Centralized operations bolster customer service for military personnel Published July 16, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Tanya Holditch Keesler News KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Like many organizations on base, the military personnel section has undergone many changes in the past year. Value to the customer, eliminating waste, saving money and time and improving quality are the main objectives of the changes, which support the Air Force Smart Operations 21 initiative. Many service members are already familiar with one of the changes -- the Web-based virtual MPF, or military personnel flight, accessed through the Air Force Portal. This allows customers to manage many pro-cesses including outprocessing, retraining and updating assignment preferences 24/7. The base-level Service Delivery Model is another effort to provide more efficient service to customers by consolidating personnelists in a central location. Previously, each squadron's orderly room had its own personnelists, but due to reductions in the career field, they're now centrally located in the Sablich Center, making it easier for them to serve more people. Despite the reorganization, customers don't need to worry about the quality of service they'll receive, according to Gary Schafer, chief of MPS personnel programs. "Our first line of business and our only business is providing the customer with quality customer service," he said. To ensure the MPS is providing the highest quality customer service, said Mr. Schafer, they've developed an evaluation survey for customers to fill out with feedback as they transition. These are available in the MPS office. "With honest feedback from the customer, we'll be able to identify our weak areas so we can better serve everyone," he said. "But we can also see how these new processes enable service members to accomplish the mission more efficiently." Monthly reports will be compiled and briefed to the customer service representatives, and training will be conducted on weak areas. Also in the works is a Web-based survey, similar to the one Services uses. "Because customer service is so important to us," Mr. Schafer added, "we want to offer the customer many convenient ways they can let us know how we can provide the services most important to them." For more information, visit the MPS in Room 125, Sablich Center, or call 376-8347.