Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now used as standard by insurance companies, banks, health insurers, and many others. AI assists with questions and problems, around the clock, in multiple languages, and securely. In the emergency services sector, AI is also increasingly helping to relieve dispatchers and improve communication with the public. Discover how and where your organization can benefit from it today.
In emergency services, where efficiency, precision, and close connections with the public are top priorities, AI is ushering in a new era of digitization for emergency call centers. The goal is to ease the burden on these centers and keep phone lines available at all times. How? By using AI-based systems to support staff with all non-urgent and non-threatening matters.
Leading AI solutions today can communicate in a human-like and appropriately empathetic way. They understand context in all major languages (including Spanish, French, and even Swiss German, a dialect spoken in parts of Switzerland) and can respond in a natural dialogue with human-like answers or offer the appropriate next step. It is impressive how quickly the technology has evolved in recent years, from unhelpful FAQ chatbots to remarkable AI voice agents.
AI in Action – Five Real-World Examples
Already, we can provide you with secure AI solutions that deliver clear added value, fully compliant with legal requirements and data protection regulations. We’ll explain how this works using the following five practical examples.
1 | Support for all inquiries via email, website, social media, WhatsApp…
In Switzerland, it is still a legal requirement that a human must take an emergency call. However, every day, numerous questions and messages also arrive through other channels. AI can reliably understand, assess, and pre-sort these in any language, automatically respond if appropriate, or forward them to the right departments. This already takes a significant workload off the call centers.
2 | Support for inquiries that are not emergencies (information and prevention)
Dispatchers answer calls, assess the situation, and alert emergency services in urgent cases. But they are increasingly faced with additional tasks. Citizens often ask recurring questions on topics that are not primarily part of a police emergency call. Typical public inquiries include:
- Public order and safety questions, e.g., general security issues or incidents like vandalism and graffiti
- Advice and prevention, e.g., burglary protection, internet fraud, youth protection, stalking…
- Civil law matters, e.g., neighbor disputes
- General requests about lost property, police clearance certificates, etc.
In addition, many people call regarding weather-related damage, mental health crises, under the influence of alcohol, or even just for amusement.
Dialogues about non-urgent, non-threatening matters could be handled by AI agents today. Furthermore, AI can record incident reports when needed, send the correct forms via other channels, or schedule callbacks from the appropriate specialist staff. Callers receive competent assistance around the clock, and dispatchers are relieved from repetitive work.
3 | Support for course bookings
If a first aid course, fire safety training, or a security consultation is available, it can be offered and booked directly in the AI dialogue. Today’s AI solutions can not only provide information but, when connected to other systems such as a training management platform, also take action, such as entering and confirming course bookings. Airlines already use this technology to rebook flights. In insurance, customers can report claims and submit photos directly to the AI, these are standard use cases today.
4 | Support through real-time translation
In a multilingual country like Switzerland, AI can help overcome language barriers through automatic speech recognition and translation, a critical factor in emergencies. AI even understands Swiss German dialects as well as regional dialects from other languages.
5 | Support during major incidents
During fires, large traffic accidents, power outages, or riots at mass events, hundreds of people may call about the same incident. Here, an AI-assisted emergency system can quickly provide general information, answer frequently asked questions, and route inquiries to the right specialists. AI can also support post-event processing by collecting and documenting information from affected citizens.
Final thought: AI enables a new era of possibilities
One thing is clear: people will always be at the center. In emergency situations, human contact is essential. But AI can ensure that dispatchers are always available and have enough time. The future of emergency call centers therefore lies in an intelligent collaboration between humans and AI. AI will increasingly support and relieve staff in the background. When used correctly, the technology opens up a wide range of possibilities, both in acute assistance and in education and prevention.
This article originally appeared in the German magazine, Blaulicht.
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