Dispatchers — They Tell You Where to Go

I receive the Milwaukee Biz Times, a publication with the latest business news for business leaders from southeast Wisconsin. The most recent issue highlighted the inaugural showcase of “Notable Executive Assistants.” The article spotlighted accomplished professionals in the region who “keep their organizations running smoothly, playing a crucial role in the success of their companies and its leaders.”

 I enjoyed reading the article, and learning why each executive assistant was nominated. Then I realized many of the qualities of these women could also describe the important job and role of a dispatcher in the towing and recovery industry. While there’s the tongue-in-cheek saying “dispatchers tell you were to go,” they do more than that to keep a towing company running smoothly.

Some of qualities listed for the individuals in the article certainly describe the hard-working men and women dispatchers in our industry:

• built relationships that have proved to be invaluable when a crisis hit
• remains calm under pressure
• required to shift gears
• the master puzzle-solver of management
• ensures the smooth operation of the company with her robust knowledge
• provides outstanding customer service
• always willing to go out of her way to help someone in need
• driven, outcome focused and thrives in the pressure of her position,
• highly productive, proactive, professional and well-respected member of the team
• tremendous job of building relationships and assisting members with any questions to make sure they are satisfied

I think as an industry we should create our own inaugural list of “Notable Dispatchers” and highlight these awesome team members who have all the qualities above and then some, and are most often the glue that holds it all together.