DECEMBER 10, 2020 – New website and mobile app options will soon make it easier for Army housing residents to put in maintenance work order requests.
While the Installation Management Command’s Army Maintenance Application (ArMA) won’t officially roll out until early next year, some Baumholder housing and barracks residents were tagged to participate in a pilot test of the service that began Dec. 1.
“The application is a benefit for users as it provides a quick way for residents to submit and track service orders,” said Charm Sutton, Baumholder housing customer service chief. “Residents no longer have to call the DPW work order line incessantly to submit routine requests. An added bonus is that the application is interactive — photos of the issues can be submitted along with the requests, residents can communicate directly with the service order team, and updates to the service order are visible as the request moves through the completion process.”
Registration is currently limited to those residents in the buildings selected for the pilot program and were notified. At Smith Barracks, residents selected to help test the website include those in Bldgs. 8110, 8111, 8112, 8114, 8115, 8116, 8118, 8119, 8502, 8812, 8813, and 8816.
Registration opens for all residents in January, said Sutton.
“IMCOM and the Army continue to look for ways to improve the military housing experience for Soldiers and families, so I highly encourage all of our residents to register as soon as this becomes available to everyone,” said Baumholder Deputy Garrison Manager Jason Tudor. “Leadership listens to the feedback from residents and makes quality of life changes such as this to help make things better. That said, continue to provide input via direct means like the housing survey that’s currently out for response.”
The new work order service allows residents to enter requests via the website or app 24/7 and receive tracking numbers immediately without having to wait for a service representative to call back. Users can also check status updates of their service issues, submit questions, comments or responses, and complete automated customer satisfaction surveys through the system.
According to IMCOM, after the test period is evaluated and the new process launched worldwide, housing residents will be able to visit the website and provide a personal, .mil or .civ email address; the location, including building number, of the residence; and unit and phone number. Family members will be able to use the website with a personal email address after the sponsor validates it.
Users will be able to create a “household” in the “account management” section of the website so all members of a residence can see open maintenance requests.
Specific maintenance request categories will exist for common repairs such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, broken glass and more, but if a dedicated catalog item does not exist for a specific request, residents will be able to use the general “interior” or “exterior” request option.
A list of all of open maintenance requests will be available at the bottom of the home page of the application for easy reference, according to IMCOM. Users will be able to click the case number to view details about a particular open maintenance request. The site will also feature an “activity” text box to provide comments or inquiries back to DPW. Any comments or questions from DPW clerks will be visible just below the input text box.
In addition to benefiting residents, Sutton sees the new system helping the housing team as well.
“I believe the main benefit for DPW (Directorate of Public Works) is the ability to increase customer service,” she said. “The application allows for direct dialogue and greater transparency between the maintenance team and resident in a way that isn’t possible when a service order is submitted traditionally.”
“The app is accessible to anyone who downloads and registers,” Sutton continued. “All of the residents could submit service requests at a time they like. Currently, our work order section has one telephone line and one email address being utilized by our families which often results in busy signals, the need for repeat calling, etc. The use of the application prevents those issues and the frustration that comes along with it and provides the ability to track the request without the need to call DPW again.”
Housing and barracks residents will be able to sign up and access the new system at: https://www.armymaintenance.com
Story by Stefan Alford
U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz