Customer satisfaction made easy a plan for actively listening to customers of labor market information products and services

Customer Satisfaction Made Easy A plan for actively listening to customers of Labor Market Information Products and Services A resource handbook from the Customer Satisfaction Work Group of the Workforce Information Council Copyright 2003 Table of Contents Topic Page Introduction – Why Measure Customer Satisfaction? How to Measure Customer Satisfaction Step – Pick a Product or Customer Group Step – Set the Stage for Assessment What you want to find out? 7-10 Sample Problem Definition Statement 8-10 How you can best find the answers? 10-31 Qualitative Approach 11-12 Quantitative Approach 13-14 Guide for Using Focus Groups 16-18 Guide for Using A Mail Survey 19-20 Guide for Using A Telephone Survey 21-23 Guide for Using a Personal Interview 24-26 Guide for Using an Internet Survey 27-29 What to Ask 30 Sample Survey 31 2-3 4-6 7-31 Step – Conduct Research and Take Action! Documenting Demand Conclusion 32 33 I n t r o d u c t i o n – Why measure customer satisfaction? Because it’s required! The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 says states need to “consult with customers about the relevance of the information disseminated through the statewide employment statistics system, in order to continuously improve the system.” The two key parts of this statement are: • Consult with customers • Continuously improve the system It’s also a requirement of the One Stop LMI grant from the Employment and Training Administration! Because we have to prove “return on investment!” In times of increased accountability in government, every activity needs to prove that taxpayers’ money is used efficiently and effectively To ensure that LMI products retain their value to customers, we need to continuously ask customers if our products are meeting their needs We also need to create new products that are responsive to customer demands Asking our customers about our products provides proof that LMI products are a good investment Because we can’t afford not to! With limited funding, we have to make sure that every dollar we spend on developing and disseminating information products (whether its for printing or updating a website) is being spent on a product people will use The BEST way to make sure our products are being used is to ask the people who use them Customer satisfaction assessment is a great opportunity for states to make positive changes in the future of the labor market information system! How to measure customer satisfaction? This handbook will help states make customer satisfaction assessment as easy as 1, 2, 3! In order to make it this easy, there are some things you should and should know Form an evaluation team The team will oversee the collection of customer satisfaction feedback and then perform three responsibilities Make changes to products and services based on that feedback; Share satisfaction processes and results with other states; Share satisfaction processes and results with federal representatives to make systemic changes Consider having a publications specialist, an analyst and a projections professional on your team This team may already exist as the group who determines your LMI product content Customer satisfaction assessment does not necessarily have to be a statistically rigorous exercise The process outlined in this handbook is based on solid descriptive research methodology, but it is different from the types of research normally conducted in “LMI shops.” While you may have to meet strict standards for response rate based on a stratified random sample to meet the requirements of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, customer satisfaction assessment is based on a “dialogue” with your customers This dialogue may not be conducted the way you would conduct a BLS survey You should document the demand for your products and services In addition to finding out if customers are satisfied with your products, find out how many are actually using them, how they are using them and where those users are located We have a special section at the end which addresses this issue Create Customer Lists Many of the processes outlined in this handbook will require you to have a list of your customers You may want to consider creating these lists if you not have them already These are lists of customers who receive or use a particular document or LMI product you produce You have many tools in the toolbox of customer satisfaction research You may want to conduct a survey, you may want to have a focus group or conduct interviews with your main customers of a particular product Remember, when you ask just one customer their opinion of a product, you have started to listen to the customer When you change a document based on what a customer said, you are engaged in the process of continuous improvement This leads to the final point: You can’t it all at once! This handbook will walk you through conducting customer satisfaction research At first, it may seem a daunting task to find out what all your customers think about all of your products But, you have to start somewhere and you can’t it all at once Remain calm and dig in! Step Pick a Product or Customer Group State LMI providers should be producing documents for particular customer groups According to the Workforce Investment Act, states should be serving the following customer groups: • Businesses make decisions about product and financial markets, business location, and employee recruitment, compensation, and training • Individuals, including young people and adults, make choices about careers, education, training, and job search • Elected Officials and Policy Makers, including Workforce Investment Boards, make decisions about law, policy, budgets, and regulations • Program Planners determine what workforce and economic development services to provide, and evaluate program performance • Education and Training Providers, including teachers and curriculum specialists, design, deliver, and evaluate programs that develop students’ knowledge and skills • Intermediaries, such as parents, counselors, teachers, mentors, placement workers, and case workers, assist others in choosing education and training opportunities, and in finding employment, and • Researchers study how the labor market works, and conduct policy research The mass media may be included in this category Take a look at the LMI products and services your state produces Which customer groups use each of the products? Create a grid, like the sample that follows, which shows the customer groups and the products you provide for them MATRIX Career Handbook Hot Job Sheet Labor Market Trends Wages 2002 Commuting Patterns Unemployment Rate WIB Conference Website Website Website X X X X X X X X X Media Researchers Intermediaries Education and Training Providers GROUPS Program planners/ Workforce Boards Elected officials and Policy Makers Individuals/ Job Seekers LMI PRODUCTS/ SERVICES Employers CUSTOMER X X X X X X X X X X X X X At each intersection on the grid, you should be assessing satisfaction Once you identify which customers are using what products and services, you can measure customer satisfaction by starting with either of two paths: • start with a product, or • start with a customer As noted on the previous grid, if your state is about to re-publish a Career Handbook, you may want to ask people in the three customer groups that use the document if they are satisfied with it In that case, you would be starting with a product You can be in tune with the changing needs of customers by conducting needs assessment without discussing an existing product For example, each year employment statistics agencies must confer with local workforce investment boards to discuss information needs This is an opportunity to conduct a needs assessment Ask them about how they use data in their core business functions and if workforce information could help them their work This may help you prioritize which information products and services you provide and customize those products for their specific needs Step Set the Stage for Assessment There are two things you need to in step two: determine what you want to find out, and determine how best to find the answers! The rest of this step walks you through this process and gives you examples What Do You Want to Find Out You should develop an Assessment Statement This merely helps you “think through” your descriptive research process It may seem obvious when you complete it, but it will help guide you This is what should be in and should be answered in your statement: • A general description what you want to find out and from whom • A basic question the research needs to answer • What you want to determine in your research? • Management objectives, such as: ✓ Why you are doing the research? ✓ What will be the uses of the information you learn? ✓ Why is it important that you the research? ✓ What is the general setting for the research? ✓ Who are you going to assess? • What data collection technique will you use and why? • When will you it? • How much time/money can you spend doing it? • Who will it? The following pages provide an example of a completed Assessment Statement DETERMINING THE ATTITUDES OF CAREER COUNSELORS CONCERNING CAREER GUIDES AND POSTERS Assessment Statement E L P M SA General Description: To assess satisfaction with career guidance materials delivered by the State Department of Labor (DOL) and determine methods for improving those products for customers Basic Research Question: In what ways can career guidance materials be improved to assist those who advise students on career goals? Research Information Questions: - To determine the level of satisfaction with existing career materials, specifically Guides to Career Choices and accompanying posters; - To determine the most effective attributes of career materials which should be retained in future publications; - To determine the least effective attributes of career materials which should be omitted in future publications; - To determine attributes of career materials from other states which may provide better alternatives for presenting information to career guidance personnel Management’s Objectives: Why is this research being done? We are required to assess customer satisfaction with products as part of its funding grant from the U.S Dept of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and needs customer satisfaction input to guide its continuous improvement efforts This assessment is in partial fulfillment of this obligation We also want to create a more useful product ... you may have to meet strict standards for response rate based on a stratified random sample to meet the requirements of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, customer satisfaction assessment is based... customer satisfaction? This handbook will help states make customer satisfaction assessment as easy as 1, 2, 3! In order to make it this easy, there are some things you should and should know Form... identify which customers are using what products and services, you can measure customer satisfaction by starting with either of two paths: • start with a product, or • start with a customer As noted