CSC Technical Assistance Customer Satisfaction Survey

OMB Control No. 0648-0342
Expires: 12/31/2011
CSC Technical Assistance Customer Satisfaction Survey
Mode: Telephone
Introduction: Hello [respondent name], my name is [interviewer] with Eastern Research Group. I am
working on a project with NOAA’s Coastal Services Center in Charleston, SC, to evaluate the technical
assistance they provide to their customers. We are contacting you because in the last two years you made
a request to CSC for technical assistance with [assistance provided]. Could we take 10 to 15 minutes of
your time to ask you a few questions about that request and how well CSC met your needs?
[Note: respondent may at this point indicate they do not remember at all or very well. If so, thank them
and discontinue.]
Before we begin, I would like to ask:
1. How well do you remember contacting CSC with a request for assistance?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Very well
Somewhat well
Vaguely
Not at all

If (a) or (b), then continue at question # 3.
If (c), then ask question #2.
If (d), then thank respondent and discontinue survey. [Discontinuance script: “I see. Given that you do
not remember your interaction with CSC, I don’t think there’s a need to take up any more of your time
today. I would be glad to continue the interview if you like, however, many of the questions ask about the
details of your interaction with CSC.”]
2. Do you feel you can recall your interaction with CSC well enough to answer questions about
how well they responded to your request?
[Response options not read.]
(a) Yes
(b) No
If (a), continue to #3.
If (b), then thank the respondent and discontinue survey. [Discontinuance script: “I see. Since you’ve
indicated that you do not recall your interaction with CSC well, I don’t think there’s a need to take up
more of your time today. I would be glad to continue the interview if you like, however, many of the
questions ask about the details of your interaction with CSC.”]
Before I begin the interview, I would like to help you focus your answers by describing the focus of our
study. We’re interested in your experience with CSC’s technical assistance and not its products. By
technical assistance we mean the interaction you had with CSC staff and not how well a CSC product
worked. [For those that made a request related to a product] For example, since you requested assistance
related to a CSC product, we would like you to focus your response on what you thought of the assistance
that was provided by CSC when you made a request for assistance with the product. CSC collects
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information on its products through a survey that it performs every few years as well as through other
feedback mechanisms. [Ask if respondent needs clarification.]
To begin:
3. How often have you contacted CSC for technical assistance in the past?
(a) Frequently
(b) Occasionally
(c) Rarely or only made one request
4. Could you describe the last request that you made?
[Review note: This is an open-ended question. ERG will have the respondent provide a brief
description of the assistance they received. The question’s purpose is two-fold: (1) it provides some
context for the answers provided and (b) it serves a recall prompt for the respondent (i.e., allows
respondent to explicitly recall the event in their mind do so he/she can answer the questions that
follow in more detail).]
5. Why did you choose CSC for technical assistance?
[Review note: Interviewer will not read response options but will code based on the ones listed and
will code all that the respondent indicates.]
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

It was free
CSC’s expertise
CSC developed the product I was using or provided the service I needed
Reputation
Other [Describe]

6. How important to you or your organization was the last request you made to CSC?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Very important
Moderately important
Of little importance
Not important

Those that answer (c) or (d) to #6 will be asked only the following questions: 9, 10, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26,
27, 28, 32, 33, and 34. These are designated with a “*”.
I am going to read a set of questions about your experience with CSC during your request. I’d like you to
indicate the extent to which you agree which each statement using the following scale:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

Strongly agree,
Agree,
Neither agree nor disagree,
Disagree, or
Strongly disagree.

If the question does not apply to your situation please let me know. Also, I would like for you to respond
thinking about the last request that you made.

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7. It was easy for me to identify the correct CSC person to talk with.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Not applicable

8. It was easy for me to make contact with CSC to request assistance.
[Review note: response options omitted for the remainder of this set of questions to conserve on
space. All are on the agreement scale.]
9. *CSC responded promptly to my request for assistance.

10. *The CSC staff person I communicated with was courteous.

11. I was able to understand CSC’s response.

12. CSC took time to understand my need.

13. CSC’s response was appropriate to the importance of my need.

14. *The assistance provided by CSC met my needs.

15. The assistance provided by CSC exceeded my expectations.

16. *CSC’s assistance helped me perform the task that I requested assistance with.

17. I was better able to perform the task for which CSC provided assistance.

18. The assistance provided by CSC has enabled me to take action.

19. *The assistance provided by CSC helped me achieve my objective.

20. Without CSC’s assistance, I would have been unable to achieve my objective.

21. *The CSC staff people I worked with exhibited exceptional skill or expertise in assisting me.
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22. The CSC staff people I worked with were effective at performing the assistance I requested.

23. *I would use CSC assistance again in the future.

24. CSC would be my first choice for this type of request again.

25. It was easy to work with CSC.
Thanks. That ends the questions where we ask for your level of agreement. I have just a few questions
remaining.
26. *Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the assistance provided by CSC?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Very satisfied.
Somewhat satisfied.
Somewhat dissatisfied.
Very dissatisfied.

CSC is thinking about expanding its use of web-based technologies in providing technical assistance. To
get a better sense of how well that may work, I would like to ask you a few questions about your use of
web-based tools.
27. *How often have you participated in webinars, such as a WebEx session?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Frequently
Occasionally
Rarely
Never

If (d) skip to #32.
28. *How comfortable are you in using these web-based tools?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Very comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Not at all comfortable

29. Did you receive assistance from CSC using a web-based tool such as a webinar? [E-mail should
not be considered a web-based tool.]
(a) Yes
(b) No
For those that answered (a) to #29 AND (a) or (b) to #28, ask #30 and #31; if not skip to #32.
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30. In your opinion, could the assistance you received from CSC have been provided using a webbased tool?
(a) Yes
(b) No
31. Would you have preferred to have the assistance provided using a web-based tool?
(a) Yes
(b) No
32. *If you could choose two words to describe the best aspects of CSC’s technical assistance, what
would those two words be?
[open-ended]
33. *Do you have any suggestions for how CSC could improve the assistance it provides?
[open-ended]
34. *Do you have any compliments or criticisms that you would like to provide related to CSC’s
assistance?
[open-ended]

Paperwork Reduction Act Information:
In accordance with Executive Order 12862, the National Performance Review, and good management practices,
NOAA offices seek to determine whether their customers are satisfied with the services/products they are receiving
and whether they have suggestions as to how the services/products may be improved or made more useful. The
information will be used to improve NOAA’s products and services. Responses to this survey are completely
voluntary. No confidentiality can be provided for responses. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any
other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Sarah Brabson,
CIO-PPA1, Station 9826, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Notwithstanding any other provision
of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection
of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

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