New York State Department of Labor
Profiles of Promising Practices
CUSTOMER TRACKING SYSTEM
Chemung/Schuyler/Steuben Workforce New York (CSS-WNY)
March 2001 - Present

Purpose

• To assess and improve customer service by establishing an accurate, cost-effective system to collect and report data on how many customers are visiting the Career Centers and what services they are receiving.

How It Works

• Upon registration at a One-Stop Center, customers each receive a personalized electronic ID card.
• Each time a customer visits a Center, staff at the greeter’s desk are responsible for swiping the card, thereby recording the visit and any services the customer received into a database.
• The reports generated from the database are given to the partners and the Workforce Investment Board. The reports are used to assess the quantity and quality of services being used by the customers.

Results

• Data collection has become more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective in the tri-county career centers.
• The statistics help the CSS-WNY and partners identify weaknesses in services and make adjustments accordingly.
• According to CSS-WNY and partners:
  • Customer satisfaction has increased,
  • The number of Career Center visits has increased, and
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reporting capacity has increased.

How They Did It

• The local Board and One-Stop partners approved the initiative.
• A NYSDOL Labor Services Representative designed the membership card tracking system and created the database with guidance from the CSS-WNY Career Center Coordinator on what data to collect.
• The Career Center Coordinator implemented policies and procedures to support the new system and trained front-line staff and partners on how to use it.
• Front-line staff and partners offered suggestions to fine-tune the system and procedures.

Start-Up Costs

• For five career centers, the cost of implementing the system was $8,794.53.

Operating Costs

• Minimal staff time is required. Making each new card requires approximately three minutes.
• Partners contribute staff time for training and system operation.

Funding

• The system was paid for through WIA Implementation funding.

Lessons Learned

• Having the system networked with all five career centers would improve efficiency, but would be expensive.
• Researching other counties or states that have a similar system in place, prior to implementation, would have been helpful.