Committing to the Collaborative Process of Training Delphini’s AI Model Yields Outstanding Results

Introduction

MACC’s Technical Services Manager Gerrit Klein is committed to finding and adopting the latest and greatest in emerging technology specifically developed for public safety agencies. As a result of his online research, he encountered Smart Response Technologies’ website and requested a demonstration of Delphini. He had never seen transcription software in the industry and was impressed with the AI’s accuracy and the product’s extensive capabilities through customizable features. Recognizing Delphini as a solution to their internal challenges, he had it installed in February 2023.

Soon after the initial installation, the MACC transitioned from analog to a digital direct connection, the first of SRT’s clients to make the switch. Delphini is designed to work with either an analog or digital system, but a digital connection is direct and minimizes signal loss, which greatly improves the clarity of a voice, enabling Delphini to optimize performance.

From the very beginning, Klein recognized the importance of collaborating with SRT’s IT team in training the AI model to maximize its proficiencies specific to their call center, and he committed to the timely process. Klein and MACC Director D.T. Donaldson initially submitted more than 150 corrective transcript reports over a 3-month period providing valuable feedback used to make corrections and adjustments to the AI database that improve Delphini’s accuracy, and reports continue to be submitted as needed.

Donaldson declared, “It’s amazing, today Delphini’s transcription accuracy is close to 100%, especially when people are speaking clearly. And if they slur their speech, it’s still about 80-90% accurate.” Skeptical at first, he shared, “I was not sure we had made a wise investment in the beginning, but then over time I began seeing first-hand the outstanding results and now I’m a fan of this technology. I’m glad we were patient with the process and remained committed to the partnership with SRT.”

Additionally, Delphini has been instrumental in overcoming challenges with interpreting someone’s accent. Klein shared that one third of the police officers in Grant County are Hispanic and many of them are native Spanish speakers. After training the system, Delphini can decipher an accent and transcribe accurately, enabling call takers and dispatchers to respond much quicker.

Furthermore, Delphini is helpful in identifying the patrol officers and firepersons who need to be more aware of their enunciations and clarity of speech over the radio. Klein said, “I can easily replay the conversation after the emergency is resolved so that the person hears for themselves how difficult they can be to understand during their transmission. And most of the responses we get to that exercise are positive. They are appreciative that I brought it to their attention.”

Incorporating Delphini as a training tool for recruits is especially beneficial. Donaldson feels it’s essential for developing a good radio ear, saying, “Reinforcing what they are hearing by seeing it transcribed in real time is not a crutch, it’s just practical. It instills confidence from the very beginning.” Donaldson has observed a boost in people’s certainty on the job and a lessening of stress and burnout, which he is happy to see.

As a result of Delphini’s successful performance over the first year and given the complementary mobile app that provides automatic text notifications at any time anywhere, the MACC is in the process of transitioning some employees to work remotely. Klein is confident they can make it effective with the support of Delphini. “It’s a beneficial resource that aids in keeping them connected.”

Customer’s Challenges/The Opportunity

Klein made researching and adopting new and emerging technology specifically designed for public safety agencies a priority. Like many call centers, the MACC is plagued by staffing and recruiting problems, difficulties maintaining mental health and wellness of call takers and dispatchers, and technology gaps. His goal was to find technological solutions to these challenges to minimize the risk to public safety in their communities that can occur because of these issues.

Alarmingly, 82% of call centers in North America with the means to hire are encountering difficulties in filling vacancies, and 50% of the trainees do not survive the probation period, according to the second annual Pulse of 9-1-1 State of Industry Survey published by Carbyne in April 2024. Furthermore, respondents to the survey revealed they have adopted a wide range of coping strategies to deal with their stressful roles, such as excessive drinking, self-isolation, and escapism.

Both Klein and Donaldson recognize these troubling industry stats and admit there is difficulty recruiting people who are willing to work long hours on shifts and endure the mental strain and pressure that comes with the job. “The requirement to interpret what’s being said by a panicked person in an emergency and then be able to respond quickly and accurately is not appealing to many people,” said Donaldson. So, they want to give their call takers and dispatchers at the MACC every tool they can to be successful professionally and personally.

They acknowledge, Delphini is the emerging technology that provides an all-in-one solution to their immediate challenges:

1. It fills the technology gap because a highly accurate and sophisticated speech-to-text transcription product other than Delphini does not exist currently. It’s the only one!
2. Tight budgets, no problem! Delphini is an affordable cloud-based SaaS platform that works cooperatively with existing systems already installed or available at the call center.
3. Delphini enables call takers and dispatchers to have quicker and more efficient responses, so it boosts their confidence on the job, while helping to eliminate some of their stress and burnout.
4. It’s an excellent recruiting and training tool. The product is easy to use and supports the development of the radio ear. Seeing what’s being heard reinforces the skill.

Why Delphini Was Chosen

Unlike other clients that met Smart Response Technologies at a regional public safety conference and saw a live demonstration of Delphini, Klein found SRT online doing research on emerging technologies in the public safety sector. Adopting new technology was a priority for the call center so he reached out via the website to request a product demo in early February 2023.

A few days later, Klein and Donaldson observed a virtual product demonstration given by SRT President Tim Shaw and were “blown away” by Delphini’s capabilities, recognizing the immediate benefits to their communities of incorporating it into the MACC. The features that resonated the most with them during the first demonstration were:

• Accuracy of the live radio and 911 call speech-to-text transcription
• Customizable key word highlighting and use of color codes
• Simplicity of the dashboard and user-friendly interface
• Auto alerting during a critical situation
• Complementary mobile app

They were anxious to get the ball rolling so by the end of the month the deal was signed and SRT had begun the installation process. Given that Delphini is a cloud-based SaaS platform, they appreciated how easy it was to install and embraced the process of collaborating with SRT’s IT team to customize and program the AI model specifically for their call center.

Results

The MACC is SRT’s first client to have the capability to switch from analog to a digital direct connection shortly after the initial product installation. Delphini is designed to work with either an analog or digital system, but a digital connection is direct and minimizes signal loss, which greatly improves the clarity of a voice, enabling Delphini to optimize performance.

After installation in late February 2023, MACC management immediately committed to the important process of collaborating with SRT’s IT team to assist in training the AI model to maximize its performance. They initially submitted more than 150 corrective transcript reports over a 3-month period providing valuable feedback used to make corrections and adjustments to the AI database that improve Delphini’s accuracy.

Ed Craig, SRT’s chief technology officer, said, “We are constantly monitoring Delphini at our client sites and adjustments happen automatically, but we’ve made the error-reporting feature very user-friendly so that clients can bring something to our attention immediately. MACC’s consistency in submitting corrective transcript reports enabled us to improve the quality of our transcriptions quicker resulting in call takers being timelier and more efficient in dispatching.”

Donaldson declared, “It’s amazing, today Delphini’s transcription accuracy is close to 100%, especially when people are speaking clearly. And if they slur their speech, it’s still about 80-90% accurate.” Skeptical at first, he shared, “I was not sure I had made a wise investment in the beginning, but then over time I began seeing first-hand the outstanding results and now I’m a huge fan of this technology. I’m glad we were patient with the process and remained committed to the partnership with SRT.”

Additionally, Delphini has been instrumental in overcoming challenges with interpreting someone’s accent. Klein shared that one third of the police officers in the county are Hispanic and many of them are native Spanish speakers. After training the system, Delphini can decipher an accent and transcribe accurately, which has helped call takers and dispatchers be able to respond much quicker.

Donaldson stated, “Dispatchers are on the radio talking to law enforcements officers, talking to fire departments, talking to ambulances, and messaging. They are also answering 911 calls and all the non-emergency public safety calls. So, it gets really busy in here. Having an accurate speech-to-text transcription with key word highlights, regardless of someone’s accent, is extremely helpful and saves valuable seconds in the handling of a critical situation.”

He also noted that Delphini is “exceptional” at transcribing numbers and letters. It’s keeping their police officers safer because they can maintain focus on what’s happening at the scene instead of having to look back and repeat a license plate number multiple times.

Given the boost in confidence and accuracy that Delphini provides, Donaldson insists on using Delphini as part of the recruit training program. He feels it’s essential for developing a good radio ear. He said, “Reinforcing what they are hearing by seeing it transcribed in real time is not a crutch, it’s just practical. It instills confidence in the job from the beginning.”

Furthermore, Delphini is helpful in identifying the patrol officers and firepersons who need to be more aware of their enunciations and clarity of speech over the radio. Klein said, “I can easily replay the conversation after the emergency is resolved so that the person hears for themselves how difficult they can be to understand during their transmission. And most of the responses we get to that exercise are positive. They are appreciative that I brought it to their attention.”

For the team member who is experiencing a degradation in their ability to hear radio transmission, Delphini is a “best friend.” The platform has improved the person’s accuracy and boosted self-confidence because seeing the transcription reinforces what they are hearing. The keyword alerts popping up on the screen are especially helpful. Additionally, this team member is having great success using Delphini as an instant recall recorder (IRR), so Klein and Donaldson are strongly considering making Delphini their standard IRR center wide.

As a result of Delphini’s successful performance over the first year and given the complementary mobile app that provides automatic text notifications at any time anywhere, the MACC is in the process of transitioning some employees to working remotely. Klein is confident they can make it effective with the support of Delphini. “It’s a beneficial resource that aids in keeping our team connected.”

Call-to-Action

For a free product demonstration and to find out more about Smart Response Technologies and Delphini, email info@smartresponsetech.com to schedule an appointment with one of SRT’s experts, or visit the website: Smart Response Technologies.

Customer Overview

Multi-Agency Communications Center
Moses Lake, WA / Grant County
Contacts:
Gerrit Klein, Technical Services Manager
D.T. Donaldson, Director

The Multi-Agency Communications Center (MACC) in Moses Lake, Washington is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for emergency 911 calls placed within Grant County. Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services personnel are dispatched from this central location, allowing them to increase their level of service to the public while reducing costs.

Operating 24/7, the MACC currently employs 23 budgeted full-time employees, including one director, one IT manager, 3 supervisors, one call-taker (only), and 17 dispatchers, all of whom are also call takers. The primary center is equipped with eight dispatch consoles and functions with four dispatchers on duty at any given time, with some exceptions during early morning/late night hours when only three are on duty. Annually, the communications center answers 57,000 911 calls and approximately 80,000 non-emergency assistance calls. They service 10 law enforcement agencies and 14 fire districts, and the county has 2 private ambulance services.

Named after U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and founded in 1909, Grant County encompasses 2,992 square miles and is the 13^th largest county in the State of Washington. Moses Lake is the largest city within the county. As of 2024, the estimated population of Grant County is 103,776 with a median age of 33 and a median household income of $63,819.

64.5% of Grant County residents speak only English, while 35.5% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 33.15% of the population. 12.16% of residents are not U.S. citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America. (Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/wa/grant-county-population)

Considered mostly rural, Grant County is located toward the central-eastern edge of the state in the Columbia Basin. On the north end of the county is the Grand Coulee Dam, which is the largest electric power-producing facility in the U.S. and one of the largest concrete structures in the world. Agriculture plays a large role in the local economy, and access to Interstate 90 and the Burlington-Northern Santa Fe Mainline makes it easy to transport refrigerated goods by truck or rail to major metro centers such as Seattle, Portland, and Chicago. In recent years, there has been considerable diversification into other sectors like technology. The area’s low-cost electricity; availability of air, rail, and highway transportation networks; abundance of reasonably priced land; and a high-speed fiber optic network have made Grant County attractive to many software and manufacturing firms.

Company Overview

Smart Response Technologies (SRT) is a Veteran-owned small business headquartered in the Dayton, Ohio area creating assistive AI solutions for first responders’ biggest communication challenges. SRT works side-by-side with its customers and collaborates with other cloud native companies to enable more efficient, less stressful 911 workflows. When public safety agencies are strapped for resources, trying to maintain quality of service can be difficult. SRT provides a solution with an affordable, resilient, and highly secure, cloud-based SaaS platform called Delphini. The firm’s cognitive technology quickly activates with no impact to the existing systems and serves as the smart way to support efficient use of resources. Smart Response Technologies

Product Overview

Specially designed with call takers and dispatchers in mind, Delphini is an affordable ground-breaking AI subscription cloud-based SaaS platform that provides multiple channel monitoring using a simplified dashboard to deliver real-time updated information through live radio and 911 call speech-to-text transcription, customizable keyword highlights, and live mapping updates. Developed by SRT in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base using a $5M federal investment, Delphini is the patented solution to eliminating miscommunication and missed communication, revolutionizing emergency call centers nationwide.

The platform is proven to increase audio comprehension by 70% and communications effectiveness by 55%, while enhancing accuracy in transcribing and improving the efficiency and timeliness of coordinated responses. As a result, dispatchers gain confidence and competency, which helps to dramatically reduce stress and burnout on the job.

SRT has the exclusive commercial licensing rights to Delphini and markets the product nationwide to command & control centers, correction facilities, event management, and courthouse, corporate, and campus security.

Derived from the Latin root for dolphin, the name Delphini is inspired by the collaborative nature of dolphins. These highly intelligent and conscientious sea animals look out for each other, traveling in pods with very efficient communication techniques to send important messages that ensure survival and security. Scientists believe each dolphin’s mother assigns it a unique signature whistle for identification.

Product Features

Delphini is a reliable, easy-to-use assistive AI cloud-based SaaS platform that displays on consoles, tablets, and smartphones. It provides the emergency call taker and dispatcher with improved observations and accuracy leading to more job confidence, better decisions, and quicker actions on the highest priority incidents. Faster response times enable the saving of more lives, which keeps communities safer. The patented product features are: 

Customizable Keyword Highlights – alerts priority words, terms, and phrases

Live Radio and 911 Call Speech-to-Text Transcription – in both English and Spanish

Multiple Channel Monitoring at once – uses a simplified dashboard

3D Spatial Audio – increases comprehension

Pinpointing – identifies specific location of the incident

Live Mapping Updates – streamlines troubleshooting and management operations

Flag Lines – enables adding of notes for later review

Playback – enables review of past transmissions

Data Rich Symbols – verifies and enhances verbal data

Working in unison, these unique features are eliminating missed communication and miscommunication at emergency dispatch centers nationwide, while helping to solve many of the physical and mental challenges call takers incur on the job.

Implementing Delphini

Implementing Delphini for the MACC was simple. Delphini does not require a software download or special hardware adjustments. It is a cloud-based platform with easy access using a login and password at each console, and it works cooperatively with existing SaaS platforms already installed or available on the call center’s systems.

Delphini is also user-friendly and takes approximately one week on average for call takers and dispatchers to come up to speed.

Delphini is designed to work with either an analog or digital system, but a digital connection minimizes signal loss, which greatly improves the clarity of a voice, enabling Delphini to optimize performance.

The MACC was the first of SRT’s clients to make the transition from analog to digital, which boosted voice clarity greatly, enabling Delphini to optimize performance with better transcription results.

Once Delphini was initiated, SRT experts provided access for call center employees to online video training tutorials and printed one-page instruction guides for each user station. Additionally, SRT collaborated directly with management regularly through video chats and conference calls to ensure Delphini was meeting expectations, especially in the live speech-to-text transcription feature. SRT also provided one-on-one guidance for call takers and dispatchers as needed and followed up regularly to answer any questions.

System monitoring happens automatically but to maintain quality control and ensure call centers are optimizing all Delphini’s features, SRT’s customer service team checks in consistently and schedules virtual training seminars frequently.