IAM Responds to defense.gov Article that Quotes Misleading DP3 Satisfaction Statistics
The International Association of Movers (IAM) appreciates and supports U.S. Transportation Command's
(TRANSCOM) aim to make the movement of household goods a better experience for service members
and their families. We and our members share the goal of making moving the easy part of any
relocation, including permanent change of station (PCS) moves.
That is why we were disappointed to read the article published on defense.gov on June 4th titled DoD
Kicks Off Improved Household Goods Shipment Program. As an association representing the dedicated
moving companies that have proudly served the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for many years, we
feel compelled to address the statements made in the article concerning the service levels our members
provide when serving U.S. military customers and their families.
This article’s premise – that subpar customer service scores justify the need for an improved system to
ensure higher quality and reliability for PCSs – uses misleading statistics to question the service IAM
Members and other movers provide to the DoD Personal Property Program. The first example of this is
when a TRANSCOM Official in the article states that, “in recent years, DoD recognized the current
program is no longer serving customers the way it should.” He states that last year, about 77% of service
members reported satisfaction with their household goods move. Let’s explore how that is a deceptive
statement.
The current program’s customer satisfaction survey, as referenced in the article, is made up of points
that a mover can score based on the service member’s response to 6 questions. The 77% being
referenced is the percentage of points that the average mover gets based on the scoring for each
question. When asked to clarify on a recent TRANSCOM/Moving Industry call, TRANSCOM analysts
confirmed that the reported customer satisfaction is based on this points model, and NOT a reference to
how many customers reported their move as satisfied or greater. Per TRANSCOM’s own data
(https://lnkd.in/gTg2dbnN), customer satisfaction in calendar year 2024 so
far is 92.75%. While slightly lower, customer satisfaction since April of 2023 to April of 2024 is 88.89%.
IAM is the household goods moving and forwarding industry's largest global trade association. With more
than 2,000 members, its companies provide moving, forwarding, shipping, logistics, and related services
in more than 170 countries for household goods (HHGs) shipments.
That is a far cry from the 77% that TRANSCOM touts in the article. It seems purposefully damaging to
report a significantly lower customer satisfaction rate in the current program, as TRANSCOM begins
moving shipments under their new contract model.