Base switchboard operation to consolidate Sept. 7

  • Published
  • By Airman Ashley J. Woolridge
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Incoming phone calls to Ellsworth will soon be processed by a regional switchboard as part of an initiative by Air Combat Command to conserve the resources required to operate individual switchboards at Air Force bases across the country.

Beginning Sept. 7, operators at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., along with an automated system, will be responsible for assisting callers in contacting various agencies on base.
Staff Sgt. Kelby Rossmiller, 28th Communications Squadron telephone systems maintenance technician, said there will now be centralized locations for all of the major command's base operator systems.

"ACC is consolidating operators scattered throughout the country into two centralized call centers," Rossmiller said. "The telephone operators who will handle incoming calls at Ellsworth will be at Travis, AFB, Calif."

Although this may seem like a significant change, callers will still be able to access the information they seek.

"You're still going to call the standard operator number - 0 - if you're on base, or (605) 385-1000 if you're not," Rossmiller said. "When you do that, the call will be routed through our telephone switch to a server that will send it to Travis."

Rick Davis, 28th CS telephone systems manager, said callers will hear a recorded greeting at first, but will have the option to speak to a live switchboard operator afterward.

"There will be a list of frequently called numbers for quick access, but if you still need to talk to an operator you can press 0," Davis explained. "The biggest thing to remember is that you won't be able to ask the same kind of community-related questions you would have been able to ask our local operators. The operators at Travis won't have the same knowledge of Ellsworth and the local area."

Davis added that this automated system will also facilitate morale and Hearts Apart calls between deployed servicemembers and their families.

"In the initial recorded greeting, there will be an option on the list to place a morale or Hearts Apart call," he said. "Callers will press the specified number and that will take them to another system where they can place a call if they have a Hearts Apart account created."

Rossmiller said he doesn't anticipate any problems during the consolidation.

"We ask that everyone be patient as the system changes over," Rossmiller said. "It should go pretty smoothly."

For more information on Hearts Apart calls, or to create an account, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at (605) 385-4663.

For more information on the base operator consolidation, call the 28th CS telephone systems office at (605) 385-1059.