FAFSA on the Web Tracker

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SERVICE SATISFACTION COLLECTIONS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: FAFSA On The Web Tracker Survey

(The collection that is the subject of the 10-day review request)

[X] SURVEY [ ] FOCUS GROUP [ ] SOFTWARE USABILITY TESTING

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

The purpose of this electronic survey is to combine two existing FOTW surveys to provide Federal Student Aid (FSA) with online capability that will collect real-time customer satisfaction feedback on the web-based application product, FAFSA on the Web (FOTW). This new electronic survey, combining two existing FOTW surveys, allows FSA to fully utilize the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology, including modeling to identify the most effective means of improving our service, leveraging our limited resources and to more quickly and efficiently meets the demands of our customers. The ultimate goal of this effort is to provide more real-time and reoccurring feedback and analysis so that changes could be made to the application systems within the current FOTW development cycle for software/product releases. The electronic survey will be offered to a random “nth” financial aid applicant upon completion of the FOTW form. The survey will be completed using the applicant’s computer. The FOTW application is available 365 days a year, 24/7. The applicants who agree to complete the survey will be transferred from the FOTW server to CFI Group, Inc., who will initiate the survey and capture the responses for analysis using the ACSI methodology. The results will then be made available to FSA using an online reporting function through CFI Group. The survey will be offered to students or parents of students who have completed the initial or renewal FOTW application in either English or Spanish.

AMOUNT OF ANY PROPOSED STIPEND OR INCENTIVE

No stipend or incentive will be provided to participants.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION

Currently 2.76% of the applicants that complete FOTW respond to the feedback survey. According to CFI Group, this adoption rate is about average for electronic and web initiated surveys. Based upon this adoption rate and the need to receive 150 questionnaires each week to provide statistically valid information, we anticipate extending an electronic invitation to an average of about 6,200 per week. However, this should result in a substantial reduction in burden hours as currently about 320,000 applicants are completing the feedback survey each year. Allowing that each current feedback survey takes about 5 minutes to complete, this results in a total burden of 26,667 hours. The new survey will only be administered to about 8,087 individuals and allowing for survey completion time of 10 minutes, results in total burden hours of 1,348--a reduction of over 25,000 hours.

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Students/parents	8087	10 minutes	1,348 hours
Totals	8087	10 minutes	1,348 hours

BURDEN COST COMPUTATION

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Hourly Rate	Response Time	Total
Students/parents	8087	N/A	10 minutes	1,348 hours
Totals	8087	N/A	10 minutes	1,348 hours

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

CFI Group, a current FSA contractor on the MOBIS Schedule, will perform data processing and analyses of a separate statistical model using the proprietary American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) econometric modeling techniques. ACSI is a national, cross-industry, cross public and private sector economic indicator produced by a partnership of the National Quality Research Center (at the University of Michigan Business School); CFI Group; and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). In place since 1994, the ACSI is in its ninth year. The advantage to using the ACSI methodology is that satisfaction of specific customer segments can be benchmarked against that of customer segments receiving similar services from other agencies, and customers’ perceptions of service-providing companies and industries in the private sector.

The ACSI econometric model is a cause-and-effect model made up of quality components, the overall satisfaction index, and outcome measures. Quality components are mutually exclusive, multiple-item measures of aspects of an agency’s service determined to be drivers of customer satisfaction. Each quality component is made up of multiple survey questions that measure customers’ perceptions of that one particular area of service (for instance, “Home Page” on the FAFSA survey). The overall satisfaction index is made up of three questions measuring customers’ overall satisfaction, satisfaction compared to expectations, and satisfaction compared to an ideal provider. These three questions are included in all ACSI models, allowing FSA to compare its results with other agencies. Finally, outcome measures are desired customer behaviors driven by customer satisfaction, such as reduced complaint rates or confidence in the security of the agency’s systems.

During the modeling phase, CFI Group will validate the structure of the quality components and the inter-relationships between quality components. Output of the model will be a set of indices, including indices for drivers of satisfaction, the satisfaction index, and indices for outcomes of satisfaction. Additionally, the model produces impacts that show the strength of the effect of each component on subsequent ones. Below is an example diagram of an ACSI-type model. All numbers are arbitrary and used only for the sake of demonstration.

The impacts derived from the model will be used by FSA in conjunction with the component scores to target the best areas for strategic change and improvement. Along with its value as a benchmarking tool, the ACSI methodology also provides agencies an additional benefit in the statistically reliable, customer-driven, quantitatively derived measures of where improvements will have the most leverage on customer satisfaction and, in turn, on desired customer behaviors. This information allows the Department of Education to allocate its resources in such a way to maximize the return on improved customer satisfaction for its investments in internal processes.

CFI Group has performed this exercise previously for the Department of Education, and also has worked with other government entities including the Federal Supply Service, the International Trade Administration, the National Weather Service, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. In addition, OMB has provided blanket clearance to all federal government ACSI-type surveys conducted by CFI Group in collaboration with the Federal Consulting Group (FCG) (#1505-0191).

For each survey, the most appropriate data collection methodology is selected. The response target of 150 allows the confidence intervals around the computed performance scores to range from ±2.5 to ±3.0 points, at 95% confidence.

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Tony Oliveto

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-377-3078

MAILING LOCATION: UCP, 830 First Street NE, Mailstop 5302, Washington, DC 20202

ED DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, DIVISION, BRANCH: Federal Student Aid, Enterprise Performance Management Services, Strategic Planning and Reporting Group.

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