For our first entry in this series, we’re going back to the beginning—how to start (or restart) a quality assurance program the right way. And that starts with one thing above all else: communication.

Communicate Your "Why"

Far too often, QA programs are born from crisis. A bad call. A media headline. A mistake that reached the public. I speak from experience. I worked in a center where a mishandled call made its way to national news. And truth be told—we deserved the criticism. There was no hiding from it, and we had to be better.

So, like many others, we launched a QA program in response. But our early messaging—while well-intentioned—focused too much on catching mistakes. “Let’s make sure this never happens again.” That may be true, but it’s not the full story, and it’s not the best foundation.

The most effective QA programs aren’t just about finding what’s wrong—they’re about showing what’s right, and continuously improving from there. Your message to staff should reflect that. You’re not here to punish. You’re here to highlight excellence, identify trends, find gaps, and get better—together.

QA Must Lead to Quality Improvement

Your staff deserves to know the whole picture. This isn’t just about grading performance. It’s about identifying opportunities for growth, training, support, and even funding. Data from QA reviews can do more than improve internal processes—it can help justify new positions, better tools, and added resources to executive boards and decision-makers.

What makes a QA program successful isn’t just the act of reviewing—it’s what you do with the results. Without tying QA into quality improvement (QI), you risk building a program that only identifies problems without offering solutions. Use your data to inform training topics, policy updates, coaching needs, and system changes. Let the results guide evidence-based leadership. And share wins just as often as gaps: “This week, our team nailed location verification on 98% of calls.” Data can motivate when it’s framed as progress, not punishment.

But here’s where many agencies fall short: QA and training must be aligned. If the people doing QA and the people doing training aren’t working hand in hand, your improvement efforts may end up disjointed—or worse, ineffective. These teams should not operate in silos. Instead, they should form a feedback loop.

When your QA reviewers identify patterns—such as missed address verifications, long caller interrogations, or trouble managing high-priority call types—that information should immediately inform what the training team focuses on. QA reveals the “what,” and training provides the “how.” If your reviews show a recurring issue with giving pre-arrival instructions, your next in-service training should reinforce best practices for those protocols. If tone and caller empathy scores are dipping, that’s your cue to address soft skills.

This relationship should go both ways. The training team can also bring concerns or observations to QA—things they notice during onboarding, continuing education, or daily performance that may warrant closer review or more frequent scoring. The synergy between QA and training transforms your program from a reactive system into a proactive engine for excellence.

In the best-run centers, QA and training are two halves of the same mission: supporting your team so they can do their best work every time the phone rings. Quality improvement doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it happens through collaboration, feedback, and a commitment to using data not to punish, but to empower.

Set Realistic Goals

Here’s another common pitfall: expecting perfection right out of the gate. Agencies often launch QA programs with a goal to hit the 90th or 95th percentile. That’s an excellent aspiration—but it’s not where most centers start. In fact, it can be counterproductive.

I’ve worked with agencies who received their first QA results and found scores in the 40s or 50s. That can be incredibly discouraging. Staff may feel defeated, morale can dip, and faith in the program can falter. That’s why it’s essential to start with a baseline, communicate that clearly, and build your benchmarks from there.

Improvement is a process. Starting low doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re finally measuring. Think of that first round of QA reviews like a check-up. It gives you a snapshot of where you are today, not a verdict on your worth. And just like any health journey, you don’t go from couch to marathon overnight. You build.

And as you begin that journey, expect the numbers to bounce. One month you may see an improvement in a key area—like location verification or tone—only to see scores dip somewhere else the next month. That’s natural. When we receive feedback, we tend to focus hard on fixing the thing we were called out on. That hyper-focus can inadvertently cause us to lose balance in other areas. For example, a calltaker may focus so much on asking scripted questions perfectly that they begin to sound robotic or rush empathy. This isn't failure—it's the learning curve in action.

This is where leadership and messaging matter. Remind your staff that this is not a performance cliff—they're not expected to jump from a low score to perfection overnight. Instead, this is a climb, and like any climb, there are ups, downs, and plateaus. Celebrate the wins. Talk openly about the setbacks. Use each month’s data as a moment of reflection and recalibration, not condemnation.

And most importantly: play the long game. You’re not building a one-month improvement plan—you’re building a culture of continuous growth. That means your goals should be incremental, realistic, and achievable. Start by improving five percentage points over three months. Then ten. As confidence builds and performance stabilizes, so do your results. That’s how you sustain success.

Ultimately, QA isn’t about the score—it’s about the standard. And the standard we’re aiming for is consistency, clarity, and care in every call, every day. Long-term success in QA comes from consistency over time—not perfection on paper.

Be Transparent About the Process

Another critical component is policy and transparency. Staff need to know what’s being reviewed, who is doing the reviewing, and what the possible outcomes are. No one wants to feel like they’re being judged behind closed doors.

Take time to build trust by crafting clear QA policies and SOPs. Define the review process, scoring criteria, timelines, and most importantly, what happens with the results. Staff should never be surprised about what’s being measured or how feedback will be delivered. If disciplinary action could result down the line, make that clear upfront—but also emphasize that the initial phase is about learning and growing. A successful QA program doesn’t weaponize data—it uses it to empower performance.

And don’t forget about fairness. “Bad apple syndrome” is real. If one dispatcher consistently performs poorly with no accountability, while another performs well with no recognition, resentment will grow. Over time, that imbalance can lead to burnout and disengagement among your high performers. Transparency—paired with fairness and consistency—is the antidote.

Identify the Wins Early

One of the best ways to build momentum for your quality assurance program is to identify and celebrate small wins early on. Even in the very first rounds of reviews, there will be something done well—someone who nailed location verification, someone who used outstanding tone, someone who calmly managed a chaotic call. Find those wins. Name them. Share them.

This isn’t just about positive reinforcement—it’s about creating emotional buy-in for your QA program. As Vincent van Gogh said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” The same holds true for building a culture of excellence. When you start to string together small, meaningful victories, your team begins to feel that this program isn’t just about catching errors—it’s about acknowledging effort, growth, and the difficult work they do every day.

This matters, especially in 9-1-1, where recognition is often scarce. We celebrate Telecommunicator Week once a year, but outside of that, acknowledgment can be minimal. Quality assurance can help change that narrative—if it’s done with authenticity.

And that’s key: be real. Don’t toss out empty praise or generic “atta boys” just to check a box. If there’s anything 9-1-1 professionals are experts at, it’s spotting inauthenticity. Forced or hollow praise can backfire and actually erode trust in your program. But genuine recognition, tied to specific, observable actions, goes a long way.

For example, don’t just say “great job on that call”—say, “You maintained calm and compassion with a frantic caller, and you followed your protocol exactly. That made a difference.” That kind of feedback is powerful. It’s clear, credible, and specific—and it helps build a sense of purpose in the work.

As your team begins to see that the QA program isn’t just a critique machine but also a source of truth, growth, and appreciation, they’ll become more open to it. And when the time comes to implement larger or tougher changes, they’ll already be invested—because they’ll trust that the process works in their favor, too.

Small wins lead to big shifts. Look for them. Celebrate them. And use them to fuel a culture that’s not just committed to quality—but proud of it.

In Summary

The foundation of a strong quality assurance program isn’t built on fear or reaction—it’s built on clear communication, realistic expectations, small wins, and a commitment to growth. Whether your QA journey is just beginning or you’re breathing new life into an existing program, remember: this is not about perfection. It’s about progress.

Communicate your “why” with transparency. Align your QA results with actionable training. Set goals that reflect where you are, not just where you want to be—and expect ups and downs along the way. That’s not failure, that’s learning. Be consistent, be honest, and above all, be intentional.

Celebrate the wins—especially the small ones. Because it’s those early, authentic moments of success that build trust, create momentum, and give your team the emotional buy-in needed to tackle the bigger changes ahead. As van Gogh said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”

Your QA program has the power to do more than identify mistakes—it can elevate your team, shape your culture, and strengthen the life-saving work you do every single day.

This is the first step in a journey worth taking. And we’re with you every step of the way.

Next month, we’ll explore how to build a review process that works—what to measure, who should review, and how to keep it consistent and fair.

Until then, keep going. Because quality isn’t a finish line—it’s a culture. And it starts with you.