How does ECOMM support the communications center environment?
The communications center environment can be very stressful and demanding. Hiring talented emergency communications personnel in the past has posed a serious problem for many organizations. It is quite costly to hire and train personnel only to find out that they can't handle the job. ECOMM gives you a glimpse into how they would handle the stressful environment, before you
hire.
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What will ECOMM tell you about an applicant?
ECOMM is designed to assess an applicant's abilities in the areas of situational judgment, public relations, internal relations, responsibility for officer safety, listening and communications skills, dealing with difficult and stressful situations, multi-tasking, analysis, prioritizing and problem
solving and recording accuracy. This test represents a major break through in communication center screening and hiring. For the first time, you can accurately and efficiently predict, before you hire, how an applicant will perform in these key skill areas.
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How does ECOMM work?
ECOMM has two modules: the CallTaker Test and the Dispatcher
Video Test. The CallTaker module has two parts: the first is a video-based multiple choice test and the second requires the use of accurate notes to answer the questions correctly. In the video-based CallTaker Test, applicants hear typical situations they will face on the job, analyze the various elements present; evaluate the situation and make a quick judgment about how to respond. At the same time, the applicant
must take notes on the calls in order to accurately answer the questions in the second part of this exam. To score well on the test, they must evaluate each scenario as an entirely new situation and project the likely outcome of any given action and simultaneously take accurate notes. The Dispatcher
Video Test is a animated simulation depicting maps with moving cars, radio transmissions and changing status screens. Given a list of priority rules to follow, the test taker must decide the priority of the call, current status of response units and proximity to the incident, and whether to send the unit or units immediately or when they are finished with their current call.
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Who should take this test?
The most efficient and effective way to use ECOMM is to test everyone who applies. This test is designed to be the initial screening tool to identify those applicants who have outstanding skills in the desired areas. Screening out applicants prior to testing with ECOMM limits the possibility of finding people with good judgment and outstanding human relations skills. Validation studies conducted by ERGOMETRICS show that prior experience and education are not reliable predictors of human interaction skills because they say nothing of how the person performed in those areas. Various administrative methods of reducing the applicant pool, such as evaluation applications, yield very poor results and waste the effort of recruiting.
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How do you give this test?
Any number of applicants can be tested at one time, so long as they can all see and hear the video. The test is easy to administer,
as simple as putting a video cassette in the player and giving the applicants
answers sheets and the CallTaker Call Records Form. The test is machine-scored for ease of administration and quick results. ERGOMETRICS provides answer sheets and scoring with a two day turnaround for a nominal fee.
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Why is work simulation used for this test?
Actually simulating critical job demands is a more powerful employment testing technique than either traditional
paper and pencil tests or oral interviews. Job simulation not only gives candidates a realistic job preview, but it ensures that the actual skills required on the job are directly measured by the test. A written test cannot possibly tell you very much about a person's
people handling skills.
Video is a practical job simulation medium for assessing human relations skills. Written and oral tests are dependent on the ability to completely describe situations with language. Not only is it impossible and impractical to describe the minute details of a situation, the question is dependent on each applicant's interpretation of what the scene is supposed to be. Video scenarios present exactly the same information to everyone, allow for careful staging of the events and the surrounding environment, and require applicants to observe and analyze the situation themselves. It is a realistic way to see how a person reacts to actual job situations before being hired and put on the job.
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What is the cost benefit of using ECOMM?
Hiring and training personnel for the communications center is a major expense in terms of both time and money. Validation studies on similar ERGOMETRICS' video tests show that improving the match between the applicant and the job dramatically lowers turnover and the use of leave. Also, ECOMM enables you to identify, early in the screening process, those applicants who have the key skills necessary to be successful, thereby increasing the efficiency of subsequent testing procedures.
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Has this test been validated?
Yes. This test meets the American Psychological Association standards for
content validity. It was developed in conjunction with major state, county and metropolitan law enforcement agencies. The content of the scenarios and the answers to each were developed by emergency communications professionals working with
test development experts from ERGOMETRICS. The video production was directed by test development experts from ERGOMETRICS working on-site with emergency communications
subject matter specialists to ensure that every detail is accurate and
realistic.
A criterion-related validation study is in progress. The test will be given to staff from the participating agencies. Their test scores will be compared to special research-based performance evaluations completed by their supervisors. A high correlation between test scores and actual job performance will provide additional confirmatory evidence of ECOMM's ability of predicting the future job performance of applicants. Other video tests developed by ERGOMETRICS all show extremely high correlation between test score and job performance.
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What other testing is necessary?
This test will supplement your existing testing process. After you have identified the pool of applicants with the human relations skills necessary to become an outstanding communications center personnel, they should progress through
your routine testing process to evaluate other job-related skills. You may find that ECOMM will reduce the need for various types of oral tests that attempt to assess human relations and judgment skill areas.
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What is the cost of ECOMM and what is included?
This test is available both for purchase and for rental. The cost is based on the number of communications personnel in your center. Smaller agencies may find it cost-effective to rent the test. Rental clients receive two copies of the video test
and all necessary material for administration for use in their agency, during the rental period. If you purchase ECOMM, your department will receive two copies of the video test, originals necessary for administration and a license for perpetual use. You will also receive a job analysis, to be filled out by your officers, to document the job-relatedness of this test within your department. Finally, you will receive a validation report.
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ECOMM is priced in relation to the size of your organization. Contact Karen Strom at ERGOMETRICS (425-774-5700) to find the most affordable option for your agency.
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Who is ERGOMETRICS?
ERGOMETRICS and Applied Personnel Research, Inc., is a Seattle based firm established in 1980. The co-founders are Carla Swander, nationally noted for the development of video-based testing tools, and Oscar Spurlin, Ph.D.,
Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. This cutting-edge firm has an extensive
public and private sector clientele across the United States and Canada. ERGOMETRICS specializes in personnel selection and training and is recognized for its expertise in the development of video-based selection and training programs, physical abilities testing, work simulation tests and validation research.
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How do I order ECOMM?
For more information about ECOMM or to place your order, call ERGOMETRICS at (425) 774-5700 or FAX (425) 774-0829.
We are very happy to answer your questions via e-mail, contact us here.
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