Article Highlights
- The problem: Complex and inefficient ECC schedule management
- The solution: PowerTime, a schedule management software
- The benefits: Eliminate errors, simplify scheduling, and reduce 911 burnout
The problem: Outdated, manual ECC scheduling
As emergency communications centers struggle with understaffing, it’s become increasingly difficult to build telecommunicator schedules that meet the needs of both employees and your agency. A manual process only complicates matters as you spend valuable time arranging (and rearranging) 911 schedules.
Not only is it complex and difficult to manually create ECC schedules, but it also requires an average of 140 hours each year, taking time away from other important tasks. That said, you’re relying on a manual system because it can be hard to find schedule management software that meets the unique needs of your emergency communications center. Traditional scheduling software often doesn’t allow agencies to account for variables like telecommunicator qualifications, rotating schedules, and minimum staffing levels.
This leaves you spending time manually checking for shift gaps and calculating each staff member’s hours to prevent overscheduling. Unfortunately, however, a manual schedule process increases your liability risk in two key ways:
- More prone to errors, such as an understaffed 911 dispatch center
- Makes it more likely you’ll overschedule telecommunicators, leading to burnout and mistakes on the job
Between the time you spend creating each ECC schedule and the increased likelihood of mistakes and burnout, an outdated scheduling process is inadequate for you, your telecommunicators, your agency, and your community. But there’s a straightforward solution: 911 schedule management software.
The solution: Schedule management software
PowerTime automates your scheduling process, ensures your staffing needs are met, and warns you when staff are over-scheduled. That’s because this cloud-based scheduling software accounts for several key factors for creating ECC schedules, including:
- 24/7 coverage
- Rotating shifts
- Minimum staffing requirements
Additionally, PowerTime’s automated scheduling updates keep you informed as scheduling needs change. You can receive open shift updates for ECC Directors and employees to fill openings as quickly as possible, enter minimum telecommunicator shift requirements, and receive warnings about insufficient shift coverage. PowerTime’s automated systems also track approvals, hours earned, and time-off banks so that everyone stays on the same page.
PowerDMS’s cloud-based scheduling software offers 24/7 digital accessibility to ensure this information is always available to staff, whether at home or at work. This means that ECC Directors can digitally edit 911 schedules, and telecommunicators can swap and pick up shifts whenever it’s most convenient. Because telecommunicators have access to these real-time schedules from anywhere and on any device, they’re always kept up-to-date – even as scheduling needs change.
The benefits of digital scheduling software
PowerTime eliminates pen-and-paper scheduling errors and the need to edit and update multiple versions of the same document. This schedule management software simplifies scheduling and ensures the agency meets minimum staffing requirements without requiring any manual calculations on your end.
Because employees can access updated ECC schedules 24/7, your agency also avoids miscommunications that can lead to costly errors, like an understaffed shift. Finally, PowerTime ensures you maintain full staffing without overscheduling (and over-burdening) telecommunicators, reducing the likelihood of 911 burnout and the mistakes that accompany it. All of this ensures that your emergency communications center can serve first responders and citizens while proactively meeting the needs of employees.
Learn more
Ready to streamline scheduling at your ECC? Book a demo today to learn more about how PowerDMS’s cloud-based scheduling software, PowerTime, can help.