Operations/dispatch vs dispatcher

The differences between operations/dispatches and dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations/dispatch has an average salary of $39,483, which is higher than the $35,328 average annual salary of a dispatcher.

The top three skills for an operations/dispatch include patrol, data entry and computer aided dispatch. The most important skills for a dispatcher are customer service, data entry, and computer aided dispatch.

Operations/dispatch vs dispatcher overview

	Operations/Dispatch	Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$39,483	$35,328
Hourly rate	$18.98	$16.98
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	60,313	5,818
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	39	43
Years of experience	-	2

What does an operations/dispatch do?

An operations dispatcher is a communication liaison between delivery drivers, customers, and an operations center of a delivery service or distributorship. You should effectively communicate with drivers for timely and efficient deliveries and inform customers of expected times of delivery. Operations dispatchers develop the most efficient delivery routes and keep in touch with drivers throughout a delivery run, monitor any abrupt changes on the routes such as constructions, and work with management to alter set routes to accommodate customer needs.

What does a dispatcher do?

Dispatchers are generally responsible for coordinating with the customers regarding the delivery status of the products and providing precise logistics and the fastest transportation routes to the professional drivers to ensure smooth and timely deliveries. A dispatcher is required to monitor the driver's location, strictly track road situations at all times to provide real-time updates for the customers, and advise the driver for alternative routes. Dispatchers also need to address possible customer complaints and process scheduling accurately to avoid inconsistencies in the delivery time.

Operations/dispatch vs dispatcher salary

Operations/dispatches and dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations/Dispatch	Dispatcher
Average salary	$39,483	$35,328
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $54,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Alaska
Best paying company	AECOM	Mt. San Antonio College
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between operations/dispatch and dispatcher education

There are a few differences between an operations/dispatch and a dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Operations/Dispatch	Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Operations/dispatch vs dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between operations/dispatches' and dispatchers' demographics:

	Operations/Dispatch	Dispatcher
Average age	39	43
Gender ratio	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%	Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	17%	7%

Differences between operations/dispatch and dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Operations/dispatch example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Assist A/R with basic accounting issues.
Certify by ACJIC as a NCIC operator.
Call taker job are taking customers calls.
Cross-Train as both call taker and dispatcher.
Dispatch calls to the appropriate agency - police, fire, ems.

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Dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R) using QuickBooks.
Manage dot hrs for drivers as far as what tasks can be done in a certain amount of time.
Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Dispatch police fire and ems.
Dispatch district security patrol officers to assist district employees, students and residents with emergency situations.
Earn CDL with passenger endorsement.

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Operations/dispatch vs dispatcher skills

Common operations/dispatch skills

Patrol, 11%
Data Entry, 7%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 7%
Quality Customer Service, 6%
Two-Way Radio, 6%
Emergency Situations, 6%

Common dispatcher skills

Customer Service, 34%
Data Entry, 8%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 4%
Non-Emergency Calls, 4%
Emergency Situations, 3%
EMS, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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