THE MARKS OF A MATURE DISPATCHER

                The shortage of qualified dispatchers is probably greater than that of qualified drivers.  How many people want to be in the middle of demanding drivers and customers?  Towing services are casting their nets wider in an effort to find people who want to become dispatchers.  Some people enjoy the challenge and variety in dispatch and become "lifers," but many move on to other jobs after a short tenure.  So an operations manager's No. 1 job often is hiring and training new dispatchers.  Towers can't afford to use the "sink or swim" method of training; the cost in turnover is simply too high.

                The industry doesn't offer much in the way of dispatcher training programs.  Have the trainee work with a seasoned dispatcher as an assistant for two to three months.  This reduces the risk of having rookies make mistakes that damage their credibility with drivers and customers.  When is a newcomer ready to go out on his own?  Usually it's when he demonstrates the ability to make what I term "preemptive calls."  Suppose that a tow customer tells the dispatcher is "hot" is due to deliver at noon.  It is now 10 a.m., and the truck is still 3 Hours away.  The dispatcher knows the truck will be late.  Does the dispatcher call the customer?  No one likes to make such a call.  The customer probably will be irate and take it out on the messenger.  Many dispatchers - even experienced ones - will ignore the situation and hope that somehow the customer will never notice.  If the tow is truly hot and the late delivery will disrupt the dealerships operation, you can bet that the service manager will call the tower's operations manager.  If the manager is also kept in the dark by the dispatcher, he will be on the defensive with the customer from the start of the call.  The best he can do is apologize and promise to call the customer back once he ascertains the tow truck's status.

                But a preemptive call by the dispatcher to the customer at 10 a.m. would short-circuit this scenario.  By calling the customer rather than waiting for the call, the dispatcher demonstrates control over the situation.  The dealership might be upset, but at least he has some time to minimize the possible disruption.  The customer may still want to talk to the operations manager, but at least the facts are on the table.  And the customer probably will be less angry than if he had to call the tower.  Preemptive calls can avoid problems with drivers as well.  Suppose that a dispatcher promises a driver $100 pay in his next check for shagging some extra tows.  The dispatcher then forgets to process the additional funds until pay day rolls around and jogs his memory.  But now it's too late for this pay cycle.  Many dispatchers would simply put it in the next cycle and hope the driver doesn't notice.  If the driver calls to complain, the dispatcher says there must have been a problem in payroll.  Now the driver has the impression that payroll isn't doing its job.  They may call payroll or the operations manager to complain.  At best, this wastes everyone's time.  At worst, the driver questions the dispatcher's credibility.

                Addressing the problem with the driver immediately can short-circuit this scenario as well.  The driver might not be happy, but the dispatcher shows awareness and control over the problem.  It's certainly better than having the driver discover the problem through a short paycheck.  Once a dispatcher learns that facing a disappointed customer or driver on a preemptive call is preferable to watching a disaster unfold, he is ready to strike out on his own.  And the operations manager finds himself with far fewer fires to put out. David Goodson, edited from Commercial Carrier Journal