News

Timely customer responsiveness remains priority

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • Robins Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  It's all in the details.

The 78th Civil Engineer Squadron's Customer Service team not only handles daily phone calls, but processes an average 1,100 incoming electronic work order requests from across the installation.

While this makes for a very busy office, the team wants to continue spreading the word on a detail that will not only improve customer wait times, but assist with a more efficient process in how customer service is conducted.

A reference checklist was created, stemming from an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, or AFSO21, lean event conducted during the summer. The move will provide facility managers - over 600 on base - and customers an opportunity to better assist individual shops who are helping to fix problems.

"We stay pretty busy all year long processing all requests that come through in a timely manner. The checklists here really come into play," said Jim Phillips, Production Control chief with the 78th CES. "If we can get as much detailed information ahead of time, it will save the shop's time, helping us be more efficient in the long run,"

While submitting a Form 332 base civil engineer work request form, be on the lookout for the "Before you Contact CE" checklist. This can be attached to the work order form.

On the checklist are several items, including providing as much detail as possible on the nature of the problem. Provide an exact location of the problem, including room, bay, cube number if applicable, floor, stall number, etc. This will help CE technicians pinpoint the source of the problem faster while on site.

Another helpful item is the inclusion of a photo, map, drawing, PowerPoint slide, document or other visual which will help workers better get a handle of what a problem may look like before arriving.

Any safety hazards and issues should also be reported through the Hazard Reporting Tool on your computer's desktop.

About 90 percent of requests that come through customer service are for routine requests. With a large volume of requests each year, when more information is available on the front end, completing an additional checklist can result in faster turnaround times, while also keeping customers happy and satisfied.