Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- The Interactive Customer Evaluation system allows users to comment, question or recommend changes to all Department of Defense organizations.
“As an installation, we are always looking for ways we can do things better,” said Army Col. Adam Lange, 673d Air Base Wing deputy installation commander. “The ICE program is an important tool to help us make [Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson] better every day.”
ICE is the Installation Management Command’s primary means for direct feedback from customers, with a total of 4.2 million comments thus far.
Last year, IMCOM responded to more than 409,000 customer comments in ICE. More than 362,000 of those customers that responded reported a 93 percent satisfactory rate with the product or service provided.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has been very active in this endeavor as well. In the 2016 fiscal year, JBER received a total of 30,807 ICE comments, with a 95 percent response rating, within three business days or less, and a 93 percent satisfactory rating as well.
“It is critical to regularly gauge customer satisfaction for the services we provide across the installation,” Lange said. “We want our customers to have a good experience and to be happy with the service we provide. Therefore, it is important to listen to their account of what went wrong or why someone had a bad experience.”
These results were achieved with the help of JBER’s 298 service providers; 230 under the 673d ABW and 68 from mission support partners. All ICE service provider managers are required to review every comment and follow-up with customers who ask for a response or submit a dissatisfied comment.
The majority of ICE customers leave anonymous comments. Contact information maximizes the opportunity to assist so the provider can work with the customer on solving any issue and transforming a negative experience into a positive interaction.
“When an ICE commenter doesn’t leave contact information … we lose opportunity to make things right with them or to explain what may have happened and why,” Lange said. “And if they don’t have someone to respond to, we lose the ability to gauge if our employees and storefront managers are properly addressing the concerns of our customers.”
Any comment, positive or negative, can be helpful, but to alleviate or resolve a problem it requires a back-and forth-conversation.
“Positive feedback at any level is always appreciated and when these are briefed at the unit level everyone gets to hear what happened,” said Jeffrey Liddle, 673d Medical Support Squadron hospital engineer. “Even negative ICE comments can be positive if the item identified needs to be corrected.”
After moving into his new home on-base, Allen Gardner, 673d Force Support Squadron Military and Family Readiness Center work life specialist, noticed that the local school buses were having difficulties navigating the small turn-arounds in his neighborhood because some personally owned vehicles were parking in its way.
“I decided to submit an ICE comment … with some skepticism, since it seemed like the usual run-of-the-mill automated complaint system,” Gardner said. “I was, however, reassured by the ICE staff that these comments went to the top … someone with the actual authority to initiate proactive action and change.”
He said he was more than surprised by the responses and cooperation from both the ICE and Aurora Housing staff and the process at which the job was accomplished was sufficient. The issue was resolved by Aurora housing installing two ‘NO PARKING’ signs within the turn-around itself.
“Now the school buses have no problem navigating that particular turn-around in my neighborhood,” Gardner said. “The moral of the story is, if you have a valid issue … and you believe that it needs to be addressed by those who actually have the authority to address it, then use ICE.”
Not every problem can be resolved with a single complaint within 24 hours. Service providers strive for a solution and to improve the experience of the customer and overall quality of the community.
“Responses serve as an example of our commitment to keep customers happy within our ability to do so,” Lange said. “The quality of responses in the ICE program are an important measure of the overall culture of service at the installation.”
For more information, visit http://ice.disa.mil/index.cfm.