USAG Bavaria work orders streamlined with ArMA

By Sidney SullivanJanuary 21, 2021

ArMA: Army Maintenance Application
The Army Maintenance Application launched worldwide Monday, Jan. 19, 2021. The new process serves to streamline work orders and non-privatized housing issues across the U.S. Army. (Photo Credit: Julian Temblador) VIEW ORIGINAL

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – ArMA, otherwise known as the Army Maintenance Application, launched worldwide on Monday, Jan. 19. The new process serves to streamline work orders and non-privatized housing issues across the U.S. Army, and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria is no exception.

The U.S. Army partnered with the SOFtact Solutions and ServiceNow to create ArMA. This web based solution is a simple interface available to USAG Bavaria tenants living in the barracks, government-owned housing and government-leased housing. Furthermore, USAG Bavaria residents had the unique opportunity of accessing ArMA early and participating in the testing period since Jan. 1, 2021.

USAG Bavaria tenants, who successfully registered with ArMA during the testing period, do not need to reregister. When registering for the first time, sponsors are required to verify the account once using a military e-mail address. These users accounts remain constant when a Soldier, family member or civilian changes duty station.

“We received mostly positive feedback during the testing phase; however, any new changes come with challenges,” said Misty Thorkildsen, housing manager of USAG Bavaria.

One issue that has been identified has to do with the address listings for leased housing during the registration process. “We are actively working with the developers and IMCOM to get this issue resolved. We hope to find a solution as soon as possible,” she said. “If you reside in either the barracks or on-post housing, please register to ArMA.”

When submitting work requests through ArMA, users are encouraged to provide a description of their case and applicable photos using the built-in camera feature. Additional features include access to a maintenance catalog and list of services.

“One of the positive feedbacks we received was an increased customer interaction between the residents and DPW,” said Thorkildsen. “As well as providing more transparency for the customers’ maintenance service request through the application.”

In an effort to maintain open and transparent communication when submitting and tracking work requests, ArMA users have the ability to provide feedback both during the process and after the work is complete. And all members of a residence can see open maintenance requests, when users create a “household” in the “account management” section of the website.

According to Thorkildsen, the USAG Bavaria DPW and Housing Services teams are excited for more community members to use ArMA to their full advantage.

“One of our main objectives is to take legacy processes and streamline them to ensure we continue to provide the best customer service experience to our residents within the Bavaria community,” she said. “The ability to submit and track maintenance and repair requests through an application was a service that was never provided previously before, and we are excited to make this transition alongside the Bavaria community and our customers.”

USAG Bavaria housing and barracks residents can sign up and access the new system using 1-of-4 methods:

If tenants have an emergency work order – impacting life, health or safety – immediately call the USAG Bavaria DPW Hotline for assistance at DSN 526-4DPW (4379) or CIV 09641-70-526-4379.