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Final Report of the
Customer Satisfaction Work Group
of the
Workforce Information Council

Section I – Executive Summary

The Customer Satisfaction Work Group (Work Group) of the Workforce
Information Council (WIC) was appointed to explore the issue of customer satisfaction as
it relates to labor market information (LMI) providers and users of the information. The
Work Group was composed of eleven members, two support personnel and a consultant.
They met formally three times between October 2002 and June 2003, and gave quarterly
updates to the WIC.

The Work Group utilized existing documents and gathered other reports to guide
its work. Many of the concepts employed are private sector marketing concepts. The
group verbalized the process of developing labor market information products and
services as being a process of data collection, data analysis and distribution of
information products and services. The process defined in this manner seems void of
customer satisfaction measurement and needs assessment. Therefore, the Work Group
concentrated on incorporating the needs and satisfaction of customers into the LMI
creation process.

Two models were constructed to demonstrate how customer satisfaction and
needs assessment can guide the creation of meaningful labor market information and
move toward a demand-driven workforce information system. One model charts a state
scenario and the other extends the model to federal products. The result is a dynamic,
customer-driven labor market and workforce information system which is responsive to
customer needs and wants in a changing environment. The process embraces not only

given to the Work Group by the WIC.

The response in Section V notes findings by the group and then provides seven
actionable recommendations. These recommendations include establishing or identifying
a customer satisfaction focal point for sustaining the effort and providing on-going
customer satisfaction technical assistance, offering training to agency representatives on
implementing customer satisfaction programs, exploring customer satisfaction as a
deliverable in the BLS cooperative agreement and continuing it as a deliverable in the
ETA core products grant, and expanding the efforts of the Work Group into a demand-
driven marketing effort for workforce information.

There are also attachments under various tabs. Tab III is a customer satisfaction
handbook. Tab IV reviews pilot study results. Tab V is the draft document “Workforce
Information Customer Satisfaction Assessment: A Primer for State and Local Planning”
developed by Mediacall, Inc. and the Heldrich Center. Tab VI documents BLS customer
satisfaction activities. Tab VII is the project work plan which set the course for the Work
Group. Tab VIII is feedback information from federal agencies on their customer
feedback programs. Tab IX is a tally of state customer satisfaction activities, and Tab X
is the first progress report of the Work Group.
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Section II – Approach to Work

Introduction

The Customer Satisfaction Work Group (Work Group) of the Workforce Information
Council (WIC) was appointed to explore the issue of customer satisfaction as it relates to
labor market information providers and users of the information. The WIC defined the

• Stanley Stephenson, San Francisco Regional Commissioner, Bureau of Labor
Statistics

Support Staff

• Dixie Sommers, Center on Education and Training for Employment, Ohio State
University
• Nancy Pyon, Center on Education and Training for Employment, Ohio State
University 4
Consultant

• Don Norton, Vice President, Mediacall Marketing and Advertising, Inc.

The Work Group began meeting quarterly with the consultant in October 2002. Other
meetings were held in January and May 2003. The WIC was apprised of status of the
project at meetings in December 2002, March and June 2003. A presentation was made
on the Work Group efforts at the BLS LMI conference in May 2003.

Several documents were used to guide the effort. Some of the documents were
developed by staff specifically for the project and others were collected to build in
previous efforts. These documents include:

1. A draft “Customer Satisfaction Primer,” funded by the ETA and written
by Mediacall and the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at
Rutgers. This document also notes what actions states are implementing,
as well as private sector customer satisfaction practices;


their level of satisfaction.

There were many discussions of “marketing” as it relates to labor market
information. The group embraced the concept of marketing as a process. In the private
sector, the process involves conducting research (listening to the customer to ascertain
needs and wants), developing products to meet those needs, promoting products, and then
re-evaluating product effectiveness. Products are changed through innovation or
discontinued, as noted below. 6
The group verbalized the process of developing labor market information
products and services as being a process of data collection, data analysis and distribution
of information products and services. The process has not historically recognized the
customer as part of the development process, as noted below.

LMI Product Development Model

Section 309 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 clearly mandates that
customer satisfaction data be gathered in an effort to continuously improve the LMI
system. The Work Group has been keenly aware of this mandate, and worked toward
developing a model which could incorporate private sector concepts into the labor market
information creation process.

In that regard, the group was less concerned with a process that developed a
single number for measuring satisfaction. Rather, the group focused on ways to collect
information regarding how labor market information products can be improved to better