MPF improves customer service with consolidation

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Jones
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Like many Team Incirlik units, the 39th Mission Support Squadron's Military Personnel Flight has undergone some changes in an effort to improve organizational efficiency and customer service despite decreases in manning authorizations. The MPF's answer to these challenges was consolidating the base's Commander's Support Staffs.

The combined effects of the first phase of the Personnel Delivery System and Program Budget Decision 720 sliced Incirlik's authorized personnelists from 37 to 17.
In the face of the manning cuts, taking the Airmen assigned to the Commander Support Staffs and combining them with the MPF made sense for the personnelists and their customers.

"We're putting like items together and creating synergies and eliminating single points of failure in the MPF," said Maj. Katrina Stephens, MPF commander.
The CSS consolidation eliminated duplication of effort and improved efficiency.

"In the CSSs, you had eight different people in eight different units running the same programs," said Tech. Sgt. Bobbie Dobberstein, NCO in charge of customer service. "Now, you've got five people running a particular program and it's standardized. We have less people running these programs."

CSS functions were consolidated in the MPF customer service element where Airmen now have a number of professionals available to help meet their personnel needs.

"In the past, you had one or two people in a CSS that weren't experts on all areas of the MPF," said Sergeant Dobberstein. "Now, instead of the CSS having to make a call to the MPF for information, customers have an office full of personnelists, a collection of experts, ready to help."

Besides improving customer service, the personnelists are also benefiting from the merger.

"We have a chance to learn from each other," said Sergeant Dobberstein. "We're gaining a much broader perspective."

In addition to the consolidation, the personnelists at the MPF have placed many commonly used products at their customer's fingertips.

"A number of the forms you'd have to go to your orderly room for are now available online on our Consolidated Community of Practice," said Sergeant Dobberstein.

The Consolidated Community of Practice can be accessed through the Source by clicking on the "Your MPF" link under the Military Personnel header.

"It saves customers time away from their jobs," said Sergeant Dobberstein. "Just like going to the MPF, just follow the signs to the service you need."

Another service now available is the "switchboard." The switchboard allows unit leadership and administrative assistants to access information previously provided by their CSS.

"Now that the personnelists are away from the squadrons, administrative assistants can pull down needed rosters," said Master Sgt. Carol Shupe, Force Management superintendent. "They are our customers too. They can also use the database to request information."

While the overall number of personal professionals on base may have decreased, the CSS consolidation has ensured that quality customer service hasn't followed suit.