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Workforce Network of Kansas
Marketing Task Force
Telephone Conference Call
February 12, 2003
10:00 a.m.
Minutes

Participating in the conference call: David Brennan, Local Area II; Kim Conlee, Local Area IV; Patricia Kirkman, WNK Board; Kristi Pankratz, KDHR; Vern Nikkel, Local Area I; plus Konnie Leffler, Workforce Network of Kansas staff

Following self-introductions, Pankratz brought the group up to date on the status of the Employee Services Guide, of which 10,000 have been printed. Leffler will send one out to each Local Area so that they can become familiar with them. The brochures are available through Kathy Ketchum at KDHR.

Leffler reviewed the status of the PowerPoint presentation for the Speakers Bureau. If all goes well, this should be up and running within two weeks. It will then be taken to the LWIBs for feedback and approval, and then the Speakers Bureaus will be organized.

The group began a discussion about what they saw as barriers to the best possible customer service from the Workforce Network of Kansas. Kirkman and Nikkel believe that not enough employers have the necessary information about the services available. Kirkman said that her experience has been that high turnover in administrative positions robs companies of consistent access to information since the people who leave take this information with them. There needs to be a way to make the information manageable and easily available to new employees in these positions. The Employer Services Guide was suggested as one way to do this, and both Kirkman and Nikkel requested more of this publication from Pankratz.

Brennan brought up the negative connotations of the "Job Service Office" as the "unemployment office" and government run. Most people still view WNK services in this way and have not had experience with a customer-focused model of our services.

When it was asked how we could determine that these problems really are problems, the response was that they know because they talk to businesses. All agreed that businesses don't care where the services come from (which agencies) as long as the services are available and easy to use. The members returned to the idea that employers still don't know about available services or what to do in various situations. Conlee suggested that we give even more information (based on the approach "Tell them. Tell them you've told them. Then tell them again"). Nikkel suggested partnering with the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry through mailings and getting their endorsement. Leffler said she would get in touch with Nikkel's contact at KCCI. Conlee suggested that the Speakers Bureau would be our strongest tool in solving this problem, and there was some discussion of getting that into operation as soon as possible. Brennan reminded Leffler that not all LWIBs have monthly board meetings, so she needs to get in touch with them as soon as possible to schedule test runs of the PowerPoint.

There was more discussion of various means of sharing information with the three customer groups including suggestions that we send fliers (that could be conveniently posted) out to employers. The consensus was that in an ideal world, everyone would know about these services. Leffler mentioned a plan she had been working on which involves training high school students, college students, and civic groups to access KansasJobLink. Conlee suggested that WNK distribute mousepads with simple instructions on how to get to KJL.

As the meeting wound up, Brennan encouraged Leffler to start setting up PowerPoint presentations with Local Workforce Investment Board members. Nikkel said the group had come up with some good ideas and needed to pursue them. He reminded everyone that there were lots of opportunities to market WNK without spending a lot of money, and recommended using the board members as often as possible. Kirkman referred back to the idea of educating young people and using Partners in Education, stating that this sort of information carries forward (children go home and tell their parents), and that it seemed like a good place to start. Conlee said she would be sending more ideas on how to market to job-seekers. Leffler asked them to all be thinking of the following issues:
· If the State were to create a general brochure on the Workforce Network of Kansas, what should it contain?
· What are ways to track our success rate in marketing?
· Should we send a postcard out to all users of the State Unemployment Insurance system?

The meeting ended at 10:40 a.m.