Xybix has mentioned plenty of times throughout our blogs how incorporating movement while working at your dispatch console can help you burn more calories, improve your focus, and even lower your risk of developing certain ailments. The good news is that there is no shortage of tools on the market that are designed to get you up and moving at work. After evaluating quite a few of them, here are five of the best accessories and exercises to help you stay healthy. We will start with the easy and low-cost (FREE!) items and work our way up.

In the business world, everyone talks about return on investment (ROI). Recently, I have been seeing this term pop-up more and more in relation to buying dispatch furniture.  It’s often illustrated like this:  

Cost of work station: $22,000.00

Longevity in years: 15

Cost per year: $1,466.00  

This magic number of dollars to return on investment is simply about profit margins and the bottom dollar. When in fact, ROI can actually be much more complex than this.

I just got back from a job site visit, and the 911 center I visited had their computers sitting outside of the consoles on the floor. Not such a good idea because of all of the potential hazards, such as tripping over the computers, accidentally unplugging them, and/or just knocking them over.

I asked the dispatchers what was going on and if they had run out of room, and they told me that the CAD computers kept overheating sitting in the framework of the consoles. In addition to that, all of the rear access doors were also open to help keep the computers from overheating.  

What is customization? I asked myself this question the other day when I was told by a customer that a competitor said that Xybix does not do anything custom. Whoa--that was a surprise to hear, as we provide custom furniture all of the time! The big question that should be addressed is how do you, the dispatcher, view a custom product? To answer this question clearly, I have broken the concept of customization down into two main categories to help you better understand what goes into a custom product when designing or updating a new room.  

We have been in this industry long enough to see trends come and go. Heck, we have even seen companies come and go. Lately, one of the trends in the industry is the selling of single surface consoles. These can seem appealing, as they are different from the first generation consoles that were dual surface, but which option truly provides more benefits? Let’s take a look at the origin of the dual surface console as well as what’s needed today:

“What is the lifetime of the product?” That is a question we get usually during the bid process. The answer is simple.  It is an arbitrary number of years the salesperson will tell you depending on how much they want to win the job. 

Really?  Yes, it is that simple.  Any salesperson can throw out a high number like they’re at an auction.  Some may say their design will hold up for 20 years while others will say they’re good for 100 years. They are safe doing this because, more than likely, the salesperson will move on to another job in the next few years, and in a few more years, you can almost bet that the staff at the center will have enough turnover they forget this claim entirely.

I read on a 911 blog how a dispatcher felt that it was a great benefit that a company made their products in the USA. This got me thinking; does it really matter? I don't hear that as a major part of the decision-making process for most centers, so it got me wondering about a couple of things.  

I wrote a previous blog about the weight capacity of your dispatch consoles where I discussed that you don't need to be able to lift the weight of a car for your console to work. 

This blog will review what lift columns don't like and how with a little care you can keep them running longer and have less problems.

Not only is dispatching one tough job on you physically, but during the Holidays it can be especially difficult, when it seems like everyone else has time off, but not you. As dispatchers, you are still stuck working those long shifts and crappy hours no matter if Santa is coming or not. (Quick note, I am not a dispatcher nor could I do your job, but I have heard a lot of good ideas.) 

Here are a few ideas that could help give you a little boost this holiday season: 

I had a great opportunity to go to an open house for a newly remodeled dispatch center. This was in Shawnee, Oklahoma, a city of about 30,000 residents.  They dispatch fire and police for the city.