[nfbmi-talk] TOCCC Interview 5-25[2012 -an article about employment

[Mary Ann Robinson]

TOCCC Interview 5-25[2012
%penzer area in to communications
By Tyler Grimes
60TH AIR MOBILITY WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Callers to base operators for information have probably heard pleasant
voices on the other side of the phone who are ready, willing and able
to answer questions.
What many don't see is the guide dog that helps them get to work or the
software they use to answer the call.
The Telephone Operator Consolidated Call Center is the centralized
information point for 10 different bases within Air Mobility Command,
according to Colin Baldwin, 60th Communications Squadron TOCCC manager.
The program, conceived in 2009, was offered by AMC to its bases and
Travis responded as it always does, Baldwin said.
"No one was raising their hand," he said. "And our program officer at
the time, raised his hand and said `Travis will take it on, we have the
space."'
The TOCCC was activated March 3, 2010. The center receives
approximately 33,000 to 44,000 calls per week from bases all around the
world. To handle this call volume, Baldwin relies on 39 operators
working five shifts to keep the TOCCC up and running day and night.
To date, the TOCCC has received almost 3.7 million calls. This
consolidation translates into an annual savings of $2.5 million for AMC.
Adele Moller, 60th Communications Squadron Telephone Operator
Consolidated Call Center operator, answers calls with her guide dog,
Aloha, by her side Wednesday.
"It cost $2 million to start up the TOCCC," he said. "That start up
cost was recuperated in-just over a year, which is unheard of in the
corporate world."
Beyond the dollars and cents the TOCCC saves, there is a different
aspect of the center which is helping change the lives of its employees
who are visually impaired and physically disabled.
According to Baldwin, the Air Force has a longstanding commitment to
equality in the workplace and the TOCCC is an opportunity to honor that
tradition. The call center provides employment to individuals who had
been seeking jobs for many months and sometimes years.
One such individual is Adele
Moller. Prior to her current position, Moller searched for employment
for three years without much luck.
"It was really difficult," she said. "Because being visually impaired,
even if you're qualified for a position some people just aren't
comfortable with a blind person and a dog on top of that. Sometimes
they are taken aback and don't know how to deal with it."
Despite the challenges she faced, the former stay-at-home mom pursued
opportunities and internships to refine her employment skills. She
became proficient in a variety of software programs that allowed her to
See CENTER Page 14
>From Page 8
communicate telephonically. Even with Moller's newly
acquired skills, finding work wasn't easy. Fortunately, she heard about
openings at the TOCCC from a friend and decided to apply. After a
telephone interview, she received a job offer.
Since becoming an opera-tor, Moller has gained a positive outlook on
life and financial stability. She takes pride in her job, knowing that
she contributes to the Air Force by keeping Airmen connected both home
and abroad. In fact, her favorite part of the job is talking with
deployed Airmen stationed in the Middle East.
"Knowing what they are doing over there, I like to be as friendly and
as positive as possible," she said. "I want to make the Airmen feel
like someone from home still cares about them"
When she speaks with these Airmen, Moller says contributing to the
mission is special to her.
"I get emotional because there's something I can do to help," she said.
"It might not
seem like much to some people but it means a lot to me."
This type of dedication and pride is what Baldwin sees in Moller and
the rest of the operators at the TOCCC every day. He says many of them
travel hours each day to get to work meeting the physical and financial
challenges of trying to find reliable ways to commute.
"Some of them pay a little extra just to make sure they are here on
time," he said. "Because if they were to solely rely on public
transportation, a lot of times they would be late."
To make the commute feasible, Moller moved from Fremont to Vacaville,
leaving her children, now grown, and grandchildren behind. She shares
taxi-cabs with some of the other operators in the area.
Baldwin believes her story speaks to the success of the TOCCC. He hopes
that the monetary benefits to AMC and the societal benefits of
supporting a segment of Americans who are disproportionally unemployed
will be a catalyst for expansion. He sees the program growing to
include not only all of the bases in the Air Force, but also the
Department of Defense as a whole.
"With the TOCCC, anything is possible," he said.