SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Sasebo’s Fleet and Family Support Center director says periodic surveys, including one beginning in April Navy-wide, are priceless tools for fine-tuning services FFSC offers servicemembers, spouses, dependents and civilians stationed overseas.
Two quality-of-life surveys are to begin early next month, Navy officials reported, letting sailors and their families offer opinions on FFSC and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
Navy Personnel, Research, Studies and Technology developed the surveys to gauge overall satisfaction with the two programs, a recent Navy news report stated.
Survey topics pertaining to FFSC include personal financial management, relocation assistance, transition assistance, spouse employment, deployment support and family advocacy.
“This is not the first time we’ve conducted these types of surveys,” said Candace E. Currier, Sasebo’s FFSC director Monday. “They are an excellent way for us to collect direct feedback from our servicemembers and families.
“The information lets us know what types of services we need to add and what we might need to delete,” Currier added. “And we receive the information in a completely confidential manner.”
The MWR section focuses on child and youth development, fitness centers, golf, bingo, bowling, swimming, recreation outdoors, Internet access and movies.
“It’s very important because customer feedback is our most valuable resource,” said Kyle Rhodus, MWR athletic director at Yokosuka Naval Base. “Customer feedback, put simply, is what drives our programs.”
The survey includes questions about the frequency of use, satisfaction and the importance of the programs operated by FFSC and MWR, according to the report.
“The surveys’ results will give program providers at all levels information to help measure program effectiveness, determine trends and make adjustments necessary to provide the most desired MWR and FFSC programs and services consistent with available resources,” John McCausland, assistant commander, Navy Personnel Command, Fleet Support, stated in the report.
About 35,000 randomly selected sailors, enlisted and officers, soon are to receive letters asking for voluntary participation. The letters include an Internet address, user name and password to enter the Web-based survey, the report noted.
“We get ideas from customers on an almost daily basis and we’ve used many of those to make changes in the way we do things,” Rhodus explained. “However, the anonymity and the ease of the survey should be important factors in making respondents feel they can be more open in expressing what they think.”
This summer, a contractor will analyze the responses and brief top Navy leadership, the report added. The data is slated for posting on Navy Web sites and provided to those who took the surveys.
“It will give us important data on a Navy-wide scale, regional basis and from an installation perspective,” Currier said.
