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Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance

Schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.

What you’d do

  • Schedule or dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles to appropriate locations, according to customer requests, specifications, or needs, using radios or telephones.
  • Prepare daily work and run schedules.
  • Confer with customers or supervising personnel to address questions, problems, or requests for service or equipment.
  • Relay work orders, messages, or information to or from work crews, supervisors, or field inspectors, using telephones or two-way radios.
  • Receive or prepare work orders.
  • Record and maintain files or records of customer requests, work or services performed, charges, expenses, inventory, or other dispatch information.
  • Arrange for necessary repairs to restore service and schedules.
  • Monitor personnel or equipment locations and utilization to coordinate service and schedules.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Coordination
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Time Management

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • City Dispatcher
  • Dispatcher (Dispatch)
  • Taxi Dispatcher
  • Train Dispatcher
  • Aircraft Dispatcher
  • Charter Coordinator

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