In the fall of 2000, the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) was commissioned by the Workforce Board of Northern Cook County, Illinois to benchmark one-stop centers to provide the Board with insights about the quality of their local centers and how to improve them. This led to an expanded national research project led by CSW. Seven study teams were deployed across the country to visit 20 different one-stop centers and 12 different workforce boards. Their findings resulted in the report “Benchmarking One-Stop Centers” which identified Critical Success Factors in three areas: Employer Services, Job Seeker Services, and Design and Management. These critical success factors have been widely adopted by Boards across the country as the benchmark for excellence in one-stop centers.

Critical Success Factors for Employer Services

Critical Success Factor 1: Satisfying Employers
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Measure at center level, not program level
• Measure satisfaction both with processes and outcomes
• Disaggregate satisfaction data
• Consult with employers about the critical success factors for the one-stop center
• Use customer behavior as an indicator of satisfaction

Critical Success Factor 2: Managing Employer Services
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Make employer services a priority
• Manage employer services as a unified activity
• Maintain a database to track contacts, delivery of services, and outcomes
• Build a quality team
• Become knowledgeable about key industries
• Define the one-stop center’s market niche in the community
• Establish one-on-one relationships with employers
• Use customer satisfaction trends to make changes

Critical Success Factor 3: Delivering Quality Services to Employers
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Operate with a “never say no” attitude
• Work in “real time” with a sense of urgency
• Develop fee-for-service activities to meet employer needs
• View other public intermediaries as partners, not as competitors
• Design services based upon customer requirements

Critical Success Factors for Job Seeker Services

Critical Success Factor 4: Satisfying Job Seekers
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Measure satisfaction with the center as a whole
• Examine variations in satisfaction among types of customers
• Measure processes as well as outcomes
• Seek input from job seekers about critical features
• Compare the center’s customer satisfaction level with that of other operations

Critical Success Factor 5: Managing Job Seeker Services
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Establish a professional appearance
• Expedite customer flow
• Manage peak loads
• Avoid creating barriers such as waiting chairs or lines
• Measure its results
• Modify services and delivery strategies based on market needs and customer demands

Critical Success Factor 6: Delivering Quality Services to Job Seekers
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Make the resource room the focal point of the center
• Provide customers with comprehensive access to training and education services
• Obtain additional resources to meet customer needs

Critical Success Factors in Design and Management

Critical Success Factor 7: Leadership
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Have strong Workforce Board leadership
• Have one-stop operator leadership

Critical Success Factor 8: Management
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Have a neutral center manager
• Provide staff development
• Manage continuous quality improvement
• Use technology effectively

Critical Success Factor 9: Measurement
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Use center wide measures
• Operate using integrated information systems

Critical Success Factor 10: Marketing
Indicators to Consider –
Does the One-Stop Center:

• Build clear brand identity
• Identify and strategically pursue service niches