Updated survey allows customers to use their own words when describing commissary shopping experience
FORT LEE, Va. – Commissary shoppers worldwide can now describe their own shopping experience when they fill out the Defense Commissary Agency’s updated “ForeSee” customer experience survey.
“Open-ended questions give customers an opportunity to provide feedback using their own words, and this often provides key information we may not have considered before,” said Karl Crosson, the agency’s statistician.
The three new questions were added a month ago and appear at the end of the survey. They ask customers to tell DeCA what they liked most about their recent shopping experience, share what improvements they would like to see in their store and, if they select “once every few months or less often,” explain why they don’t shop more frequently.
“We want to hear about the customer’s whole experience,” said Mary Michael, chief of the agency’s business analytics team. “Not just what they liked, but what they would like us to do better.”
On July 21, DeCA rolled out ForeSee replacing the SurveyMonkey receipt survey previously used at all commissaries. Through ForeSee, the agency accesses more frequent customer feedback and promptly identifies areas to improve the shopping experience. The survey tool is also used by the Navy Exchange and many other commercial retailers to gain real time customer feedback.
Customers can access the purchaser receipt survey using the link, https://mydeca.me/receipt, printed at the bottom of their receipt. They have seven days from their purchase date to log on and complete it.
The advantages of using the ForeSee survey platform include real-time viewing of survey results and the delivery of automated reports that help the agency identify key drivers of customer satisfaction. “Foresee converts our customers’ ‘voice’ into actionable insights to improve customer satisfaction,” Michael said.
Crosson added: “Another benefit is that it allows us to compare the performance between commissaries and the commercial grocers that use ForeSee.”
The new customer experience purchaser survey is the first of a trio of patron feedback instruments that DeCA plans to roll out. In the future, the ForeSee platform will also provide the capability to roll out targeted surveys on social media as well as commissaries.com.
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Photo caption: Soldiers shop at the Fort Lee, Virginia, Commissary. (DeCA photo: Kevin Robinson)
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.