Moody AAFES undergoes inspection

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Frances Locquiao
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Moody's Army & Air Force Exchange Service was recently inspected July 28-29 by the Department of the Army and Secretary of the Air Force Inspectors General to evaluate corporate programs and customer service.

The purpose of the two-day inspection was to assess the AAFES' ability to provide merchandise and services at a uniformly low price while generating reasonable earnings to support morale, welfare and recreation programs, said Chris Holifield, Moody Base Exchange general manager.

"The inspectors were looking for how well our AAFES fulfills their mission for the base," said Mr. Holifield. "They witnessed the strengths and weaknesses as well as the customer service we provided for servicemembers and families."

Before going into the inspection, Mr. Holifield set one main goal in order to prepare.

"Our goal was to make sure that our responsibilities were properly executed," he said. "Whether there's an inspection or not, we try to take care of our customers to the best of our abilities."

The IG inspection team executed confidential interviews with AAFES and base personnel as well as spouses. They also looked at customer feedback surveys, reviewed important documents and conducted direct observations of the store operations.

"They asked me general questions such as if the store needed any kind of supplies," said Debbie Updegraff, Moody BX customer service supervisor. "In addition, some of their questions were about our opinion of the overall store environment such as what we thought about the management and if we were happy working there."

When the IG made their final inspections, they conducted their exit briefing to discuss their observations.

"We learned the importance of the team's need to execute the corporate mission," said Mr. Holifield. "This will ensure that we are providing quality service to the military."

The results of the inspection will be compiled in November and reviewed by Army, Air Force and AAFES leadership. From the results, leadership will decide what issues to address and how to improve the programs and services.

The other sites that were randomly selected for the July inspections included Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., and Fort Belvoir, Va.

Though Moody's inspection only lasted two days, the IGs will continue to inspect other Army posts and Air Force bases until the end of October.

"The whole process went very well," said Mr. Holifield. "Even though we will not receive our final report anytime soon, Moody did an outstanding job accommodating the IG; hopefully leaving them a positive impression of our base."