USAFE rolls out "Welcome Mat" for newcomers

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mona Ferrell
  • USAFE News Service
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  New arrivals and visitors to U.S. Air Forces in Europe installations have the “Welcome Mat” rolled out for them with the implementation of a project that focuses on ensuring world-class customer service and quality customer facilities.

Project Welcome Mat, a subset of Combat Proud which is designed to improve the appearance of USAFE bases to foster pride and productivity, helps establish a good first impression for new base arrivals, said Col. Stuart Hartford, USAFE Civil Engineer program division chief and Welcome Mat champion.

“First impressions are indelible – you never get a second chance to make a good first impression,” Colonel Hartford said. “The initial experience a member has at a new base sets the tone for the entire assignment and says a lot about the installation team.”

Focusing on the idea that first impressions are lasting ones, Project Welcome Mat encompasses the interior and exterior appearance and customer service of the facilities and areas a new arrival first encounters, said Capt. Todd Rupright, USAFE Combat Proud program manager. Targeted areas include the visitor control center, lodging, housing, the military personnel flight, civilian personnel and finance.

Using a two-pronged approach, Combat Proud teams focus on ensuring the inward and outward appearance of these facilities are kept to the highest standards, said the captain. In addition, the team provides the people working in these front-line facilities with Customer College education where they receive the training, resources and skills required to provide the comprehensive care and service needed to exceed customer expectations.

“It’s important that a professional image – both from a personnel and facility standpoint – be shown from the start,” said Captain Rupright. “Your organization can be professional looking, but if the people behind the counter aren’t professional it really doesn’t matter.”

It comes down to treating others with respect, said Colonel Hartford.

“If newcomers are treated with courtesy and respect, then they will be more inclined to carry on the same level of professionalism in their own jobs,” he said. “I really think the Welcome Mat initiative goes a long way toward creating a healthy, happy and productive installation environment – the kind of place everyone wants to be assigned.”

While Combat Proud teams are working hard and funding has been provided to all bases for improvements in these areas, the success of the Welcome Mat initiative is everyone’s responsibility, Colonel Hartford said.

“Nobody works in a vacuum, almost everyone is a customer service provider at some level,” he said. “Those on the front lines must complete Customer College, but everyone should think about providing ‘world class customer service’ as part of their normal day-to-day work ethic.”