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

[joe harcz Comcast]

Too bad Peckham can't figure out how to make its passport call center 
accessible to blind workers.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mary Ann Robinson" <brightsmile1953 at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 7:29 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] TOCCC Interview 5-25[2012 -an article about employment


> 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.
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