Matt Stillwell Quality Assurance and Training Roy Carlisle ... · Quality Assurance and Training Evaluate 18 employees 5 calls per employee per month, selected randomly Detailed QA

Best Practices in Public Safety Recording, Quality Assurance and Training

Copyright Voice Print International, Inc. 2010

Presented byMatt StillwellRoy CarlislePatrick Botz

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Today You’ll Learn

IntroductionsKey Emergency Communications Trendsand DriversBest Practices in Recording, Quality Assurance and Training

City of Edmond, Oklahoma Alachua County Sheriff’s Department, Florida

Preparing for the Future: Next Generation9-1-1 Recording and QA SolutionsPresentation slides available at:www.VPI-corp.com/Best-Practices

Patrick Botz – VPI

VPI (Voice Print International)

100% US-based R&D and SupportServing some of the continent’slargest PSAPs for over 15 years

Police, Sheriff, Fire, ArmedForces, Emergency Medical Services, Government Agencies

2009 APCO Hot Product of the YearNENA and APCO MemberNext Generation9-1-1 Ready

GSA Approved

Matt Stillwell, ENP - City of Edmond, OK

Director, Central Communications/ Emergency Mgmt – City of Edmond

Serves on FEMA Task Force for Interoperable Communicationssince 2007

Florida APCO CommunicationsCenter Director of the Year, 2005

Public Safety at The City of Edmond, Oklahoma

Police Department, Fire Department, 9-1-1Call Center and Emergency ManagementServices partner to provide the highest qualityservice and protectionFull-time recording:

5 phone/radio positions, 17 radio frequencies (Genesis) 6 Talk Groups 5 9-1-1 positions and trunks44 administrative VoIP lines

Selective retention of recordings: 72 phone usersMotorola Statewide Radio System, TriTech CAD, CTI 911

Roy Carlisle – Alachua County Sheriff, FL

About Roy CarlisleLaw Enforcement professional since 1983911 Operator – County Sheriff and Police Former Shift Supervisor, Communications CommanderPresently in charge of QA program at Alachua CountyMajor contributor to APCO’s QA standards - to bereleased in 2010 as mandatory for APCO members

About Alachua CountyPopulation 227,120University of Florida fighting GatorsDiverse culture, local music, artisans E-911 under the direction of the County’s Fire/Rescue ServicesCity and County Emergency Dispatch MergedType 4 Enhanced 911 (E-911) system

ANI/ALI, Selective Call Routing and Selective Transfer

Emergency Communications Today

Cost & EfficiencyPressures

ConsolidationDo More with Less Resources Automate Manual, Time Consuming Processes

Interoperability

Next Generation 9-1-1 Support for:

VoIP / Hybrid CommunicationsImagesVideoText MessagesDocumentsEmailAutomaticCrashNotification

Quality Assurance &

Ongoing TrainingAssure Protocols and Procedures are FollowedComply with Laws and RegulationsLimit Liability Exposure Understand and Improve “Soft Skills”Increase EmployeeRetention

Civilian Population

Greater Citizen DemandsGrowing Security Concerns

Rapidly Evolving Technology

PSAP

Increasing Laws and Regulations

Copyright Voice Print International, Inc. 2010

Recording, QA & Training Best PracticesPresented by Matt Stillwell, City of Edmond

Recording and Incident Recreation

Record: public safety communications, utilitycustomer service center and telephone users in the cityUse secure Web interface to quickly access recordings from anywhereRecordings stored for 7 years on network devices – major improvement over previous tapes and DVDsEasy to export, email and share recordings:

Case Evidence – internal and for a DA Showcase best practice calls - training and inspirationRecordings with goofy callers to ease the atmosphere

Case evidenceSingle calls “Real-time” sets of calls for incident recreation

Action Plan for Amber Alert Calls

Involved in APCO’s Amber Alert program since its inception

Missing & Exploited Children cases cause major spikes in call volume into our 9-1-1 center – many people involved

Bank of spare VoIP lines to be activated as needed to handle the sudden large influx of calls

The calls that come in on these VoIP lines are recorded and evaluated

Slide 10

What to Look for in a Recording System

Open Architecture, standards-based hardwareCentralized storage of recorded communicationsSecure web based interface – unified access to all calls from anywhereEasy to save and email files Options for flexible recording, retention on demand, and archiving rules where different user groups can have calls retained for different length of timeMake sure your vendor understands the public safety environment and the criticality of highly responsive service

Slide 11

Quality Assurance – New Standards

Chair of the joint committee (APCO, NENA and others) currently drafting the Standard for QA evaluationOn the fast track to become an ANSII Certified Standard - nearly completed nowThe Standard encompasses the entire QA process and will define what is acceptable for our industry

Example: number of evaluations per month per employee according to agency size

Slide 12

Quality Assurance and Training

Evaluate 18 employees

5 calls per employee per month, selected randomly

Detailed QA rating forms for each call type in our centerObjective: more consistent service qualityBetter transparency with staff

Progressive training method for newcomers

One-on-one and classroom training for experienced call takers and dispatchers

Considering electronic personalized training Focus on individual needs and weaknesses

Copyright Voice Print International, Inc. 2010

Recording, QA & Training Best PracticesPresented by Roy Carlisle, Alachua County Sheriff

Recording and Incident Recreation

Full time recording: 12 call taking positions, 4 law enforcement, 3 fire, 3 teletype and 2 supervisor positions plus 3 special event positions for backupCommunications technology:

Tri-Tech CAD systemVesta phone systemMotorola 800 Mhz radio system

Turnover issues require higher attention to communications: retirees and 14 new hires in training, new-hire turnoverEasy access to recordings importantFast export of recordings for distribution / copy onto CD

Evidentiary purposesQA & Training

Quality Assurance

All employees who are recorded are also evaluated (QA)Average of 2 evaluations per employee per weekRandomly select calls from all call types in order to:

Objectively assess compliance with policy / proceduresIdentify trendsProvide timely feedback for improvement – always positive tone

On-demand evaluations outside of a standard routineCustom for individuals & their skill development

Developed 10 Commandments of Call Taking Folded into training and QA assessment

QA forms with scoring objectives customized for each type of communication / center

QA Scoring Example

LEA Call Taker – QA Categories:Case Entry (Incident Location, Call-back number, etc.)Choice of Chief Complaint (nature of incident determined?)Call Processing (speed, prioritization, spelling, key questions asked, call processing commandments, etc.) Customer Service (assure caller of help sent, efficient call time management, use of calming techniques, correct volume/tone of voice, etc.)

Slide 17

Scoring / Grading rules:100% for the category = Exemplary Grade90% or more = CompliantLess than 90% = Not Compliant

Quality Assurance - Training

Follow-up with Non-Compliant EmployeesMandatory tracking on QA forms:

Supervisor: Written improvement action plan for every non-compliant sectionTrainer: Written feedback on every non-compliant section and type of review/training that occurredEmployee: Written feedback

Training methods:Corrections through remindersReinforce understanding of a policyTraining via Training Bureau or Training OfficerIn process of implementation:

Include a quiz to be completed by employee once QA assessment is processedPersonalized messaging to remind about policy, QA results, etc.

QA – Motivation & Results

Vast improvement in quality and compliancesince implementation of a formal QA programSuccessful motivation approaches

Shift start time - announce perks for best performersSupport competitiveness of call takers by presenting intraday performance statistics:

Call volumes shown now on boardsQA scores planned to present on personalized tickers:

Call Taker Ticker – planned

Dispatcher Ticker - plannedSlide 19

Preparing for the Future: Key NG9-1-1 Recording and QA Considerations

Copyright Voice Print International, Inc. 2010

NG9-1-1 is a system comprised of hardware, software, data and operational policies and procedures to:

Provide standardized interfaces from call & message servicesProcess all types of emergency callsAcquire and integrate data useful for call routing and handlingDeliver the calls/messages/data to the appropriate PSAPsSupport data + communications needs for coordinated incident response & managementProvide a secure environment for emergency communications

What is Next Generation 9-1-1?

“Simply put, the 9-1-1 system has not kept up with technology and is badly in need of modernization.”- National Emergency Number Association

Architecture Goals for NG9-1-1 Technologies

Scalability – supports varying sizes of PSAPsand 9-1-1 authorities Extensibility – adoption of future technologies without replacementReliability – redundant hardware, multi-path connectivity, no single point of failureConfigurability – adaptable to diverse PSAP and 9-1-1 needsInteroperability – interfaces and communicates across various systems and networksOpenness – Uses open systems, standards and protocols

Audio and Data Recording

Digital, Analog and IPTelephones and Radios

Console Screen Recording

CAD / GIS / Mapping / AVL

Screen AnalyticsIncident #s and Types, ACN

Image Uploads

DocumentUploadsVideo Uploads

Text Messaging and Email

Surveilance Video

Key Elements of Centralized NG9-1-1 Incident Management

Centralized Incident

Data

Easily Tag CAD Data and Events to Recordings

The Power of Screen Analytics

NotesEntered

Incident Resolved

Incident Start32546

Fire

IncidentInteraction

Incident IDIncident TypeIncident SeverityIncident Status

Audio and Data Recording

Digital, Analog and IPTelephones and Radios

Console Screen Recording

CAD / GIS / Mapping / AVL

Screen AnalyticsIncident #s and Types, ACN

Image Uploads

DocumentUploadsVideo Uploads

Text Messaging and Email

Surveillance Video

Centralized Incident

Data

Key Elements of Centralized NG9-1-1 Incident Management

Instant RecallSave or Email File(s)

Audio with or withoutScreen Video

Email Web LinkSecure Login Required

IncidentEvidencePackage

QualityAssurance

Best PracticeTraining Clips

Centralized Incident

Data

Best Practices for Incident Information Sharing

Evaluate targeted calls and entire incidents by incident type to determine adherence to the dispatch standards and protocols

Use results to identify areas which may require:

Additional trainingSupplemental coachingAdditional resources

Integrated Quality Assurance and Coaching

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Questions and Answers

If you would like more information, please contact us at:Phone: 1-800-200-5430Email: [email protected] Web: www.VPI-corp.com

Patrick BotzDirector of Public Safety Solutions Marketing

Corporate Headquarters160 Camino RuizCamarillo, CA 93012

Direct: 800.200.5430 x 5214Email: [email protected]

www.VPI-corp.com

You’ll receive 2 complimentary resource guides:

Thank you!