LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The new 802nd Mission Support Group commander, a former all-conference baseball player in college, is swinging for the fences when it comes to customer service for the group's mission partners on Lackland.
Armed with the theme "Base Support Done Right," Col. Richard Houghton has emphasized his message around the 802nd MSG and Lackland since taking command July 7.
"Customer service is definitely our No. 1 priority," Colonel Houghton said. "We're taking care of a wide range of customers with varied missions who all need to have the facilities, security, communication and personnel services to accomplish their mission every day.
"I decided the first week my call sign would be 'Customer One'. (I look at everything we do on Lackland from a customer's point of view to see) how our team is providing service to the huge array of missions here. I practice being a customer daily; there are plenty of customers and plenty of chances for me to see it through their eyes."
It's been a whirlwind for Colonel Houghton in terms of meeting people, developing relationships, understanding processes, signing reams of paperwork and learning about the group's squadrons.
"I need either a time machine or clone in order to get everything done I want to accomplish," he said with a laugh.
For Colonel Houghton, his theme comes down to two words: done right. The 802nd MSG aims to satisfy the customer by providing high quality, efficient support that is done right the first time, on time.
"If we're doing it right, that's exactly what I want to hear," he said.
Colonel Houghton feels Joint Base San Antonio will allow Lackland to benefit from efficiencies and the commonality created by working with Randolph Air Force Base and Fort Sam Houston.
"We're combining forces where it makes sense, celebrating the best of all three installations and learning from each other," he said.
"Customer feedback is important to us, and joint basing has a built-in scorecard on performance, cost and subjective assessments we'll try to incorporate with that feedback," he added.
"We want to take it a step further and put out as much information as we can about how we're improving support, to show them what 'Base Support Done Right' means to us."
When it comes to identifying better ways to meet customer needs, he has help at home with his wife, a former Air Force officer, and three children.
"They're helping me be sensors," Colonel Houghton said. "We're all sensors on base and that's the point we make to our mission partners. We need them to tell us what we can do better so we can do it. I intend on listening, then acting quickly."