Dispatcher Interviews

In depth surveys of the dispatch team were conducted through private, face-to-face interviews using a structured format. The dispatchers answered questions from a series of open-ended questions designed to allow each to respond freely. No attempt was made to limit responses.

Three interviews were conducted in a one-day session at the transit property. The individual interviews ranged in length from one and a half to just over two hours.

The purpose of the interviews was to obtain information from the dispatch team developed through individual experience and not represented explicitly in other objective measurements.

These initial responses will allow a comparison of attitude change toward the automation process related to each of the installation phases. Additional interviews will be accomplished in the during and post-implementation phases. Results will be combined in a separate document containing a thorough discussion of attitude change.

The pre-implementation survey uncovered significant factors that may be directly affected by the installation of computer-assisted dispatch and scheduling software. The most important issues likely to be affected by the automated system include resolution of customer complaints, coordination of dispatcher activities and agency training requirements.

Descriptions of the dispatch process provided by the respondents highlight significant levels of stress and frustration during normal operational tempos in the pre-automation phase. The dispatchers attributed much of the high stress levels to their inability to efficiently coordinate the scheduling activities during daily peak service periods. As an example, during peak service hours, the manual process requires individual dispatchers to schedule incoming requests simultaneously. This often results in overlapping and mutually exclusive promised pick-up or drop-off times. The inability to coordinate scheduling during peak periods accentuates an already hectic environment by requiring additional work to resolve scheduling conflicts.

16.1 Skills

Dispatchers were asked to describe the competencies they feel are necessary attributes of a skilled dispatcher. The brief results are displayed as Table 6. Responses in this category ranged from map reading skills to situational awareness. The common theme is the emphasis on communications skills and knowledge of the service area. Every dispatcher agreed that a fundamental prerequisite for dispatch assignment is previous driver experience. Given that a dispatcher possesses the necessary driving experience, two of three dispatchers identified communications skills as the most important attribute; the third dispatcher chose organizational skills.

The driver knowledge base all dispatchers refer to as a prerequisite is comprised of geographic orientation (street layout, relative distances between common pick-up and drop-offs), a “feeling”

of how long it takes to complete assigned runs, vehicle and passenger idiosyncrasies and spatial skills which allow the dispatcher to visualize the location of each dispatched vehicle.

Two of the three dispatchers indicated that administrative skills associated with paperwork maintenance are least important in dispatcher operations. This is a reference to the daily necessity of catching up on trip requests received during peak hours, but which have been unable to have been acted on immediately. The administrative process in this case is the backtracking required to complete log entries and to reconcile conflicts between scheduling assignments. The third dispatcher declined to identify any skill as “least important”, preferring to allow that all skills are important, but at different times of the day.

The dispatchers believe that the most important skill sets required in the post automation period will not change. The two dispatchers who chose communications skills as the most important skill requirement were adamant on this subject.

In response to questions regarding transferability of skills developed from dispatch/scheduling automation, all respondents agreed that the new computer skills would be valuable in any new workplace. Skills in this context are basic MS Windows fundamentals. This response is to be expected because of the very limited exposure to other than the DOS based system used in daily operations. The dispatchers noted that none had significant exposure to computer applications outside of the current work environment. None had previous computer experience preceding their current employment and all rated their current computer skills as average or worse.

16.2 Overall job evaluation

The dispatchers unanimously agreed that they “like” their job. Two of the three framed their positive comments in terms of enjoying the job’s responsibility; the third noted satisfaction with the humanitarian aspects of assisting the disadvantaged clientele. Negative responses to other questions such as those related to development of transferable skills and high stress levels indicate significant dissatisfaction with other job responsibilities.

Every dispatcher believed that automation of the dispatch process would significantly reduce workload and its related stress. Indications of high stress levels were contained in responses from every dispatcher. Some stress generation was attributed to a high workload resulting from a management decision to not replace a dispatcher who had departed the week before the system installation began.

16.3 Expectations

The entire dispatch team and all others in the organization perceive that dramatic changes will take place in terms of both internal administrative and external operational efficiencies, meaning higher vehicle load factors and increased quality of service to the customer. All of the respondents also had positive expectations regarding the automated system (Table 7), and reinforced their opinions again that the upgraded system will significantly reduce workload and stress. Two of the three saw the greatest value of automation in reducing the complexity of the manual system’s administrative requirements. Dispatchers expressed their hopes that the new

process would reduce paperwork, therefore increasing dispatcher focus on the more important task of providing service.

Table 40 Most Important Pre-Automation Skills (Pre-implementation)

Communications • Telephone, radio, interpersonal communications skills

• Humor

Service Area Knowledge • Knowledge of area and clients

• Map skills

• Driver skills

Administrative • Caller information transcription

• Working the scheduling board Organization • Computer skills

Situational Awareness • Spatial orientation to synthesize status of scheduling board, vehicle location, and integrate driver/vehicle abilities

• Identifying and prioritizing task precedence

• Knowledge of personal limitations

Other • Patience

• Memory

• Aggressiveness

Table 41 Pre-Automation Expectations

• Efficiency increases (e.g., more service) • Less complicated process

• Increased driver availability and control • Reduce workload and related stress

• Control of sign-off and break times • Reduced administrative requirements

One response focused on the hope that the new system would allow greater control of driver break/sign-off times. The issue with driver sign-off and break revolves around the practice of the driver calling in for sign-off to break, when the driver had actually been on break for an extended period following early or canceled drop-offs. This happens most during peak times when dispatchers forget to whom they have given run changes. During high tempo periods, cancellations may have been given to a driver significantly shortening the run. Without dispatcher intervention, some drivers may take advantage of the “extra” time, and park the vehicle awaiting instructions instead of apprising the dispatcher that the vehicle is available.

During the period when the dispatcher had lost track of a vehicle’s load status, the dispatcher had been unnecessarily forced to assign the idled driver’s potential passenger load to other vehicles.

While all think that dispatching efficiency will increase, one respondent was convinced that the automation would limit the “human touch” of dispatchers. This is reflected in another dispatcher’s comment that the system interaction necessary to enter dispatcher input is too much trouble. Because of the difficulty involved in not accepting the software’s solutions, dispatcher sentiment was that most would ignore the option to do so.

All dispatchers believed that the system would make them reduce ineffective, redundant paperwork and increase dispatcher effectiveness. One of the dispatchers feared that increased reliance on the program’s display window might require additional skills to the detriment of situational awareness. All dispatchers agreed that the program would develop additional computer related skills that would be useful in the future.

16.4 Training

Lack of training is the single greatest dispatcher concern. With the imminent “live” date so near, every dispatcher expressed concern that no relevant training had yet been received. The dispatch team’s concern follows from the group's near complete lack of exposure to computer applications in either personal or professional environments. The team’s concerns seemed to be more that they lacked general computer training as opposed to training on the particular software being installed. Far from feeling intimidated with the new program, the concern was with how to handle the most basic of computer issues: back up, what to do “if the mouse doesn’t work”, or the computer “crashed”.

16.5 Additional Information

The last question allowed the participants to add any information they felt as important. The responses to the question “Is there anything else you’d like to add” yielded several responses, ranging from questions about their future if they did not “pick-up” the new system, to specific observations of current and future property operating issues. The most significant issue in this category is related to the potential usefulness of dispatchers to the organization if either they are unable to master the new program or if the new system “replaces” them.

Chapter 4