Setting up a 15-person dispatch office on GT Connect

Before you start

A 15-person transport office usually has three groups: dispatchers who are on calls all day, drivers who call in from the road, and office staff in accounts, sales and the warehouse who call less often but need to be reachable. Plan your rollout around those groups rather than switching everyone at once.

• Make a list of everyone, their role and the device they will use (office computer, personal phone, shared dock computer).
• Check that office computers have a working headset or microphone. Built-in laptop microphones work, but a basic wired headset makes a big difference in a noisy office.
• Use a current browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.

Day 1: the office

Start with the people who sit together. Ask each dispatcher and office user to open GT Connect, join with their full name and role (for example "Priya, Dispatch"), and allow microphone access when the browser asks.

Then run a five-minute test: each person calls one colleague, turns on video, and shares their screen once. Doing this together makes the first-time browser permission prompts a non-event.

Tip: install the app from the address bar on each computer. Installed, GT Connect opens in its own window and is easier to find than a browser tab.

Days 2 and 3: drivers

Drivers are the group that benefits most, and the one that needs the simplest setup. Ask drivers to visit the app link on their phone, join with their name and vehicle number, and add it to their home screen.

• On Android, use Chrome and tap Install app or Add to Home screen.
• On iPhone, use Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.

Be clear about one limit: until native apps launch, the app needs to be open to ring. Ask drivers to keep it open while on shift, and to call dispatch rather than wait to be called for routine check-ins.

Days 4 and 5: habits

Tools only help if habits change. Agree three simple rules with the team:

1. Set your status. Use Away when you step out and Do Not Disturb during focused work, so callers know before they dial.
2. Use group calls for incidents. One call with the driver, the workshop and the account manager beats four separate calls.
3. Call back from history. Check missed calls at the end of every hour.

How to tell it is working

After a week, ask dispatchers two questions: are drivers reaching you faster, and are you making fewer calls to sort out one problem? If the answer is yes, extend GT Connect to the warehouse and sales next. If not, look at whether people are keeping the app open and setting their status.