Cash Handler (1525-0012-93) and Industry Managers (1525-0012-94)

Focus Group – Tellers/Cashiers/Wait Staff, $1 Presidential Coins

Moderator Guide

[Location]

September ___, 2007

Moderator: ____________________

Groundrules and Introduction

• Thank respondents for taking time out of their schedules

• Explain purpose of discussion

• Tell them how long group will last

• No right or wrong answers

• Goal is to hear a variety of viewpoints, not to reach consensus

• Confidentiality assurance, inform of audio taping, observers, notes

• Speak as loudly as moderator, and speak one at a time

• Warn talkative and quiet people that everyone gets a chance to speak

• Observe common courtesy

• Logistical information on drinks and bathroom use

(READ:) This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget and if you would like, I can provide you with more information about that approval. The valid OMB control number for this survey is 1525-0012-XX.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not required to respond to a survey like this one unless you are given a valid OMB control number.

Introductions: State your first name, what you get paid to do, and how long you have worked as a bank teller/cashier/wait staff.

I. General discussion

1. WRITTEN EXERCISE: What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say “Presidential $1 coin”? Discuss.

1. What do you like about the coin? (LISTEN FOR: easy to identify, don’t have to orient the coins in the drawer, interesting to look at, don’t stick together, easy to count)

2. What don’t you like about it? (LISTEN FOR: Heavy, easily confused with quarters, no space in the till drawer, have to ask for change more often, no place to hold extra coins, people give them back, slows me down, don’t think about them)

3. Compared to other coins you give to customers, how often are you disseminating the $1 coins?

4. What do you think are your customers’ opinions about the new Presidential $1 coin?

   1. Do you have any sense of what your customers are using them for? (currency vs. gifting vs. collecting)

II. Tellers’ Experiences with Coins

A. How did your bank first educate you and other tellers about the new coins? What did they tell you about the coins and how to handle them?

1. Has your bank given you instructions on how to handle the coins? What instructions have you been given? (Listen for: where to put them in your drawer, always offer them to customers instead of bills, etc.)

2. If you haven’t been given any instructions, what do you do with the coins? (e.g. always offer them instead of bills, only give them out if customer asks for them, etc.)

3. Does the bank have any policies about keeping the coins? (i.e. they only are keeping so many of them, etc.)

4. How do you get $1 Presidential coins into your cash drawers? How do you get more if you run out?

5. Have your customers asked you any questions about the coins? What do your customers want to know?

6. What would you like to know about the coins to help make you more effective as a teller?

III. Increasing Circulation of Coins

1. We are interested in your thoughts about how the circulation of the Presidential $1 coins could be increased. For the next 10-15 minutes, I’m going to ask you to pretend that you have just been appointed to a Teller Advisory Commission at your bank, and your job is to provide me with your recommendations about how tellers can help increase the circulation of the Presidential $1 coins. Please provide actionable, realistic recommendations about what tellers, your managers, and even the US Mint could do to increase the circulation of coins to your customers. I am going to leave the room to allow you to discuss this, and when I return you will present me with your recommendations. (Ask for a volunteer to be the recorder on the easel & reporter back to the group)
   
   

   1. Discuss recommendations
      
      

2. EASEL: Aside from what you can do as a teller, what are some other things that could be done, outside of the banking environment, to get more people using the coins?

IV. Explore messages

A. Now I’m going to read you some potential messages that may be used to increase the acceptance and usage of the Presidential $1 coin. I’ll read each message, ask you to comment on it, and then at the end, you will be asked to vote on the most effective message.

PROBES FOR EACH MESSAGE

1. What is this message saying, in your own words?

2. Who do you think it is geared towards?

3. Is there anything confusing or unclear in the message?

4. How effective is this message to increase the acceptance of the $1 presidential coin?

5. How effective is this message to increase the interest in collecting the $1 presidential coin? Why or why not?

6. How effective is this message to increase the usage in day-to-day transactions of the $1 presidential coin?

7. What would you change about this message to make it more powerful?

Potential messages [Mint or Weber Shandwick to add messages here]

4. 
   

8. VOTE: (Handout page with all messages printed on it) Please rank order these messages from most effective to least effective.

9. If your bank wanted to promote the Presidential $1 coin, what would be the best way to promote it to your customers? (Listen for

Signage/Posters in the branch

Information pamphlets

Direct mail

Verbally through tellers

V. Explore attitudes about coins

A. I’d like to ask you what you think about the $1 presidential coins yourselves. For each topic, I’d like you to give me a thumbs up, thumbs down or neutral (flat palm wave) for each overall topic about the coins – I’ll count how many of each – than then discuss why you said that. (Bring a bunch of the coins so they can hold onto them as they are evaluating) (MODERATOR: Be sure to count OUT LOUD so the tape records the tallies)

Overall Appearance

Size

Weight

Color

Availability

Locations to put them in your drawer

Information or training that you were given about them

Where you can spend them

Retailer acceptance

Vending machine acceptance

Perception of your customers about the coins

The overall program for all of the presidential $1 coins

Why do you give this rating? What could make you change your mind?

VI. Explore knowledge of coins

1. How much communication have you received about the Presidential $1 coins?

   1. Where has this information come from (your bank, the US Mint, etc.)

   2. What has been the most helpful information for you as a teller?

2. What would you like to know about the actual coins that you don’t know right now?

3. What would you like to know about the coin program that you don’t know right now? (LISTEN FOR: the dissemination, the plans for release, where to get them, brochures that are available, website, etc.)

4. What is the most effective way for the US Mint to communicate with tellers about the Presidential $1 coin?

VII. Closing

1. To close, let’s go around the room, and have each of you share one piece of advice that you would give to the U.S. Mint about how they could make it easier for tellers to accept and dispense the $1 Presidential Coin.

2. Thanks!