ASSIGNMENT 3 - QUALITY PAPER

Navy Personnel Command Consolidates Several PSD/CSDs

Based upon research of the U.S. Navy’s Human Resource Management programs, policies, procedures, and initiatives, the chosen option is the Navy’s initiative to consolidate several Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) and Customer Support Detachment (CSD) locations. The initiative to consolidate PSD’s and CSD’s is designed to improve efficiency and to provide Sailors with a modern service delivery model. As stated by Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs (2017), part of an overall initiative to better serve the Fleet, Navy Personnel Command announced a plan to implement a pay and personnel customer service model that is centralized, integrated and self-service-oriented by consolidating several PSD and CSD locations in fiscal year 2017 (Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs, 2017).

While modernizing and centralizing customer support services are beneficial for one-stop shopping in reference to customer service affairs, it also eliminates the face-to-face aspect of customer service. Centralizing PSD’s and CSD’s will lead to massive workloads requiring additional manning at the centralized locations to maintain the adequate and timeliness of required tasks in regards to customer service matters. Command Pay and Personnel Administrator’s (CPPA’s) will be critical in maintaining accountability, auditability, and full engagement with personnel in the absence of the local PSD’s and CSD’s.

The centralization piece pushes towards self-service initiatives in reference to updating records of emergency data, submitting changes to marital status, adding dependents, and requests to separate or retire online. Countless Sailors lack guidance on how to initiate these vital requests and are required to rely on newly published guidelines or CPPA’s, in which hinders readiness for change. With an abundance of Sailors lacking guidance regarding individual requirements of the self-service integration, this allows room for error and or delays. Furthermore, requiring additional training and or rework by CPPA’s and the only additional assistance provided will be via the Transaction Online Processing System (TOPS) or Centralized Hotline.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the changes that require improvement are maintaining, even at minimum, face-to-face customer service on a case-by-case basis. Maintaining CPPA training, and providing insight on changes before implementation are sure ways to eliminate work redundancy. Ensuring centralized locations have adequate manning with trained professionals who are standing by to assist whether it be via TOPS or the Centralized Hotline will benefit members and CPPA’s. Personnel should be knowledgeable and willing to readily support Sailors and or CPPA’s to ensure transactions are closed out within a timely fashion.

Reference

Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs. (2017, February 06). Navy Personnel Command

Consolidates Several PSD/CSDs. Retrieved April 11, 2019, from https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=98732