, both on your part and that of your employees. Setting a few guidelines in from the very beginning may help you avoid many of the conflicts. But in the end, the payoff will be well worth it, when your public safety answering point is running smoothly with no employee friction.

 

Policemen and other public safety officials put their lives on the line every day as they work to protect the public. Their bravery and heroism in the face of danger is what makes it possible for citizens to go about their daily lives with a reasonable assurance of safety.

We often hear daily and seasonal public safety tips from the police and fire departments, warning us about possible dangers and advising us as to how we should handle them in the safest manner possible. But how often do citizens think about the safety of the police?

In the normal course of duty, members of the police force are exposed to violent offenders and armed suspects, so pulling someone over for a speeding violation might not seem very dangerous in comparison. But there are several factors that make traffic stops potentially dangerous for the police. Not knowing who is behind the wheel of the stopped car is the first. It may simply be a careless driver, but it’s also very possible that it could be an armed – and frightened – criminal.

The second factor making traffic stops dangerous for the police is the fact that they occur in traffic. Walking on a highway or busy street, even if it’s on the shoulder, is a risky practice. A slight swerve from a passing driver can be fatal. And if the driver of the stopped car decides to make a run for it once the policeman is approaching on foot, he might just hit the policeman, whether on purpose or by accident.
In order to protect policemen from dangers such as these, we’ve assembled a few safety tips they can keep in mind at traffic stops.

 Approach the car on the passenger’s side.

It’s customary for police to approach a stopped car on the driver’s side – and everyone knows it. So if a driver is preparing to try something, he’ll be expecting the police to appear at his window. Approaching on the other side gives the policeman the element of surprise – while at the same time affording him protection from the traffic speeding by.

Avoid sitting in the driver’s seat.

Sitting in the driver’s seat for an extended period of time to run license checks or write a ticket gives the driver of the stopped car an advantage – he knows the policeman will be distracted and occupied for a while, and he knows exactly where he’ll be, in case he wants to try anything. Instead, policemen can try standing behind the stopped car to write the ticket, or even sitting in their passenger seat. If their computer configuration forces them to sit in the driver’s seat, keeping a watchful eye on the driver of the stopped car is essential.

Turn the patrol car’s wheels to the left when parking.

By stopping with the wheels turned to the left, policemen can shield themselves from being hit by their own car. If a passing motorist rear-ends the police car, having the wheels turned in this manner should help it avoid hitting the policeman and the stopped car, as it veers to the left instead of straight ahead.

Search in pairs

If you are required to search a car, make sure you do so always with another officer on scene. You’ll need someone to keep you safe as you search and, if necessary, keep the vehicle occupant in proper custody. Utilize the strictest precautionary measures when conducting a search: Shine a light in dark areas for potentially hazardous materials, relocate the vehicle to a safer area for inspection, and keep an eye on the vehicle occupants in case they try to go back into the car for a weapon.

Know your surrounding an environment

This tip is especially necessary when pulling a vehicle over. Will you be in a lighted parking lot? Is there a lot of activity around? What natural shields are available (trees, concrete barriers) in case the situation goes sideways? Knowing where you are and choosing an ideal location to pull a car over will ensure your safety and that of others, especially if dealing with a not-so-willing individual.

Hands up!

Asking someone to put their hands up to see if they have a weapon is crucial. But it serves a second purpose, too. Someone can easily attack you with his or her hands when you aren’t looking. Even if you don’t require them to keep them at eye level, make sure you keep them in your sight. Be prepared to defend yourself if they fight back by having a hand close to your taser or gun.

When dispatching police officers to a scene, make sure you have all information possible to give to them. This includes information regarding the location, number of individuals involved, reported weapons, and a summary of the situation. Do not send them in blind! If possible, speak with your local law enforcement to find out what your dispatch center can do to make the officers’ job easier—and safer—before going into the field. Just as the police look out for our safety, we’d like to help look out for theirs. Our hope is that these tips will help just a little to increase the safety of these heroes who devote their lives to protecting us.

 

(Image: Anne Kitzman/Shutterstock.com)

How environmentally friendly is your contact center? Going green is smart not only because it helps the planet, but also because it can save your contact center money. A plan to reduce waste and get the most possible out of every resource is a vital part of any good business strategy, but it’s easy to focus on the big things, forgetting that the little things add up, as well. We’ve put together a few tips to help your contact center workforce whittle away at your carbon footprint - and save you a significant amount of money in the process.

Place more recycling bins than trashcans in your contact center

If throwing paper in the trash requires a walk down the hall but there are several recycling bins right nearby, which are your contact center employees more likely to choose? Strategic placement of recycling bins is key to encouraging your workforce to place their paper trash there. Also include recycling bins in the cafeteria and/or break room for plastics, cans, and bottles. Encourage your employees to trash as few items as possible.

Use the paper from those bins for printing internal documents.

Rather than using a new ream of paper every time you print or copy internal documents that won’t be seen by anyone outside the contact center, use the scrap paper in the recycling bins. You’ll use up the paper to its full capacity before sending it off to be recycled. Speaking of, make sure your staff recycles!

Give call center agents their own personal tablet for note taking

It might be a big cost initially, but your company will benefit in the long run. Save on office supplies like pens and paper by giving each agent a tablet. They can take and retrieve notes with ease. Their notes can also immediately be uploaded onto the company’s cloud and into a private folder, meaning that the agent can access the notes wherever they may be. And the ability to share means no need to make endless copies that some individuals will no doubt lose.

Store data in the cloud.

Instead of using file cabinets or desk drawers to store folders full of documents, make use of the cloud or secure company servers to save data. It’ll be easier to retrieve when needed, and save on paper ink, and toner. Plus you won’t have to keep buying more file cabinets every time you run out of space in your old ones!

Use paper clips instead of staples.

Not only will this do away with all the hassles of staple removal, but it will also help tighten your office supply budget, since paper clips are reusable. Not ready to give up stapling? Invest in one that cuts the paper and binds it together, much like a staple would.

Opt for more natural lighting.

If you can, choose natural lighting sources for your office space. Not only does it reduce the need for manmade lighting, it also keeps electricity costs low and improves employee happiness. Open the blinds or (if feasible) install large windows.  Installing larger windows not an option? Consider the source: Look into green ways to power your business. Install solar panels to power your lights, computers, and more.

Schedule green teambuilding activities.

Have your employees take part in planting trees or flowers, cleaning up local parks, or adopting a stretch of highway. Not only does this give your employees the opportunity to help the local environment but gives them an opportunity to spend time outside the office while working together for a common goal. Turn it into a competition by dividing the employees into two groups. Whoever collects the most trash/recycling (in weight) wins!

Invest in permanent kitchenware for your break room.

Rather than providing paper cups, plates, and utensils for your contact center workforce, buy a set of permanent kitchenware and simply add dishwashing supplies near your sink. Provide cloth towels instead of paper towels for general clean up as well. Encourage your staff to participate by putting a sign near the sink with facts about plastic ware waste (and remind them to clean up after themselves!).

Provide water in water coolers rather than water bottles.

Encourage employees to bring a reusable water bottle from home or to use a mug or cup for water, rather than disposable plastic bottles. Instead of a water cool, you could also install a fountain that serves both for drinking purposes and as a refilling station. Plus, it will count up and show you how many plastic bottles your company saved since its installation!

Each one of these simple tips can help you save money in your contact center, while at the same time doing something good for the environment. Using resources more efficiently doesn’t have to be hard, and that’s as true when going green as it is in workforce management. If you’re looking for a way to increase the efficiency of your contact center workforce, look no further than KOVA’s Enterprise Workforce Optimization Solutions. Contact us today to find out how we can tailor a plan to fit your contact center’s needs.

It’s a well-documented fact that dispatchers at 911 call centers can experience much the same negative mental health effects of helping others during emergencies as first responders like EMTs and police officers do. They are just as susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder if their need for psychological support is not met.

Fortunately there are steps that public safety answering point dispatchers can take to boost their overall emotional health and relieve some of the stress inherent in their jobs. Making therapeutic lifestyle changes means time spent helping victims of emergencies is balanced with time spent in positive, calming activities, thereby helping to reduce instances of PTSD and other ill effects.

Get More Exercise

One of the most beneficial lifestyle changes a PSAP agent can make is to increase the amount of regular exercise he or she gets. Not only does exercise relieve physical tension but it also boosts “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. Just as importantly, exercise and its physical results increase self-esteem, and can give people a sense of personal control. Having a sense of control is important in the face of all that a 911 dispatcher can’t control in their jobs. Even one 30-minute walk per day can make a difference in overall happiness.

Spend Time Outdoors

There’s just something about getting outside into nature, and soaking up the sunshine and fresh air that can boost anyone’s spirits. Research has shown that time spent outdoors in nature truly does have a calming effect on people, increasing their overall sense of well-being and even improving cognitive functions. For PSAP agents, riding a bike, going fishing, or even gardening in the backyard can all provide much-needed time letting nature work its magic. And when a dispatcher spends the entirety of their working day indoors, a little visit with Mother Nature couldn’t hurt.

Volunteer in the Community

Sometimes 911 dispatchers can begin to feel that nothing they do makes a real difference; the emergencies keep coming, no matter how many people are helped. Spending some time regularly volunteering in their community is a great way for them to feel that they are making a difference because giving them back some sense of control. They can also see changes being made the more they volunteer and with each project they can complete. As a dispatcher they don’t always know how the calls end, which can cause feelings of distress or uneasiness. As an added bonus, they’ll reap the benefits of the “helper’s high” experienced when doing good for others.

Seek Out Social Support

It’s important that public safety answering point agents don’t think they have to deal with the psychological effects of traumatic calls on their own. Feeling that they can share their experiences and emotions with others is a vital part of strong, resilient emotional health. 911 dispatchers should be encouraged to talk with other dispatchers, family members, and friends about the stresses of their job, and work to strengthen these social relationships whenever possible. The stronger a person’s support network is, the better they will be able to handle trauma.

Consider Meditation

There are a handful of benefits to meditation, or an induced mode of consciousness. These benefits include stress reduction, an increase in self-awareness, increased happiness, and improved concentration. Meditation can easily be done at home without any formal training; a quick search online pulls up helpful articles and videos that can teach one how to meditate. Taking time to meditate can improve an individual’s wellbeing overall. When the time comes to help someone in need, a dispatcher will have the prepared mindset to handle the situation.

Have Fun

Finally, nothing can help relieve stress quite like doing something you enjoy, just for the fun of it. Whether it’s a night out on the town, doing a fun activity with the kids, or taking an interesting new class, 911 call center agents should be encouraged to go out, let loose, and have fun doing the things they love. Looking forward to fun can act as a shield against too much negativity – and the positive feelings that will result will help them through the rough patches in their workdays.

No matter what activities a dispatcher enjoys, taking time for such activities should be encouraged by the call center. Not only will it improve overall health and happiness but work performance too!

While 911 is a nationwide phone number, the policies governing its use vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some towns allow citizens to call 911 for any incident requiring police, fire, or medical assistance, while others restrict its use to true emergencies.

But regardless of the policies in place, there are certain dos and don’ts that always apply when calling 911. Some people never had a proper 911 education while growing up, so some don't know the proper dos and don'ts of calling 911. As a service to PSAP dispatchers - to enable them to focus on real emergencies and get help where it’s needed as quickly as possible - we’ve put together a list of emergency communication tips the public should do and should not do when dialing 911.

1. Don’t call 911 except in case of real emergencies

Even if non-emergency calls are allowed in your jurisdiction, too many of them clog up the phone lines and prevent public safety answering point agents from dealing efficiently with true emergencies. Only call 911 for serious medical problems, life-threatening situations, fires, and crimes in progress. For all other situations, such as crimes where the suspect is already gone, or accidents that only involve property damage, call the police at their regular 7-digit number.

While it isn't illegal to prank call 911, a prank call to 911 could be taken over a phone call for an actual emergency, which could result in a delayed emergency response to the scene of the crime or accident, and could potentially result in death for the victim.

2. Do stay on the line if your call is answered by a recording

If all lines are busy, you may hear a recording when you call 911. Don’t hang up and call back, though – this will cause you to lose your place in the line, and you will have to wait even longer. The system is programmed to hold your call and automatically route it to the next available PSAP agent, so staying on the line is your best bet for quick help.  

3. Don’t hang up if you dial 911 by mistake

Instead, stay on the line and explain to the PSAP dispatcher that you called by accident. Otherwise, you’ll be placing an extra burden on the PSAP, as they are required to call you back to see if there is actually an emergency – and if you don’t answer, they will send the police out to check on you. When calling 911, it's also important to not hang up until the dispatchers says to do so in case they may have more questions that are important for you to answer.

4. Do remain patient while the 911 dispatcher asks you questions

There are many details the PSAP agent will need to obtain about your situation before help can be sent. Cell phones do not provide pinpointed location information, and sometimes 911 calls can be routed to public safety answering points that are some distance from your location, so giving a complete location description is vital. In addition, the 911 call center agent will need to obtain descriptions of the people involved in the emergency, as well as any vehicles. Becoming impatient with all the questions will only make it take that much longer until help arrives.

When answering the questions, give clear details as to what is going on so the dispatcher can effectively get you the help you need.

5. Do follow any instructions you are given by the PSAP dispatcher

You may be directed to perform CPR, to hide somewhere, or to take other action, depending on the nature of the emergency. Don’t argue and don’t hesitate – 911 agents dispatchers are trained professionals, who have gone through 911 training, and who know the best way to help people experiencing emergencies. By following what the dispatcher recommends for you to do, you are helping the situation at hand.

6. Don’t hang up until the 911 agent tells you to

You may feel there’s no further need to stay on the line, but emergencies are, by their very nature, unpredictable. It may turn out that you’ll need to open a door for the police, or flag down a fire truck, if they can’t find you easily. Stay on the line until the PSAP dispatcher lets you know it’s alright to hang up.

By following these six dos and don’ts of calling 911, you’ll be allowing PSAP dispatchers to focus on what’s important, and get their job done. The other victims they are able to help because of your considerate behavior will be grateful – and so will they.

It’s a fact that’s often overlooked, but it’s true nonetheless. A victim’s very first point of contact in an emergency is not the policeman, not the EMT in the ambulance, and not the firefighter. The first person they tell about their emergency, and the first person they receive help from is the 911 dispatcher.

Any emergency is bound to leave the victim traumatized in some way. From feelings of helplessness or depression, to rage and even post-traumatic stress disorder, a certain level of emotional turmoil is simply to be expected after experiencing a crime, accident, or medical emergency.

However, it’s now been shown that the way the dispatcher at the public safety answering point handles the call can actually have an effect on the severity of the trauma sustained by a victim long-term. Because of these findings, it’s important to train 911 dispatchers to answer calls with that responsibility in mind.

An emergency communications agent’s handling of a call sets the stage for the victim’s experience with every emergency responder he or she will encounter that day. If the dispatcher is hurried or rude, it can make the victim hostile towards or wary of all other public safety officials they need to interact with during their emergency. With that lack of trust compounding the natural stress of the situation, as well as the irritation at not being treated with understanding, the traumatic effects on the victim can actually be made significantly worse in both the short and the long term.

If, on the other hand, the dispatcher demonstrates empathy during the call, it can go a long way towards diffusing the stress of the situation. When emergency responders arrive on-scene, the victim will feel more positively towards them, and the overall trauma of the event is reduced. After an emergency, people who have called 911 often talk about their experience with the dispatcher, either expressing gratitude for their caring help, or outrage at their uncaring attitude. Those whose interactions were positive are more likely to feel less traumatized by the entire incident.

What steps can your PSAP dispatchers take to ensure that the calls they handle are positive experiences for the victims? Here are a few effective tips for dispatchers to keep in mind:

1. Remember that every emergency is traumatic to the victim

For 911 dispatchers, emergency calls are routine – they hear from people experiencing the same kinds of emergencies every day. But for the person calling in, this is most likely the worst day of their life, and something they’ve never gone through before. Keeping that in mind can help agents deal appropriately with each new caller.

Since every call is a new, traumatic situation for the victim, it's best to teach your dispatchers to be understanding and remain calm during the call. This will help their overall feeling and experience of the emergency to not be as negative in their mind, since they had a helpful dispatcher get them what they needed.

2. Show as much empathy as possible

In an emergency, there may not be time to convey empathy with words, but dispatchers can still show they care through the tone of their voice, and the way they handle the call. Every little touch of empathy and compassion that can be added to an interaction will help diffuse the stress.

3. Take care of your own mental health, as well

If agents are stressed themselves, they will be less able to demonstrate compassion towards their callers. Encourage your dispatchers to take measures to reduce the stress in their own lives. When it comes to emergency situation handling, be sure to train your dispatchers with this thought in mind. They are there to help the person/victim on the other line, and in doing so your dispatchers must remain calm and not be stressed out.

By keeping these three tips in mind, your PSAP dispatchers can help to lessen the traumatic impact of each victim’s emergency. And when those victims tell others about their experience, they’ll be the ones gushing about their gratitude towards the kind, caring 911 agents who helped them through it.

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