'How can we meet your needs?' Customers can use Web program to submit feedback

  • Published
  • By Meredith March
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
How can we serve you better? What could make your life easier? How can we meet your needs? 

These are the questions customer service providers on Hanscom are hoping customers will be able to answer by using the Interactive Customer Evaluation program. 

ICE is a Web-based customer feedback system provided by the Department of Defense Quality Management Office and implemented at the base level to facilitate improvements in customer service operations. Hanscom's ICE Web site is accessible through the Quick Links on the Electronic Systems Center CenterNet or remotely by accessing http://ice.disa.mil. Ice offers customers a fast and easy way to communicate their needs and show appreciation to the more than 50 participating base serviceproviders by supplying timely and quality customer service feedback, said Maj. Rebecca Mahoney, 66th Services Squadron. 

This direct feedback allows managers to identify, prioritize and initiate corrections or improvements. The survey inputs are also regularly reviewed by commanders. To give feedback, customers can go to the Web site, click on the appropriate customer service category, then select the specific service provider they wish to evaluate. Customers will then be directed to the service provider's customer comment card, which will allow them to rate and indicate their satisfaction with their customer service experience and leave comments expressing their appreciation or offering constructive suggestions for improvement. 

Comments can be submitted anonymously, however, customers who fill out the contact information fields can request a direct response from a service manager. Because the ICE system relays customer comments directly to the Air Base Wing's service management team, the short amount of time users invest in filling out the customer comment cards can net valuable results, Major Mahoney said. 

"We understand that everyone is very busy, but by using this convenient tool from home or work, they can be heard. How often are we really heard? People want to feel that they can present their requests and needs, and know that they are received and understood and that they can receive feedback, if they want it. Using ICE helps people accomplish this." she said. 

The ICE system also benefits service providers on base by identifying what customers
really want. "If your customers' needs aren't met, they'll go elsewhere. ICE opens the line of communication between customers and providers and helps us define our priorities and give value to our services -- one of the main concepts of LEAN," Major Mahoney said. "We are tapped into customers' priorities, rather than just doing business as usual." 

With increased usage by the entire Hanscom community, ICE will provide a synergistic partnership between customers and customer service providers on Hanscom, Major Mahoney said. "Team Hanscom's ICE program will take our customer service feedback
process to a new level of excellence."