S1 General Guidance

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:43:04 -0400

I have only been in this job for a little while but am interested in knowing if anyone in or out of the unit has any recommendations or concerns about the customer service of the Fires S1 Shop? If you do please post them, I am always looking to improve.

Note: This is not the place to say " My action/award/insert function here hasn't come back. why not?" There are a lot of working pieces, I am looking for recommendations for my level.

Response by SFC James Baber made Apr 1 at 2014 7:01 PM

SFC James Baber — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 19:01:46 -0400

Sir,

If your shop is like just about every S1 shop I have ever dealt with during my career, the biggest complaint I have always heard was the customer service hours were not the best for the Soldiers needs.

One shop I worked with years ago (20) had changed their hours to encompass normal lunch time 1100-1300, and what the S1 NCOIC/OIC did was allow the office members do a split lunch, 1/2 would go between 11-12, other 1/2 12-13, so that way there was someone in the shop to service customers and still give everyone a equal lunch hour.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 3:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 13 May 2014 15:05:11 -0400

Sir, I would say that a lack of communication is the number one killer. I was commended when I previously worked in a Brigade S-1, and it was for something very small. We had a spreadsheet (of course) to track actions, awards, NCOER/OERs. At the end of the week, I would email that to anyone I could think of. The battalion S-1s, the company 1SG/Cdrs that submitted actions, anyone who could use the information. It let everybody know the status of each action, and more importantly, raised an immediate flag if a unit was tracking something that was not on the spreadsheet. That would prompt a call/email, make sure that our brigade S-1 received the action request, and then add it. Keeping the subordinate units in the loop on where everything is in the process will never steer you wrong sir!

Response by SSG Robert Pierce made Jul 30 at 2014 8:34 PM

SSG Robert Pierce — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:34:51 -0400

Sir,

I would recommend using an appointment book to schedule ORB updates and to assist your fellow Officers with their assignments. I would have your office setting set up in away that the customer can easily identify who does what function. I place my finance / leave clerk at the entrance of the office to assist and schedule appointments. It is highly recommended that you use a PAC slip that is signed by a Soldiers 1SG, PSG and SDR Leader. By using the PAC slip you can track what customer was assisted and what the nature of the visit is. Hopefully my guidance has been useful. Please let me know if you need any other assistance.