Location-Based Services for Emergency Calls

Introduction

In both the business environment and public relations, it is paramount to be ready to respond to people’s needs 24 hours a day. What is more important is that services are provided promptly and in a place where they are needed most. In Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) location-based services (LBS) are critical to implementing as the company must ensure the provision of telecommunications across the country. By utilizing LBS for emergency calls the organization’s capacity to meet the needs of the clients will increase. Therefore, the project could serve as a positive intervention for TRA.

The Current Project as Business Case

In order to ascertain the reasoning behind the project implementation, it is necessary to envision a business case where the intervention could be of use. A situation might arise when TRA should promptly respond to a major telecommunication breakdown and address the aftermath for the users in the most effective manner possible. Location-based services provide an opportunity to have data on the customers’ location and use it to have their issues resolved swiftly. The greater speed will be achieved through an automated system of location determination, which saves the time of processing emergency calls. It also economizes resources due to the availability of grouping breakdown issues by area and subsequent coordination of tech teams. The quality of services is often evaluated based on the speed of delivering a solution, which makes LBS a great technical solution. In this case, the efficiency of emergency response will rise due to the factors described above. Therefore, the project will become a benefit to the company.

Organization Project Selection Criteria

The first selection criterion is its potential to save time and effort for the employees of TRA. A typical response to an emergency call in a company’s hotline usually requires a caller to name his or her location. That approach takes time and does not guarantee a good result. Possible communication failures could emerge in the face of an operator mishearing or misinterpreting the information about the caller’s location. In addition, the customer could also misspell the address due to stress or other factors. LBS could help eliminate errors in that domain by providing the operator with accurate information about the caller’s location.

Another criterion is the potential impact of the project on customers. As such, customer satisfaction with the company’s services should rise significantly, as less time will be needed for a team to be dispatched or other solutions initiated to resolve their issues. Above that, emergency calls will now be shorter and more productive regarding the content of the conversation, which should enhance the customer-company relationship. The new and positive experience from communication with TRA representatives will likely change the customer’s viewpoint on the company for the better.

Business priority is the third-choice criterion due to the fact that the project agrees with the goals and vision of the company and furthers it towards its organizational goals. For TRA it is of utmost importance to improve its practices with an orientation towards customer happiness. Also, the organization values innovative solutions that enhance the quality of service. Finally, the company positions itself as a top provider of transformational technologies in the field of telecommunication. Thus, the proposed project will fit in the TRA’s vision and will be a physical realization of its goals.

Objectives, Goals, and Requirements

The primary objective of the project is to implement LBS into the procedure of processing emergency calls of the TRA organization and measure its impact on the quality of services. The objective is set in accordance with the needs of the company and its role as a service provider. In addition, it lets the measure be assessed and will probably allow making conclusions regarding the applicability and usability of such enhancement in the sphere of telecommunication. Since the company seeks to achieve leadership in the sphere of service technology, this objective for a project will fit perfectly.

The primary goal is to achieve customer satisfaction with the implementation of LBS technology for emergency calls processing. Another goal is to make a contribution to the theory and practice of LBS. This technology appears to be a promising tool for the telecommunication sphere and, therefore, needs to be properly studied. Requirements include permission for the installment of the geolocation tracking software and hardware, the acquisition and creation of the software, and equipping the staff from the company hotline to use the software.

Preliminary Scope Statement

The scope of this project is the practical and theoretical application of LBS technology in the area of telecommunication. The practical application is driven by the desire to outline the possibilities and limitations of the usability and applicability of LBS. The theoretical application will be studied due to the high scientific interest in the technology and the perceived lack of data on its use in the telecommunication sphere. It would also be useful to hypothesize on how it should perform and compare the practical outcomes with the hypothesis.

Work Breakdown Structure

The project will be divided into four main stages:

1. receiving permission to proceed with the project from the management of the company;
2. developing software and acquiring hardware for tracking geolocation of the caller;
3. training staff members to use hardware and software;
4. assessing performance metrics from before the experiment and after.

Stage one will include developing a project proposal note for management explaining key provisions of the project, waiting for permission, and proceeding to implementation. Stage two will require accessing a geolocation tracking device, developing software to integrate it into the current call operation procedure. Stage three will consist of three steps:

1. devising a presentation that explains what the implemented software and hardware is, how to use it, and what for it is designated;
2. planning a meeting for the emergency call center operators;
3. conducting a presentation.

Stage four will include:

1. creating a method of assessment;
2. choosing primary assessment criteria;
3. devising a data-gathering tool;
4. gathering the results;
5. implementing assessment method;
6. drawing a conclusion.

Conclusion

The project value for theory and practice appears to be high. Despite the possibility that failure at some stages can undermine the success of the project, its high priority for the company remains unchallenged. TRA needs technological improvements implemented not in the future but in the present to provide its clients with only the highest quality of service. The practical implementation will also allow to enrich the theoretical background and incur further studies in the field of correlation of LBS and telecommunication. The project will also serve as a mind-broadening agent for the author as the skills and competencies for the project’s successful implementation are rather diverse.