Bring a more human touch to QA

Reducing human error through a more human experience

Emergency Dispatch is one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. After a long day of fielding high-stakes calls, the last thing Emergency Dispatchers want to hear is what they did wrong. But as a Q, you understand the importance of building on previous experience to be more proficient and effective, especially if you wish to advance in your career.

The Priority Dispatch System helps you foster a culture of continuous improvement within your agency by prioritizing strengths-based feedback over punitive error catching. Our system, combined with your expertise, can keep Emergency Dispatchers in compliance while giving them valuable insights and coaching that improve their performance and job satisfaction.

Make your QA more human-focused

Better Serve Your Community

When the pressure is on, having a proven protocol based on clear standards – ones developed by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch – as the foundation of your call response reduces human error. That means you can be confident your Emergency Dispatchers bring the same high level of service and compassion to every call.

Bolster Emergency Dispatchers’ Confidence

The Priority Dispatch System focuses on strengths-based feedback during QA to help Emergency Dispatchers build upon their successes and quickly correct mistakes to reach their full potential. The result is Emergency Dispatchers who are more confident in their decision making and more proficient in providing high-level customer service.

Measure Emergency Dispatcher Performance and Progress

The Priority Dispatch System makes you a partner in your Emergency Dispatchers’ continuing education with measurable quality improvement programs designed to increase compliance and retention. Best of all, these programs let you be an ally in their growth, not an adversary waiting for the next slip up.

Implement System-Wide Improvements and Efficiencies

Access robust data and analytics that offer unparalleled insight into the performance across your center, from macro trends like most used dispatch codes all the way down to individual Emergency Dispatcher caseload. This data helps focus your training efforts and gives you proof of improvement to share up the chain of command.

Bring More Empathy and Reasonableness to Quality Improvement

Every call is unpredictable, and even the best Emergency Dispatcher can make a mistake in the heat of the moment. Our system prioritizes the human part of “human error,” giving Qs the tools to correct without condemning, reducing resentment among Emergency Dispatchers and making everyone feel like they are on the same side.

Before, calltakers were only focused on errors and what they did wrong. The calltakers would physically cringe when Qs walked in the room, asking “Who are they coming after today?” Now the focus is on mentoring and training by finding the good in every call. Sometimes it can be hard, but there is always something. It really fixed the EDQ-Calltaker relationship It takes the focus off the petty

Tony Hilly, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety (Triple ACE)

Strengths Based Feedback is an approach to feedback that allows both the EDQ and the Dispatcher to focus on how specific behaviors (strengths) can improve the quality of the interrogation and instruction sequences. This approach creates a more positive conversation when discussing any incident with the dispatcher as it does not dwell on something they cannot go back and change, but instead improves their toolkit for future incidents.

Brian Dale, Former Associate Director of Quality & Medical Control President, Priority Dispatch

When you use Strengths Based Feedback they understand the why. Adult learners need the “why” and then It’s an easy fix for next time.. Now calltakers tell me, “You make sure I know what I did right!” It shows that you are really listening and you really care.

Leslie Devey, Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center (Triple ACE)

Helpful Resources to Get Up to Speed on the Priority Dispatch System

ProQA Info Sheet

Learn how ProQA's Emergency Dispatch software can create excellence for your team.

AQUA Info Sheet

See how AQUA empowers your quality assurance and improvement to bring your center up to the highest standards.

QPR Info Sheet

From handling the heavy-lifting of case review to offering a whole suite of services, find out what QPR can do for you.

See other roles

Questions Quality Analysts Typically Ask Us:

How often is the software updated? How does an agency update its Emergency Dispatchers on any changes?

The ProQA software and the protocols within are updated quarterly. Each release comes with detailed release notes, videos, and training requirements. In addition, major new protocol releases come with their own update guide. We notify all users via email with each release.

What software training is needed or required for Emergency Dispatchers?

We require Emergency Dispatchers to get certified (as well as recertified) in each discipline they dispatch. These certifications are based on standards set by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch and ensure each Emergency Dispatcher meets universal best practice standards to deliver a high standard of care and reduce their agency’s liability risk.

The system is too rigid. Why can’t we change the questions?

The protocols developed by the IAED have been tested over millions of calls to offer the most efficient, safe response possible. That said, the Priority Dispatch System is the most user-changed system available. We welcome your experience and expertise to make the protocols better. Agencies can submit Proposals for Change to refine or update protocols. All Proposals for Change undergo a thorough review by the IAED and, if approved, get implemented system-wide.

With so many questions, won’t it increase our time to dispatch?

The majority of calls handled by Emergency Dispatchers using ProQA arrive at the correct dispatch code in less than a minute. Emergency Dispatchers continue to collect relevant information while updating responders in real-time as they make their way to the scene. The questions in each protocol are designed to efficiently gather the most important information, minimizing time-wasting fishing that often happens with freelance dispatching.

Does the software dictate how we respond? We want to make our own decisions.

Every Emergency Communications Center we work with is unique. From sprawling metropolitan areas to spread-out rural communities, each jurisdiction has different resources at their disposal. We work with you during implementation to define each response configuration – who or what gets sent when – based on what will best serve your community.

Won’t scripted Emergency Dispatch stop me from thinking for myself and using my own experience?

There’s a reason we like to say ProQA is a decision support tool. You still decide who, what, when, and how to dispatch. The system simply makes it easier to make efficient, effective decisions, bringing much-needed consistency to every call, on every shift.

Ready to Learn More?

Reach out to us to find out more or to help make the case to your boss.