Responding to Clients

What entrepreneur hasn't had the nightmare of calling an agency, being referred from one person to another, and finally giving up in frustration. Clients told Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service they needed a single point of contact that would refer them to a resource person knowledgeable in their area of concern.

In Spring 1987, the "Kansas DIRECT Program" was started with the objective of finding resources for Kansans in the areas of business, economics, and rural development. DIRECT is an acronym for "development information: referral, coordination, and training." DIRECT does the "door knocking" to find resources and information to help communities and individuals with questions when they've no place else to turn. It provides an easy-to- access, single point of contact.

DIRECT's most visible activity is referring individuals to the best available source of help-that may be a state agency, a faculty member of one of the state's universities, or a private business. Often, the needed information is available right here in Extension.

DIRECT is more than a referral service. Often the information and help needed are too complex for a single agency or individual. In those cases, the DIRECT staff coordinates assembling a group of experts to meet the clients' needs. The DIRECT staff may coordinate help from a variety of agencies, organizations, and university departments. With its ties to Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, DIRECT can initiate educational seminars and conferences on topics of wide concern.

For example, DIRECT staff worked with Extension specialists to get help from an expert outside Kansas for regional workshops on starting bed-and-breakfast businesses. Other seminars have been conducted on food-based and home-based businesses.

One strength is DIRECT's link with the USDA national Rural Information Center and other land-grant institutions across the United States. Many unusual requests require such out-of-state contact.

The program keeps growing. Recently a community economic analysis specialist was added to the staff of two full-time employees and two part-time graduate students. The staff handles about 100 calls a month-and each month the number of calls has grown.

County agents make up about 25% of the total calls, economic development agencies 25%, state and local governments 10%, and clients 40%.

For some Kansas entrepreneurs, the nightmare of fruitless calls for information no longer exists.