I was once asked to describe a typical day in Dispatch and for the life of me, I couldn’t. It’s not because I have no idea what goes on… in fact, quite the contrary. My office is situated so that I hear the phone calls, the internal quandaries, the huddles and the celebrations, so why can’t I answer this seemingly simple question? To that question, I have an answer. There really is no “typical day in the life,” so to speak. I guess I could summarize at 100,000 feet for the lay person, but why? That would be a clinical, sterile version, and one version that I am not excited about sharing because it simply does not capture who we are. You ask another question (while you are still waiting for an answer to the first)…why? We in Dispatch are anything BUT clinical or sterile, so I believe this is where my story begins.
Dispatch: A TRUE TEAM. Cliché? Not here!
We are a centralized department that handles a multitude of work across our Midwestern footprint. We analyze and build appointment windows for our customers, we route previously scheduled work and same-day service orders to our technicians, we monitor the integrity/compliance of more than 22 separate time windows for several thousand jobs each day, we provide technical troubleshooting to technicians and customer service reps and, well, I could go on and on. Actually, I can’t because I am out of breath thinking about everything I just listed, but it’s not a bad thing. The point I am trying to make is that we handle so much and yet our stress is channeled in so many positive ways. Let’s start with the Team Pride competition we had here in Naperville last week. Our dispatch team is comprised of different units based on geography and function and each team is very proud of the performance metrics they post every day. Although we support each other, we sometimes turn to a little friendly competition for bragging rights on the dispatch floor. This particular challenge was to compete against each other…with style! Each team had to come up with a cheer that they would perform for a panel of judges comprised of members from different departments within the building. The object was for each team to come together to create a cheer/mantra that showcases teamwork with flair. The cheer had to be about what they do/who they are in the department and it was judged based on the following criteria: Creativity, WOW! message, Uniforms/Props, Participation and Enthusiasm. The teams took this challenge seriously. Participation and enthusiasm were off the charts and they preached their WOW! messages with pride. The judges had a “rich man’s problem” in that they were all so good, the decision was a rough one. In the end, Team IE (Illinois/Evansville) shined the brightest and was awarded the honor of Top Team Spirit along with an off site activity to celebrate the big win!
This is really just one of the ways Team Dispatch shines. Everyday our teams meet in a huddle to review the goings on of the day and to give kudos to one another where appropriate. These are not meetings held by supervisors, but held by the team members themselves. They outline challenges and help one another with their struggles, along with encouragement if they veer off path. At the end of each 10 minute huddle, they close it with their Team Chant.
Another team moment, you ask? Well, we just started a departmental weight loss challenge program and I have the privilege of guarding the weights and measures with my life! I was pleasantly surprised as I began the first week’s progress weigh in. Everybody stood in a line across the room and as individuals weighed in, they were right there to cheer them on when they lost weight, and cheer them on to a better week if they gained. Many were not even participating in the actual weight loss challenge but were there strictly for support.
We care so much about our customers because we care so much about each other. I consider myself fortunate to be a part of such a passionate, exciting and caring team. We are WOW! and we do own it… every single day.
Spirit Winners - Illinois/Evansville Dispatch Team
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