AI Solutions for Staffing Challenges in Dispatch Centers

Approximately 240 million calls are made to emergency call centers every year. The problem is, they aren’t all emergencies.

For many dispatch centers, the majority of calls are administrative in nature, or non-emergencies. These calls take time, add stress and distract telecommunicators from true emergencies. 

Emergency communication centers (ECCs) across the US are struggling to retain and recruit dispatchers. According to a NENA survey, 82% of PSAPs had staffing challenges in 2024. This is caused by job stress, lack of work-life balance, low wages and the resulting burnout that many telecommunicators experience.

Fortunately, advancements in AI technology can help your agency. Believe it or not, AI can handle non-emergency calls on behalf of your ECC, so you can reduce the workload (and mitigate burnout) for dispatchers. Keep reading to learn how it works.

The Role of AI in Handling Non-Emergency Calls

Advancements in AI technology allow public safety agencies to work smarter instead of harder. AI can help your dispatch center, whether it’s understaffed or not, maximize resources and prioritize emergency calls. 

For example, Amazon Connect is a cloud-based customer service center from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that helps organizations automate customer service. It offers a variety of features, including an AI-powered assistant that can detect customer issues and route calls.

How does it work? Amazon Connect has natural language processing capabilities that allow it to automatically answer common inquiries, route calls to the appropriate department, and provide information through interactive voice response (IVR).

In the context of emergency response, Amazon Connect can prioritize emergency calls to your dispatchers and redirect non-emergencies to the appropriate services. It even lets callers resolve their non-emergency issues with self-service options. This can include reporting minor incidents, obtaining public information, and more – all without human intervention.

In other words, your dispatchers won’t get bogged down by calls about barking dogs or vandalism. Instead, they can concentrate on answering emergency calls that save lives.

The only potential challenge is that Amazon Connect lacks CAD/RMS integration. To take advantage of it, you’ll need a CAD and 911 call handling system that integrates with it. For agencies with such an integration, there are many benefits.

Benefits of AI

Increased Efficiency

Since AI can handle multiple calls simultaneously, your PSAP can reduce wait times and quickly resolve non-emergencies with automation. This frees up human operators to focus on more complex or urgent calls.

Not only that, public safety AI systems can minimize human error in data entry and information processing. They provide consistent responses based on your knowledge database and routing preferences. Non-emergency callers may not get the personal touch of a human, but they will get accurate information.

Cost Reduction

With AI handling your non-emergency calls, your agency can reduce the manpower needed to stay staffed 24/7. AI systems operate around the clock without fatigue, providing reliable service after hours or during high-volume periods. Not only does this save money on labor, equipment, and overtime, it prevents your dispatchers from burning out.

Faster Response Times

AI-integrated systems can provide immediate responses to non-emergency callers. They can even provide personalized assistance, guiding callers through procedural steps or providing detailed information based on their specific needs. It’s a win-win – emergency calls get prioritized and non-emergency calls receive a faster response.

Scalability

As call volumes or types of service requests change, AI systems can easily scale up or down to meet demand. And you can do it without making significant structural changes, like spending resources to hire more dispatchers in a competitive job market.

Data Insights

By analyzing call patterns, AI can provide insight into community concerns and trends. This data can help you allocate resources, tailor community outreach programs and plan for future needs based on community interactions.

Real-World Application: AI in Dispatch Centers

In a 2024 NENA survey, 99% of emergency communications professionals said their calls come from both administrative (10 digit or 3-1-1) and emergency lines (9-1-1). Surprisingly, 60–75% of their total calls are administrative. That’s a lot of non-emergency calls, which puts extra strain on dispatchers who already struggle with burnout and low morale.

The same survey revealed that 22% of telecommunicators work mandatory overtime daily. And nearly 38% work voluntary overtime every day. These statistics explain why 85% of dispatchers experience at least one symptom of burnout.

While many dispatchers are passionate about their careers, over time the daily stressors, long hours, shift work, and low pay can negatively impact their marriages and lives. These factors have caused many telecommunicators to leave the industry, making it more difficult for agencies to recruit top talent.

That’s why cities like San Jose, Portland, and Austin have already deployed programs with AI-based virtual agents that respond to non-emergency calls, gather information and answer questions. Similarly, 911 centers in Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina, and Virginia have tested or implemented AI systems for call-taking.

In Charleston County, South Carolina, the Consolidated Emergency Communication Center uses Amazon Connect to handle non-emergency calls. When people call the county’s non-emergency line, Amazon Connect responds and asks what the caller needs. It then directs them to the relevant resources. If the system cannot understand the caller, the call is transferred to a human dispatcher.

According to Jim Lake, the director of the center, they spend approximately $2,800 monthly on their Amazon Connect subscription, which is more cost-effective than employing additional staff for non-emergency responses. Within seven months of implementing the system, the volume of calls to the administrative line decreased by 36%.

Transforming Public Safety Operations With AI

CentralSquare AI Solutions 

In 2024, CentralSquare introduced the first integrated suite of AI public safety tools in the U.S. CitizenLink AI integrates with Amazon Connect to handle non-emergency calls, reduce 911 wait times and prioritize true emergencies.

CitizenLink AI can answer everyday questions, send hyperlinks with more info via text, and transfer calls to the relevant department. It also incorporates AI- and SMS-based assistive technology for people with hearing/speech impairments or non-English speakers. 

CitizenLink AI does these things and more, including integrating with other CentralSquare software like Vertex NG911, Public Safety Pro Suite, etc. 

Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CitizenLink AI can help your dispatch center prioritize emergency calls and handle non-emergency calls more efficiently – all while alleviating dispatcher stress and burnout.