'One click, one call' customer service arrives for pay, personnel issues

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RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  A one-stop customer service phone number and Web page are up and running, linking several call centers and online resources Air Force people use when managing personnel and pay information.

A single phone number and a companion Web site now make it easier for Air Force active-duty and reserve component military, as well as U.S. appropriated fund civilian employees to find what they need quickly, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

Customers can find answers to questions by calling toll free (800) 616-3775 or visiting www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/cst. Until now the burden has been on Air Force people to determine which agency handles a particular issue before contacting customer service by phone or on the Web. Customers will be able to access any of the following support services by using the new number and Web site:

-- Air Force Contact Center for general military personnel inquiries, including discrimination and sexual harassment concerns and assistance in navigating the virtual military personnel flight application.

-- Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel inquiries.

-- Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s Cleveland Contact Center for Air Force military pay inquiries and assistance with the myPay application.

-- AFPC Technical Assistance Center for technical support for applications such as vMPF, assignment management system, AFPC Secure and PC-III.

-- AFPC Recruiting Service Center for civilian appropriated fund job opportunities.

-- AFPC Benefits and Entitlements Service Team for civilian appropriated-fund benefits and entitlements.

This latest evolution in customer self-service is the product of revolutionary cooperation between different agencies inside and outside of the Air Force, officials said.

"A substantial partnership between military and civilian personnel, Air Force financial services (military pay), and Defense Finance and Accounting Service --years in the making -- is making one-stop customer service possible," said James Short, the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for financial operations.

"It goes beyond just a phone number and a Web page," said Roger Blanchard, assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel. "What our customer service transformation team is beginning to do is actually combine customer service efforts behind the scenes to serve customers faster and more efficiently."

Several of the linked call centers reside at the personnel center, where leaders have been facilitating the consolidation of Air Force customer-service operations.

"We are making sure that customer service is a lot more than a 1-800 number," said Maj. Gen. Tom O'Riordan, personnel center commander. "Our focus is making sure we meet the needs of the field, and that we accelerate those changes which make life simpler for the commander and our airmen.”

Customers calling from international locations and hearing-impaired employees should continue to dial the number they currently use to access support for personnel or pay matters, officials said. The new toll-free number should begin accommodating foreign area calls early next year, officials said. (Courtesy of AFPC News Service)