Bea Gray, a customer experience associate at the Scott Air Force Base Exchange, turned an Air Force major’s disappointment into a solution.
In just three days, the major would swear his son into the Air Force during graduation ceremonies from basic training school. The son finished first in a class of 600.
However, the father needed an officer’s service coat from the Military Clothing store to replace one that didn’t fit, but there was a worldwide shortage of such dress coats in traditional Exchanges and on ShopMyExchange.com.
“My husband swore in our son to the Air Force, and I knew how important that was to both father and son,” said Gray, who used her customer service knowledge to suggest that the major try an enlisted coat in his size instead. Luckily, the enlisted coat fit the major like a glove. The alterations department sewed epaulets from his old officer’s coat onto the enlisted coat and added the braids for the sleeves.
The major now sported a new officer’s coat and was ready to swear in his son.
“He was thrilled that we found such a good fit in his size and that we came up with that solution,” said Gray, who’s worked with the Exchange for eight years, all at Scott AFB.
Looking great in the uniform
A few weeks later, the major returned to the Military Clothing store and asked Gray whether she remembered him. Of course, she did, and she asked about his son’s graduation ceremonies. Because his son was the top graduate, he sat next to the general during the ceremony, and they took a lot of pictures.
“He told me that it was an amazing day,” Gray said. “When he looked at the many pictures they took, he said he thought he looked great in the uniform.”
Gray’s family has strong military roots. Her husband, Lawrence Gray II, is a retired Air Force colonel and navigator; father-in-law Lawrence Gray I, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and pilot; and son, Luke is a second lieutenant Airman at the Uniformed Services University Medical School and working at Hawaii’s Tripler Army Medical Center. Her daughter, Brittany, is engaged to an ROTC cadet who will attend pilot training early next year.
Angel Wills, Gray’s manager, says Gray’s ability to find a solution provides valuable lessons for Exchange associates, no matter their role in the organization.
“Associates can learn no matter what the customer’s situation may be, we are here to ensure we meet their needs and put their minds at ease,” Wills said.
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