Virtual Focus Groups ...

One way we ensure that we get the right information and translate that information into improvement activities is through the Virtual Focus Group. Early in the program, we conduct a Virtual Focus Group online with your one-stop operators and other designated members of the team. We use this resource to gather the "in-house" perspective on the capacity and limitations of the one-stop centers in the local area.

These Virtual Focus Groups are conducted online and the focus group resources are available 24/7 to the one-stop operators so that they can provide the information at their convenience. One-stop operators do not have to disrupt their daily activities to participate in this activity!!!

Action Oriented Program ...

The new "One Stop Secret Shopper" program goes beyond the information and enters the realm of action-oriented continuous improvement! Here's what happens:

• Systems Review - nationally recognized workforce development professionals conduct comprehensive systems reviews of designated one-stop career centers to develop an in-depth understanding of what is happening locally. Through the Systems Review process, the one-stop operators begin to identify areas where "best practices" could benefit the local workforce investment area.
• Mystery Shopping - real people from local communities visit the one-stop career centers and provide real time feedback on how they react to the facilities, the staff and partners, the programs and services, and the resources. Through mystery shopping, the one-stop centers develop a comprehensive picture of how their customers are really reacting to their experiences with the one-stop centers.
• Virtual Focus Groups - one-stop operators or their designated representatives provide valuable input on their own perceptions of the one-stop's capacity and limitations. Through this process, the one-stop team begins to quantify who they are, what they can do well, and where they might potentially need to place continuous improvement resources for the future.

That's all well and good, but what does it mean? How does it come together.

Action Steps ...

We've all been bombarded with strategic planning and other elaborate approaches to management improvement, only to find that most end up just sitting on the shelf and collecting dust. That's not the case with the "One Stop Secret Shopper" program.

• The program is not "strategic." It is "tactical."
• That is, while there are strategic implications for a continuous improvement plan, its strength is in its ability to take feedback from the three sources listed above (Systems Reviews, Mystery Shopping, and Virtual Focus Groups) and translate them into simple and direct action steps that can be taken immediately to initiate improvement.

Ownership ...

Here is one of the really cool parts of the "One Stop Secret Shopper" program that makes it work so well.

• Our team owns the process. We know the steps from information collection to action planning. We facilitate you through those steps.
• Your team owns the action. You determine what it is you want to do and how you will do it.

Accountability ...

And, straight from the world of business coaching, the "One Stop Secret Shopper" program delivers a comfortable system of accountability that keeps the continuous improvement activities moving forward for up to ninety (90) days after your team has completed the program.

• Coaching the operators drives accountability.
• Accountability drives action.
• And action drives improvement.

That's the secret to success for the "One Stop Secret Shopper" program. The focus shifts from "information" to "action."