Civilian Personnel Services delivers service personally

  • Published
  • By Steve VanWert
  • Air Force Personnel Center
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Civilian personnel services are transforming at Air Force Personnel Center to ensure speed of personnel actions and enhanced self-service capabilities.

"Overall the transformation is designed to improve the efficiency of delivering personnel services," said Charles Huerta, Personnel Services Directorate deputy at AFPC.

PSD transformation will have four major accomplishments. First, it will redesign personnel service processes to eliminate unnecessary steps and approvals to speed up work and reduce workload. Second, it will enhance Contact Center and self-service capabilities, which will expand online and contact center options to make personnel inquiries and self-service transactions available worldwide, 24/7.

Third, it will recast field organizations and shift personnelists' from routine transactions to even more valuable key advisory services for commanders and leaders.

Fourth, it will modernize personnel architecture and technology, putting the right system in place to support and integrate web-based applications and enhanced contact center capabilities.

Under PSD, most personnel servicing will be centralized to one location to gain maximum efficiencies, instead of one portion of a transaction residing at AFPC and the other at the installation.

"Have you ever done your banking on line?" asked Mr. Huerta. "Primarily, it's the same concept. You would only speak to a representative on the phone when there are issues you can't resolve on your personal computer through a web-based transaction."

"This may seem easy to accomplish," said Cindy Waechter, Civilian Future Operations Branch chief at AFPC. "But there is a lot of planning and reengineering to be done to make all this happen."

In order to arrive at the civilian PSD goals set by leadership, AFPC's role must be expanded.

"All processes are being reviewed for streamlining or elimination," said Mr. Huerta. "Is there any duplication, is the process necessary, or has technology made the process obsolete?"

Implementation plans and timelines will be developed to layout how and when the workload will move to AFPC, as well as training.

"There are many new and exciting opportunities for Civilian Personnel professionals as we move down this road of significant transformation," said Ms. Waechter. "Opportunities for leadership and growth are being reviewed and career paths and training opportunities are being developed to prepare people for upward mobility."

"The course is charted, the plans are being made, and the future looks bright for providing excellent customer service to commanders in the field as well as to our civilian employees," said Mr. Huerta.