One of the largest needs for people affected by a crisis is the need for information.
That's why OFFB has its own next of kin call center here at our premises at Forus. In total, we have five team leaders and 35 call handlers who can mobilize and run the call center 24/7 during incidents where personnel is affected in various ways.
- Our call handlers can provide information approved by the company owning the incident. Anyone who considers themselves as next of kin can call. Those who answer the phone must therefore be prepared for a range of questions, reactions, and emotions, so it is important that they feel confident in their role, says Sviland.
The call handlers in the team have varied educational backgrounds and broad expertise. Many have healthcare education and experience. Several of them hold volunteer positions in The Norwegian Red Cross, the Rescue Society, and churches. Together, they master eight different languages, and they all have experience talking to people in challenging situations.
To ensure that our call handlers are up for the task, we train regularly, both technically and in conducting conversations.
- We have mandatory semi-annual training with theory and practice. New as of this year is that we have teamed up with skilled Trine Bjørnsen and Håkon Hapnes Strand from Sklls AI, and we have been practicing next of kin conversations using artificial intelligence at the other end of the line, says Sviland.
| Facts: Artificial Intelligence (AI): |
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"Artificially intelligent systems perform actions, physically or digitally, based on the interpretation and processing of structured or unstructured data, with the aim of achieving a given goal. Some AI systems can also adapt by analyzing and taking into account how previous actions have affected the environment." Source: Digdir.no - https://www.digdir.no/kunstig-intelligens/hva-er-kunstig-intelligens/4133 https://www.digdir.no/kunstig-intelligens/hva-er-kunstig-intelligens/4133 |
Safe training
OFFB recently signed a two-year agreement to use Skills' AI-based communication simulator HiSkills. The Next of Kin call center is the first to test the system here at OFFB. The conversation takes place roughly the same way as if a person had called in and requested information.
The conversation takes place roughly the same way as if a person had called in and requested information. The AI interprets the response, and the conversations develop accordingly.
– We have developed an AI-based solution for training critical telephone conversations in collaboration with emergency services. The great thing about this tool is that operators can train as often as they want in a safe virtual setting. Emergency response personnel in the oil and gas industry can also benefit greatly from this type of training. We are now working with partners like OFFB to further develop both the technology and course content to meet the needs of the industry, says Håkon Hapnes Strand, CTO at Skills.
Over time, more people at OFFB will use AI for training and exercises.
With HiSkills, employees in emergency response lines can practice receiving information, crisis communication, and next of kin conversations in a safe virtual setting. The solution is developed in Stavanger in collaboration with Rakos and Helse Stavanger.
The solution is developed in Stavanger in collaboration with Rakos and Helse Stavanger.
- Some are skeptical when they hear they are going to have a conversation with a machine, especially in these types of conversations where emotions are often involved. The experience after testing it is that most people found it both useful and exciting, so it will be interesting to follow along as the Norwegian version gets better at interpreting emotions, says Sviland.
The National Library has in the recent years been working to create a language model which allows artificial intelligences, speech machines, and translation programs to not only understand the Norwegian language, but also various dialects. The latest version has recently been integrated into the Skills tool. The idea is not for artificial intelligence to replace our call handlers, but for the machine to help more people train as effectively as possible in gathering the right information and passing it on.
Surprisingly positive experience
Cathrine Strand Liland is one of the call handlers in the team. On daily basis, she works as a cancer nurse, and she also holds the education as an HSE advisor.
- I chose to join the call handler team because I thought it seemed exciting to learn more about the emergency field. I also thought that with my experience talking to patients and their next of kin in crises, I might be able to contribute well to the call center when callers experience being in a confusing situation, she says.
Liland is positive to conversation training with AI.
- I thought it was incredibly cool and believe that it could become a much more 'realistic' conversation training in the future. I am pleasantly surprised at how well it worked already and look forward to more conversation training with AI, she says.
Sviland adds that AI-simulated conversations provide necessary repetitive training and are a good supplement to our own training method.
- Now we look forward to being part of the technological development. After all, AI works somewhat like us humans - it improves the more it trains.
Completely in the spirit of OFFB, in other words.
