The most typical way that a customer establishes a request for tow service is via the telephone. The customer calls and gives the dispatcher the information needed to determine where the vehicle is located, what type of vehicle is needing service and what the nature of the problem that the motorist is facing. However, there are so many more critical elements that need to be acquired. Another method of dispatch arrives via email or internet software. There are times when the information entered into these systems can not only be incorrect, but sometimes information can be deceiving. For this reason it should be the goal of every operator to reach out when possible to customers and clients by telephone to verify information and acquire any additional knowledge that may make it easier or safer to complete the task. Knowing what questions to ask and being mindful of possible obstacles will make the job not only safer but more efficient.
Sometimes, something as simple as knowing in advance what side of the street the vehicle is on can help with you arriving with your wrecker faced on the right side of the street to give you easy access to the tool boxes that contain your jack and tire iron so that you can easily preform a tire change with minimal effort! You'll thank yourself later for not having to drag that 2 1/2 ton jack all the way around the other side of your wrecker, especially after long hot day of towing!
Being able to communicate key aspects of the information is vital. For example, defining a vehicle location and direction of travel cuts down the time takes to arrive on scene to a call in some situations. Knowing in advance that the vehicle is east or west west bound, or which shoulder -outside or inside- helps greatly yet sometimes is routinely overlooked. It is important to establish key factors such as these to be as proficient as possible when responding to a call.
Side Note:
Did you know that in Oklahoma City for example, that the odd numbers are always on the north side of the east and west streets and the odd numbers are always on the west side of the north and south sides of the street? All cities are designed this way, though the placement of east, west and north, south are different in some cities suck as Norman, Ok.
