For selecting the best Dispatchers CallTakers Telecommunicators more

For selecting the best Dispatchers • Call-Takers • Telecommunicators more than 600 public-safety agencies use Pre-Employment Testing Software Click on the screen, use the scroll bar, or press the right arrow key to view the next slide. Press the left arrow key to go back to the previous slide.

Dispatching has changed dramatically over the years…your employment tests should reflect these changes!

One Texas city reported it cost $88, 000 for the recruitment, testing, selection, training, and probationary Hiring the wrong person supervision of a can be very expensive! single dispatcher

Too many public-safety agencies have learned the hard way that interviews and written tests are not sufficient to determine whether someone possesses the knowledge, skill, and ability needed to become a successful dispatcher

They should have used Criti. Call to see if he really could do the job

What is Criti. Call? • Criti. Call is a nationally validated, computerized, pre-employment selection test designed to aid in the selection of public-safety dispatchers and calltakers • Criti. Call is virtually self-administering and selfscoring • Criti. Call is designed to address the federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedure and the CALEA Standards for Public Safety Communications Agencies Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. This is not meant to imply endorsement by these organizations

A comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “Criti. Call testing has allowed us to test in areas that our previous standardized testing didn't. It allows testing of multitasking skills, data entry, and other vital tasks related to hearing, understanding, and responding to various tests in a computer environment. I believe we have been able to save time by not hiring people who do not have the skills to work in a computerized environment. This testing and an improved pre-service training regimen has improved our retention of new hires. ” Sandra Simonds, Communications Manager, York County Communications We would be happy to provide references upon request!

Criti. Call was created by the Biddle Consulting Group (BCG) • BCG is a Human Resource Consulting company with over 30 years experience assisting public safety agencies in selecting their employees • BCG has extensive experience in computerized testing and product support • BCG provides a wide range of Equal Employment Opportunity services to clients nationwide

Criti. Call Helps You to Hire Qualified Employees • Scientific studies show that computerrelated multi-tasking requires the ability to use a computer as part of a subconscious, automatic routine – Fact: If workers have to focus on using the computer, they will have extreme difficulty focusing on other required tasks! – Criti. Call automatically measures computer-related abilities, along with many others

Criti. Call Uses Work Sample Testing • Many of Criti. Call’s test modules are a miniature replica of the job – These tests provide to the applicants a Realistic Preview of the job – The average validity of work-sample testing is the highest of any kind of pre-employment testing – Criti. Call is scientifically designed so the job candidates need no prior dispatch experience or special dispatcher training to succeed during testing

Criti. Call Testing Measures a Wide Range of Abilities • • • Decision Making Multi-Tasking Data Entry Using a computer Listening and using the information heard • Using alphabetical lists • Comparing and contrasting data • • Prioritization Memory recall Spelling Sentence Clarity Reading Comprehension Map Reading Basic Math Keying a microphone and speaking clearly

USING LISTS MAP READING Screen shots of some of Criti. Call’s Tests DATA ENTRY DECISION MAKING & MULTI-TASKING READING COMPREHENSION MEMORY MATH SPELLING

Criti. Call is Easy to Set Up • You can use as many, or as few, of Criti. Call’s 23 test modules for your preemployment testing as you wish • Criti. Call contains a built-in Test Creation Wizard that helps employers choose the most appropriate tests to use during testing for the job as it is performed at their agency

Another comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “Criti. Call has made the testing process comprehensive and it can be tailored to the needs of the organization. ” Robert Farr, Communications Training Assistant Phoenix Police Department, AZ “Prior to using Criti. Call, we had to run candidates through three separate tests, which unreasonably extended the testing process. Now our testing is done quickly, efficiently, and with a more up-to -date process which more closely simulates the day-to-day operations of our Dispatch Center. It's like coming out of the Stone Age!” Robert Hansen, Lieutenant Medford Police Department, OR We would be happy to provide references upon request!

Criti. Call is Easy to Use • Criti. Call is virtually self-administering and self-scoring – The job candidate sits at the computer and the Criti. Call program does the rest – Criti. Call automatically scores virtually every aspect of the test • Thousands of job candidates have been tested by hundreds of agencies with great success

Another comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “This has helped speed up the testing process. We went from testing quarterly to now testing as soon as we have pre-qualified applicants. We have saved money and resources and hired more qualified individuals in the process. ” Amy Smith, Human Resources City of Jacksonville Beach, FL “The program is user friendly on both administrator and the applicant. Biddle [Consulting Group – the creator and sole distributor of Criti. Call] has been very accommodating when needed. ” Sherrie Matthews, Training Coordinator Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, FL We would be happy to provide references upon request!

Criti. Call Work Sample Testing can … • Reduce Adverse Impact: Work-sample testing has been shown to reduce adverse impact against protected groups of employees in some settings • Lower Turnover: Persons selected using work-sample testing frequently stay on the job longer

How Criti. Call Can Help You Reduce Turnover • Research indicates that 80% of newly hired telecommunicators who leave before finishing probation leave because they had inadequate job-related knowledge, skills and abilities • Criti. Call measures many of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to be a successful dispatcher or calltaker prior to being hired!

A comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “In 2000, before we started using Criti. Call, we successfully trained and retained only 15% of our new hires. In mid 2001 we started using Criti. Call and our retention rate rose to 54%. In 2002 we did even better, and retained 86% of our new hires. And, believe it or not, in 2003 we had a 100% retention rate. Criti. Call was definitely not the only change we made to our hiring and training practices, but I consider it to be one of the most integral parts. Thanks again for a great product and feel free to call on me anytime!” Susan Koch, Training Coordinator, Washington County 911, OR

A comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “[Criti. Call] has dramatically reduced our turnover rate since we started using it over two years ago. Have not lost anyone to training failure and our turnover was less than half of what it was the prior years. ” Kathy Sukus, Operations Manager, Rock County Communications Center, WI We would be happy to provide references upon request!

The Criti. Call Test is Based on a National Job Analysis • Criti. Call was originally developed and validated using input from experienced dispatchers from 49 agencies in 12 states • Since the initial validation study was performed, we have collected validation information from hundreds of dispatcher experts from more than 50 additional agencies from around the country – State, County, City, Local, Regional, University – Police, Fire, Ambulance, and Cross-Functional Communication Centers

Testing that is Valid for Your Agency • Criti. Call contains a Validation Wizard feature, which you can use to automatically conduct your own content validity study • The Validation Report automatically produced by the Criti. Call program can be used as evidence of non-discrimination in the event of civil rights litigation

More than 600 Public Safety Agencies have adopted Criti. Call including over 25% of the nation’s State Police/Highway Patrol Agencies

You Can Also Write Your own Test Questions using Criti. Call • Criti. Call contains a tool that allows you to create your own multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-inthe-blanks test questions – While we do not recommend that you write your own questions for pre-employment testing, this feature is great for developing questions to determine the effectiveness of your training or for promotional testing! • The custom tests you create can be automatically administered and scored by the Criti. Call program

Criti. Call Never Becomes Outdated Criti. Call is constantly being updated to meet the ever-changing needs of the Public Safety Communications Community Notice: Criti. Call Version 4. 0 measures five times the multi-tasking of previous versions!

Outstanding Service and Support With every Criti. Call system, for the first full year you receive ü Complimentary software upgrades and updates ü Criti. Call User Group membership ü Includes access to the password-protected User’s Group web pages with Criti. Call training and information 24 hours a day ü Unlimited toll-free telephone support Note: Similar support after the first year is available on a subscription basis

Another comment from a satisfied Criti. Call user… “Criti. Call covers each of these key areas for us and is a very realistic simulation of our dynamic environment, not to mention it requires very little to no time to administer and is very easy to implement. I just wanted to let you know how pleased we are with Criti. Call. I would be happy to share the word with others considering your product and you are welcome to add me to your reference list. ” Cindy Thomas, RESPONSE Services Center Columbia, MD We would be happy to provide references upon request!

In Summary, Criti. Call… • Uses a combination of work-sample and other testing to measure computer-related and many other knowledge, skills, and abilities that are needed prior to the first day on the job as a public-safety dispatcher or calltaker • Is virtually self-administering and self-scoring • Can lower turnover / save money • Can decrease training & supervision time • Is easily validated specifically for your agency • Can be used to create your own tests

“For many years we have struggled with trying to find a method for adequately measuring/determining candidates' capabilities in all aspects of the job. However, of all the things we have tried, we have never found anything that comes close to Criti. Call as it relates to evaluating a candidate's multi-tasking abilities. Though there are clearly aspects of the test battery that are geared specifically at multi-tasking, just about all of the individual tests we use measure multitasking in some form or manner. By requiring test users to validate the individual tests for their agency, the overall instrument has increased credibility and I am confident that if challenged, it would hold up in court. ” Sgt. Steven R. Kowa, Ph. D. , Commander University of Maryland Department of Public Safety

Pre-Employment Testing Software For more information call 800 -999 -0438 or email info@criticall 911. com Bona-fide public safety agencies can obtain a demonstration version of the Criti. Call Pre-Employment Testing Program for review