FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 7, 2014) -- Customer feedback is a way for people to stay connected and improve the services and products that they care so much about, and providing that kind of feedback is no different when it comes to improving the community that so many Soldiers and Families call home.
The ICE Program is a Web-based Department of Defense program that customers can use to get information about services that are provided by the garrison and provide feedback about those services, said Kristina Davis, lead management and program analyst for the Fort Rucker Plans, Analysis and Integration Office.
"It's important to have a program like this because it gives customers a voice and it's a quick and easy way for them to provide feedback," she said. "The information customers provide … goes immediately to the service provider manager."
The program is used to let service providers know not only what they might be able to improve, but also to praise those who are doing their jobs well.
Janice Erdlitz, Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation marketing director, said that ICE is an important tool for providing feedback to improve services offered.
"It also serves as a great tool to let managers know about staff members who are providing outstanding customer service," she added.
Positive feedback can have a huge boost on employee morale, said Erdlitz, and DFMWR often uses the ICE program to recognize employees who have received positive ICE comments.
The recognition that people get for doing a good job doesn't only come from the organization or service provider that the employee works for, but can come from installation and higher headquarters leadership as well, said Davis.
Several front-line staff and managers have been awarded with certificates signed by the Secretary of Defense for their achievements in customer driven excellence during the Installation of Excellence Recognition Ceremony in November, she added.
"The genesis of these awards were comments submitted by customers through ICE," she said.
People can submit feedback anonymously, but customer service can be better provided if people sign their names and provide contact information, said Davis.
"We have a policy for people that request contact back from a manager to be contacted within three days," she said. "If people (provide contact information), especially if there has been some kind of problem, that gives the manager a chance to get more information… and let the person know what the resolution is."
ICE allows service providers the opportunity to see how the public views their facilities, whether good or bad, said Erdlitz.
"Managers can see how patrons are rating their facility and can look for areas that need improvement," she said. "We hope our patrons will use ICE not as a complaint tool, but as a positive reward tool to let us know what great service they are experiencing."
ICE should not be used to report a crime or complain about an individual, added Davis. Comments should focus on service the customer has received.
"Quality of life is so important for (the Fort Rucker) community, and through ICE, (people) can directly affect customer service," said Erdlitz. "We wanted to make ICE as convenient as we could for our patrons."
Some of the services on Fort Rucker, such as the bowling center and other MWR facilities have computers or kiosks set up that are dedicated for use by customers to give feedback through ICE.
MWR provides links on their website, www.ftruckermwr.com, that go directly to ICE for customers to use and provide feedback on their services, she added.
In some locations, people can also fill out paper ICE cards and give them to a manager.
The Installation Management Command standard for customer satisfaction is 90 percent, and Fort Rucker consistently exceeds that standard, said Davis.
"I think all the people I work with here on the installation really are here for the customer," she said. "Letting them know how well they are doing or how they can improve is really important."
To use the ICE system, visit www.rucker.army.mil and click on the ICE logo or visit www.ice.disa.mil.
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