When your field tech gets dispatched, you expect a problem to get solved.

But what if they drive all the way to a site, only to discover they brought the wrong tools? Or they aren't qualified for the specific issue? What if the problem isn't even at that site, or something changes while your technician is en route.

Now you've actually got double windshield time. And still... no resolution.

These small inefficiencies, repeated across dozens or hundreds of dispatches each month, add up fast. Also, if you're responding to an emergency, an expensive outage keeps ticking upward.

Let's take a hard look at how windshield time is quietly eating into your profit - and what you can do right now to stop the bleeding.

The Hidden Costs of "Just Roll a Truck"

Here's a scenario that might sound familiar:

• You get a vague alarm: "Alarm at Site 12."
• You send a technician to investigate.
• They arrive, poke around, and realize they brought the wrong gear.
• They drive back to HQ, grab tools or parts.
• They drive back to Site 12.
• Then they fix it.

That's two round trips for one repair.

Multiply that by just a few bad dispatches a week, and suddenly:

• Your labor costs are way up.
• Fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear skyrocket.
• Technicians are frustrated.
• SLAs get missed (and you pay penalties and/or give back premium prices that were paid).

This was entirely preventable.

We call this "windshield time" - and if you're relying on vague monitoring data, you're creating more of it than you realize.

Old Monitoring Solutions Don't Cut It Anymore

In the past, many teams accepted windshield time as "part of the job." That was because they didn't have any real alternative.

With legacy systems:

• Alerts were vague or non-existent.
• No pre-diagnosis was possible.
• Techs played detective, arriving blind and piecing together the issue.
• Repeat visits became the norm.

To make it worse, many alarm systems would simply flash a generic light, or send a one-size-fits-all SNMP trap with no context.

This leads to poor dispatch decisions, like:

• Sending the wrong person (HVAC tech for a battery issue).
• Sending the right person without the right tools.
• Dispatching when the issue could have been handled remotely.

These outdated monitoring methods waste time, erode profit, and stretch your team thin.

Imagine a World With No Second Trips

Consider the opposite scenario, where:

• Alarms include the exact failure, its severity, and precise location.
• The right tech gets the alert, with the tools they need, and the authority to act.
• They solve issues on the first trip - every time.

That's not just a dream. It's what modern remote monitoring should do.

And when you eliminate double truck rolls, stop wasted drive time, and increase first-time fix rates:

• You reduce OpEx
• You improve uptime
• You keep tech morale high
• You hit your SLA targets with ease

Use Alarm Intelligence to Kill Windshield Time

At DPS Telecom, we've been helping companies optimize their field operations for over 30 years. And one of the biggest ROI drivers we've seen is that alarm intelligence means fewer truck rolls.

That's why our monitoring systems - like the T/Mon master station and the NetGuardian RTUs - are designed to give you everything your dispatchers and techs need before the truck wheels start turning. These systems provide:

Specific & Actionable Alarm Data - Not Just "Something's Wrong"

With DPS systems, your alerts include:

• Alarm type (ex: "Battery Fail - Low Voltage")
• Severity level (minor, major, critical)
• Affected equipment
• Root-cause clues
• Historical data from that site
• Real-time status overlays

Now your NOC or dispatcher knows exactly what's wrong. With that info, they also know who to send and what tools/parts are needed.

Real-Time Alerts to Techs - No Office Visit Required

Old-school field ops often look like this:

1. Tech finishes a job.
2. Drives back to the central office.
3. Checks in, gets new instructions.
4. Maybe grabs a paper logbook (!).
5. Drives to the next site.

That's another hour of windshield time - just for coordination.

With DPS tools:

• Alarms are routed based on time of day, site, and type.
• Alerts go directly to tech phones via SMS, email, voice call, or (there are people who still use them in very remote areas!) pager.
• Techs stay in the field, fixing problems - not bouncing back to HQ.

Visual Alarm Maps for Precision Dispatching

Sometimes, knowing there's a problem isn't enough. You also need to know where.

With T/Mon's geographic drill-down maps, your team can:

• Zoom from a national view down to region, city, site, rack, and even port.
• Click on alarm icons to get real-time data and history.
• Dispatch to the exact location of the fault - not just the general site.

This means your technician doesn't wander around for 30 minutes trying to figure out if it's the generator, the HVAC, or something else entirely.

Field Insight: How Bad is Your Windshield Time Problem?

Let's do a quick reality check.

Examine the last 10 truck rolls and ask:

1. Was the issue clearly known before dispatch?
2. Did the tech have the correct tools and training?
3. Could the issue have been fixed remotely?
4. How many site visits were made for the same problem?

If you don't like the answers, you're not alone. Many operators are leaking thousands of dollars a month from inefficient dispatches - and they don't even know it.

You might also ask your techs:

"How often do you need to drive back just to find out what's next?"

If they say "frequently," you've got a ping-pong dispatch problem - and it's time to fix it.

This Isn't Just About Time - It's About Morale

No one signs up for a job hoping to drive around all day, making little progress.

When your techs are constantly sent to the wrong place, given vague instructions, and lacking the tools they need, they burn out - fast.

However, when they get alerts that are clear, accurate, and actionable, everything changes:

• They feel empowered
• They get more done
• They enjoy their work more

This way, you retain your top talent instead of burning through your best people who could have done a great job.

DPS Solutions That Cut Windshield Time (and OpEx)

DPS gear helps you eliminate windshield time across your operation:

T/Mon Alarm Master

• Collects alarms from all your RTUs
• Offers map-based navigation and event logging
• Routes notifications based on rules (time, site, tech type)
• Supports SNMP, TL1, MODBUS, DNP3, and other protocols

NetGuardian RTUs

• Installed at remote sites to monitor power, HVAC, doors, equipment, and more
• Provides multi-level detail (ex: rack, to port, to condition)
• Sends alarms to T/Mon or any SNMP manager
• Offers web interface for remote visibility and control

Together, they form a smart monitoring ecosystem that maximizes your team's real effectiveness - not just their movement.

Every Hour Behind the Wheel is an Hour Not Solving Problems

Let's consider the effect of windshield time in dollars and cents. Suppose your tech's loaded rate is $80/hour, and they waste 6 hours/week on unnecessary driving. That's $24,960/year in lost productivity - per technician.

Now multiply that by a 10-person field team. You're looking at a quarter-million dollars burned on windshield time.

What to Do Next

Let's start with a quick conversation. We'll help you figure out:

• How much windshield time you're really wasting
• Where your alarm system needs improvement
• What solutions would best fit your current setup

We've helped telcos, power utilities, railroads, and government agencies upgrade from "generic alerts" to intelligent, first-fix dispatching.

Now it's your turn.

Call us at 559-454-1600
Or email sales@dpstele.com

You'll have a real diagnostic conversation with an industry who understands common field challenges. You'll share what you're seeing to build a solution together with DPS.

Don't Let Windshield Time Burn Another Dollar

You're paying your techs to fix things - not to sit in traffic, drive in circles, or "play detective" on-site.

With smarter alarm monitoring, they can roll once, fix it right, and stay moving. Let DPS show you how to make that your new standard.

We'll help you cut truck rolls, save money, and boost uptime - all while making your field team's lives easier.

Let's get started!