Attachment D: Supporting Statement
Supporting Statement
Approval Request to Conduct Customer Satisfaction Research
(OMB #1545-1432)
JUSTIFICATION
Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary
Executive Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector. In order to work continuously to ensure that our programs are effective and meet our customers’ needs, SB/SE Research seeks to obtain OMB approval of a survey to collect qualitative feedback on our service delivery, on behalf of SB/SE Enterprise Collection (Collection). By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study.
This collection of information is necessary to enable SB/SE Research to garner taxpayer and practitioner feedback, on behalf of Collection, in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with our commitment to improving service delivery. The information collected from taxpayers and practitioners will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with Collection’s programs. This feedback will provide insights into taxpayer and practitioner preferences for online information and services on IRS.gov that will meet their needs to resolve inquiries and their accounts on their own. This collection of feedback will contribute directly to the improvement of Collection content and services provided online.
Purpose and Use of the Information Collection
Improving the service Collection provides to taxpayers and practitioners online requires assessment of the preferences of Collection content and services online. SB/SE Research will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered through this survey to identify the online content and services of highest interest to taxpayers and practitioner users of IRS.gov. Collection will be able to use this information to prioritize web site development work. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: information taxpayers and practitioners would like to access online; tasks taxpayers and practitioners would like to complete online; and online services available in the private sector that taxpayers and practitioners would like to have available on IRS.gov. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve the usefulness of the Collection content and services on IRS.gov for taxpayers and practitioners who want to resolve their inquiries and accounts. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from taxpayers and practitioners regarding their preferences and needs for online Collection content and services will be unavailable.
SB/SE Research will only submit a collection for approval under this clearance if it meets the following conditions:
Information gathered will be used only internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the Internal Revenue Service (if released, procedures outlined in Question 16 will be followed);
Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; 1
Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study ;
The collections are voluntary;
The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future; and
If these conditions are not met, SB/SE Research will submit an information collection request to OMB for approval through the normal PRA process.
The types of collections that this survey covers include, but are not limited to:
Qualitative customer preferences surveys (e.g., post-transaction surveys; opt-out web surveys)
SB/SE Research has established a manager/managing entity to serve for this survey and will conduct an independent review of this information collection to ensure compliance with the terms of this clearance prior to submitting this collection to OMB.
Consideration Given to Information Technology
The survey will be hosted at locations on IRS.gov. Upon accessing the designated location on IRS.gov, the taxpayer or practitioner will be solicited to take the survey via web pop-up window message. The taxpayer or practitioner will consent to take the survey by clicking and opening the fill‑able Portable Document Format (PDF) document in the pop-up window containing the survey. The survey respondent will complete the survey, click “send” at the end of the PDF and the completed survey will be sent to an SB/SE Research email address created specifically for this survey. The email inbox will be secured by password.
Duplication of Information
No similar data are gathered or maintained by the Internal Revenue Service or are available from other sources known to SB/SE Research.
Reducing the Burden on Small Entities
Small business or other small entities may be involved in these efforts but SB/SE Research will minimize the burden on them of information collections approved under this clearance by asking for readily available information, and using short, easy-to-complete information collection instruments.
Consequences of Not Conducting Collection
Without this type of feedback, SB/SE Research will not have timely information regarding online users’ preferences that Enterprise Collection can use when prioritizing web site development work to meet customer needs.
Special Circumstances
There are no special circumstances. The information collected will be voluntary and will not be used for statistical purposes.
Consultations with Persons Outside the Internal Revenue Service
Not applicable.
Payment or Gift
The SB/SE Research will not provide payment or other forms of remuneration to respondents.
Confidentiality
No personally identifiable information will be gathered.
Sensitive Nature
No questions will be asked that are of a personal or sensitive nature.
Burden of Information Collection
The information will be collected via a Customer Satisfaction Survey. The surveys will be distributed, collected and analyzed electronically. The annual burden hours requested (208 hours) are based on the number of collections we expect to conduct over the requested period for this clearance.
Estimated Annual Reporting Burden |
||||
Type of Collection |
No. of Respondents |
Annual Frequency per Response |
Hours per Response |
Total Hours |
Customer Preference Survey |
2,500 |
1 |
5 minutes |
208 hours |
Expected dates of data collection are from 4/9/2012 through 5/7/2012.
The total universe of potential respondents is unknown. All taxpayers and practitioners who visit the following locations on IRS.gov related to filing and/or filing delinquent taxes will be asked to participate in the survey:
There is not an expected response rate for the survey given that the population of potential respondents is unknown. If the maximum number of responses is collected (2,500 responses) before the four week period concludes, SB/SE will end the survey collection period at that point. Based on past survey experience, SB/SE expects to collect at least 20 percent of the maximum number of responses (500 responses). If this is the case, the burden will be 42 hours. There is no screening of respondents.
Costs to Respondents
No costs are anticipated.
Costs to Federal Government
The anticipated cost to the Federal Government is approximately $0 annually
Reason for Change
Not applicable. This is a new request for a generic ICR.
Tabulation of Results, Schedule, Analysis Plans
Feedback collected under this information collection provides useful information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. Findings will be used for general service improvement, but are not for publication or other public release.
Although SB/SE Research does not intend to publish its findings, SB/SE Research may receive requests to release the information (e.g., congressional inquiry, Freedom of Information Act requests). SB/SE Research will disseminate the findings when appropriate, strictly following the Internal Revenue Service's "Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of Information Disseminated to the Public.", and will include specific discussion of the limitation of the qualitative results discussed above.
Display of OMB Approval Date
We are requesting no exemption.
Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
These activities comply with the requirements in 5 CFR 1320.9.
B. STATISTICAL METHODS
The primary purpose of these collections will be for internal management purposes; there are no plans to publish or otherwise release this information.
Universe and Respondent Selection
SB/SE Online Services will host the survey in the following locations on IRS.gov:
There will be no sampling in this survey, as all visitors to the aforementioned web sites will be asked to take the survey via pop-up window message. The survey will be attached to the pop-up window as a fill‑able PDF document. Respondents will be able to submit the completed survey to an Internal Revenue Service email inbox by clicking the “send” button at the end of the survey PDF.
Procedures for Collecting Information
All visitors to the previously identified locations on IRS.gov will be solicited to take the survey via pop-up window. The survey will be attached to the pop-up window as a fill‑able PDF document. Respondents will be able to submit the completed survey to an Internal Revenue Service email inbox by clicking the “send” button at the end of the survey PDF.
Respondents will be identifying their preferences for the Collection information they would like to be able to access online as well as the tasks they would like to be able complete related to their accounts online.
Research will have a “cut off” date for accepting any completed surveys. The survey will be hosted on the designated locations on IRS.gov for a four week period. The Expected dates of data collection are from April 9, 2012 to May 7, 2012.
Methods to Maximize Response
Information collected under this survey will not yield generalizable quantitative findings; it can provide useful customer input, but it does not yield data about customer opinions that can be generalized.
Testing of Procedures
Pretesting will be done with internal staff. The pretest will be conducted to ensure that the survey form functions properly and the instructions and questions are clear and logical.
Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection
The names and contact information for this project are:
Maryamm Muzikir, Economist , SB/SE Research‑Philadelphia
1 As defined in OMB and agency Information Quality Guidelines, “influential” means that “an agency can reasonably determine that dissemination of the information will have or does have a clear and substantial impact on important public policies or important private sector decisions.”
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE |
| Author | 558022 |
| Last Modified By | mdsloa00 |
| File Modified | 2012-04-12 |
| File Created | 2011-12-20 |