mercial communications companies like AT&T Alascom. We are also responsible for installation, troubleshooting and maintenance of all base data circuits, both on and off-base (DISA 310-70-1, 1992). As to the four factors, well lets discuss them.WORKCENTER FLEXIBILITY Customer Desires:In the past most customers were content to use what we provided to them with little input or feedback. We had what amounted to a monopoly in providing data communications services, as a result we were sometimes not very flexible or responsive. At the local level we often based equipment purchases and installation times on our desires and not those of the customer. This was due in large part to the way communication services were paid. Until its deactivation the Air Force Communications Command (AFCC) paid the bill for all base-level communications, both phone and data. Payments are now paid directly by the customer by way of such policies as Fee-for-Service. This has caused our customers to re-evaluate their needs and to demand better service from us while keeping their costs down.In order to satisfy these desires we have setup workgroups to survey and meet with all of our customers. These groups meet periodically to exchange information on current communications projects and to discuss any future requirements they might have. This has enabled us to fix problems before it's too late and to plan for communications infrastructure upgrades we might need as a result of the future requirements. These groups are composed of personnel at all levels so that both long, medium and short range plans can be formulated.With information from these working groups we can now develop routine and/or low cost technical solutions for customer communications needs at a local level. Those requirements that are high cost or involve multiple agencies are forwarded to Higher Headquarters (HQ). This is still somewhat of a problem since HQ is good at engineering the big ...
