Nellis gets first glimpse of upcoming financial service transformation Published May 30, 2007 By Airman 1st Class Oleksandra G. Manko Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Representatives from the Financial Services Transformation Team visited Nellis May 22 to assist in the transition to the new centralized financial service structure slated to take full effect in October 2008. These support teams gave a multitude of briefings explaining the role of the new Air Force Financial Services Center and the steps Nellis will go through during the transition. The first changes in finance operations here will take place this October. At that time, Phase I of the transition will begin with opening of the central processing center at the AFFSC in Ellsworth AFB, S.D. From then on, all the back shop procedures, such as travel voucher processing, will be handled there. Since the customers aren't usually involved in back shop operations, the change is not expected to affect customer service. The front line customer service personnel will still be available for face-to-face assistance and the processing time will remain the same. Phase II will begin in October 2008. At this point a 24/7 full service contact center staffed by experts in pay and travel will become operational. Airmen will be able to access financial services around the clock via a number of ways including phone, web and fax. Some face-to-face assistance will still be available at base level. The transformation team representatives explained that the AFFSC carries multiple benefits. The instant access to experts around the clock will improve overall customer service. Centralized processing will standardize the way pay and travel interactions are handled on every base, which will eliminate the confusion changes of duty station and temporary duty assignments often bring. This transformation goes in line with the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative, also known as AFSO21, as it streamlines the process and reduces the demand for human and other resources, while improving the productivity and quality of service. Overall, the AFFSC is expected to save the Air Force more than $200 million. "The biggest benefit Airmen will receive is less time sitting in finance lines and more time enhancing their war-fighting capabilities," said 2nd Lt. Stuart Fillmore, deputy financial services officer with the 99th Comptroller Squadron here. "We want (our customers) to understand that handling their travel and pay will be a lot easier. Opening of the AFFSC in October of '08 will add more customer service options in addition to face-to-face assistance." The information on the upcoming events and important dates will be disseminated via the Finance Office and various marketing materials as the progress takes place. For general information, Airmen can access the AFFSC website through the AF Portal: 1. Click on "Bases-Orgs-Functional Areas" 2. Click on "Functional Area A-Z Listing" 3. Click on "Air Force Financial Services Center (AFFSC)"
