Customer comments

Over the next several weeks, we will be posting a series on the AAFES Customer Comment Program. I work very closely with Customer Service Manager, Debbie Wylie, and her team and they are opening up and giving us the scoop on how customer comments are handled. Debbie and her team are passionate about how well and timely they respond to formal customer complaints. Trust me, if I haven’t answered a comment sent to me, they hound me (in a good way) to ensure the customer receives the best answer in the least amount of response time. Debbie is taking the program to another level and sharing with us how she and team will make it happen!

Does AAFES have one overall customer comment system?

The Exchange Customer Comment Program is a corporate-wide program, and is available at all AAFES stores worldwide. We consider it a major priority to make communicating with AAFES an easy process. It’s also important that you know your comments are being heard, they’re taken seriously, and you can expect a timely response. Recent AAFES customer surveys and studies showed that of those of you that had a problem with AAFES, only a small percentage actually filed a complaint.  However, those that did file a complaint were much more satisfied with AAFES than those that did not.

A few of the actual reasons given for not filing a complaint were:  “I didn’t know about the program”, I couldn’t find a complaint box”, “I couldn’t find anyone to complain to,” or I didn’t have time so I just drove to town to a different store”. We intend to put new emphasis on this program in 2009 to ensure all AAFES customers know about the program and how to use it, plus make it easier than ever to submit a comment.

We don’t consider complaints “bad news” – we consider it an opportunity to serve you better and use your comments as a guide to give you the shopping experience that you want and deserve. After all, it’s your Exchange and that’s why we’re here.  We want to hear from ALL of you!

How can you submit a customer comment?

There are various ways to voice your concerns!

• Give your local manager a chance to answer your questions or resolve your complaints.   If you are not completely satisfied for any reason and one of our store associates are not able to help you, always ask to speak to the manager.
• Submit a customer comment at your BX/PX.  You should find a comment box available in every one of our stores.  You can fill out the comment form and drop it in the “drop box” or you can mail it directly to HQ AAFES.
• File a customer comment at www.aafes.com.  Click on “Contact Us”, then on “Customer Comments and Feedback”.  This is the probably the easiest method and usually gets the fastest response.
• Call us at 1-800-527-6790. Follow the prompts to reach the appropriate office.  You’ll reach our HQ Customer Relations folks by selecting the option of “discussing your Army PX or Air Force BX”.
• Submit a Command comment. When you’ve exhausted all avenues of resolving your issue or if you have an issue that you feel is of the utmost importance to AAFES leadership, then you are welcome to file a Command comment.  You’ll find that option at www.aafes.com, 1-800-527-6790, or you can write directly to commander@aafes.com.

How long does it take for a customer comment response?

Of course there are issues that will naturally take longer to resolve than others, but the average response time for 2008 was 1.5 days from the time the comment was entered into the Exchange Customer Comment system until the comment was answered and closed out. While we’re very proud of the quick turnaround on comment responses, we also want to be sure that you’re satisfied that your comment was heard, was properly looked into and that the response you received answered your question or concern. This will be an area we’re putting more emphasis on in 2009.

Don’t be surprised if you receive a phone call, email or possibly a brief survey from our HQ Customer Relations folks to ensure you’re satisfied with the response you received.

Who reads and responds to customer comments?

Comments submitted in the BX/PX drop boxes are retrieved daily and entered into the Customer Comment program by the General Manager or their designee. AAFES Customer Relations continually monitors the comments to ensure they are answered. By entering the comments into the Customer Comment system, we’re better able to monitor response, maintain better records, plus the program provides AAFES with analysis that helps us know what our issues are, what our customers want, and what we need to work on to improve our service.

• Comments submitted at www.aafes.com are directly entered into the Customer Comment system by the customer, then handled by Customer Relations associates as above.
• You can expect to speak to one of our four Customer Relations experts if you call the 1-800 number. We try to answer your calls as they come in during normal business hours. If all our lines are busy or during night and weekend hours, leave us a message and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible. If it’s a question we can answer, we’ll of course do that. If not, your calls are summarized, put into the Customer Comment system and distributed to the appropriate office for response and handled as above.
• Command Comments are handled similar to regular comments, but at a higher level.  A Command comment will be sent to the top AAFES management officials for resolution and response.   While the AAFES Commander cannot possibly answer every comment, he does have access to them and monitors the comments and their responses.

2009 and beyond!

Look for changes in 2009 at your BX/PX that will make it easier than ever to submit your comments and make your voices heard. The AAFES Customer Relations staff is committed to serving you and ensuring your questions, complaints and concerns are answered quickly and thoroughly. Your feedback is vital and we look forward to hearing from you in 2009!

(Photo courtesy Miss_Smile.)

Tagged as: Customer comments

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