My PAA Focus Groups

My Plan Administration Account (My PAA)

Focus Groups – Screener

October 23^rd Fieldwork, Washington, D.C.

Draft August 26, 2011

V0.4

Prepared By

User Centric, Inc.

Robert Schumacher

Managing Director

[email protected]

Office: +1.630.320.3902

Screener for My PAA Focus Groups

When: Sunday, October 23, 2011 (time and date tentative)

Where: Gaylord National Conference Center

Specific test location within conference center TBD

National Harbor, MD

Contact: TBD

Participants: 24 participants

• Two focus groups

• Recruit 12 participants with the intention of including 8-10 in each group (minimum 8)

Payment: $25 for each participant

• Session length of 90 minutes

• Tentative times and date below

Sunday, October 23, 2011 (24 Participants)
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.	Focus Group 1 12 participants
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 – 11:45 a.m.	Focus Group 2 12 participants

Background

What is Online Premium Filing (My PAA)?

My Plan Administration Account (My PAA) is a secure Web-based application that enables pension plan professionals to electronically submit premium filings and payments to PBGC in accordance with PBGC's regulations, which require that:

• Large plans (those with 500 or more participants for the prior year) e-file starting July 1, 2006, for plan years beginning on or after 1/1/2006.

• All plans e-file for plan years beginning on or after 1/1/2007.

PBGC's mandatory e-filing requirements apply to all types of filings, including both original and amended filings. Using My PAA to electronically submit premium filings:

• Streamlines the premium filing process for users.

• Helps users prepare, and PBGC process, premium filings faster and more accurately.

• Provides immediate confirmation of date and time that PBGC received a filing.

• Helps PBGC provide more accurate and timely invoices.

• Speeds up refund processing.

• Offers filing options that enable filers to view premium data submitted.

• Enables online access to plan premium filing account histories.

Overall Screening Criteria

• Recruit 24 pension plan professionals from a list of conference attendees provided by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) – looking for individuals (plan sponsors, pension plan professionals) who use the My PAA application to create / submit premium e-filings.

• Recruit 12 pension plan professionals for each focus group (8-10 will be selected to participate in the focus group).

• As much as possible, one focus group will consist of pension plan professionals with more experience with My PAA in terms of how often it is used, and one group will consist of pension plan professionals with less experience.

• As much as possible, the groups will include a mix of filing method(s) used (entering data into My PAA screens, importing data into My PAA screens, uploading data via My PAA).

• If possible, have a mix of the following in both groups, but the two criteria noted above are the most important:

  • Size of plan(s) managed.

  • Occupation, e.g.:

    • Actuary

    • Third-party administrator

    • Employee of plan sponsor

  • Internet skill level

• Applies to all recruits:

• Must be able to verbalize well (use judgment in recruiting respondents who have speech problems, language problems, or those who display antisocial behavior during the recruiting process)

Customer Calling Script [Recruit 24 pension plan professionals]

Hello, this is                                from User Centric, an independent research company, calling on behalf of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. 

May I please speak with                (CONTINUE WHEN REACH NAME ON LIST)?

We are recruiting participants for focus groups from among pension professionals who have registered for the ASPPA Annual Conference at the Gaylord National Conference Center in Washington, DC, starting October 23, 2011.  This is strictly research and absolutely no sales or fundraising effort is involved.  I’d like to ask you a few questions.

Paperwork Reduction Act notice: These questions have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB Control No. 1212-0066 (expires 06/30/2014). We need to obtain OMB approval and to tell you we obtained that approval in order to ask these questions. Your participation is voluntary and should take about 5 minutes.

Confidentiality: Your responses will be used by PBGC solely for customer service improvement and will be treated with the confidentiality provided by the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

1. Are  you still planning to attend the ASPPA meeting?  

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(CONTINUE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)
Don’t Know	3

2. Will you be at the conference hotel Sunday morning (October 23), and if so, would you be open to participating in a focus group?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(CONTINUE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)
Don’t Know	3

3a.    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or PBGC, is the federal agency that insures private-sector defined benefit plans. Plan sponsors file and pay premiums to PBGC each year as part of the insurance program. Have you used PBGC’s online e-filing application, My PAA, to create or submit premium filings to PBGC within the last year or so?  

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(CONTINUE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)
Don’t recall/Refused	3

3b.    How often do you use My PAA? [Interviewer: Do not read response choices; listen for answer and categorize appropriately]

	CIRCLE ONE
more than 24 times per year (more than twice a month)	1	(RECRUIT FOR “MORE FREQUENT USER” GROUP)
12-24 times per year (monthly to twice a month)	2	(RECRUIT FOR “MORE FREQUENT USER” GROUP)
4-11 times per year	3	(RECRUIT FOR “MORE FREQUENT USER” GROUP)
Up to three times a year	4	(RECRUIT FOR “INFREQUENT USER” GROUP)

4. Which filing method(s) do you, your staff, or your clients typically use in My PAA? (can answer more than one, must select at least one) (READ LIST. TRY TO RECRUIT A MIX)

• To prepare premium e-filings using the My PAA screens

• To import premium e-filings created with private-sector software

• To upload premium e-filings created with private-sector software

5.  Which of the following best describes your job title or function? You may select more than one. (READ LIST. TRY TO RECRUIT A MIX)

	CIRCLE ONE OR MORE
Third-party administrator (TPA) or benefit consultant	1
Actuary	2
Employee of a plan sponsor	3
Other (Specify _______________)	4

6. Thinking about your use of websites for professional purposes, what are some specific attributes of these websites that you particularly like or dislike?  (WRITE VERBATIM)

NOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: It is extremely important that respondents in this study be articulate.  If respondent cannot or will not easily give a one- to two-sentence unprompted answer in well-understood English, please terminate.

RECORD GENDER (DO NOT ASK): 

	CIRCLE
Female	1
Male	2

7. How would you describe your Internet skills? (Note: To the extent possible, recruit an even mix of skills – don’t recruit anyone who has no Internet skills)

• Beginner

• Intermediate

• Advanced

8. About how many pension plans do you deal with for PBGC premium e-filing? ______________

9. What size are the plans that you deal with? (can select more than one)

• Small (fewer than 100 participants)

• Mid-Size (100 – 499 participants)

• Large (500 or more participants)

• Unsure (do not read)

IMPORTANT: MUST BE READ TO ALL PARTICIPANTS

If you decide to participate,

1. The session you will be participating in will be a 90 minute focus group.

2. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled time to sign in.

3. The session will require that you read handouts and view on-screen material, so if you use glasses or contacts, please be sure to bring them to the session.

4. You will be video and audio taped for note-taking and data purposes only. Your data will be treated with the confidentiality provided by the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act.. [TERMINATE if participant is unwilling to be video-taped.]

5. You will be asked to sign a consent form giving your permission to be recorded before participating in the study.

Are you still willing to participate in a PBGC focus group, and do you accept these provisions?

 Yes  No

If Yes, please invite respondent to participate in the study. If No, thank and terminate.

INVITATION (via telephone)

We will be conducting two focus groups to review PBGC’s premium e-filing application, My PAA, with a small group of meeting attendees on Sunday, October 23^rd at [time]_______________ in [room name].  The discussion will last about 90 minutes and will focus on how My PAA can better meet the needs of pension professionals. Each participant will receive $25 as a thank-you for participating, and light refreshments will be provided.  

Again, this is strictly research; no sales or fundraising effort is involved, and your participation will not affect your dealings with PBGC.  As part of the group discussion, participants might be asked to read written materials and write down their reactions.  Would you be comfortable with that, and are you willing to participate in the focus group discussion?

	CIRCLE ONE
Yes	1	(THANK, PROVIDE DETAILS, AND TERMINATE)
No	2	(THANK AND TERMINATE)

If technology doesn’t work for people, it doesn’t work!^®

2 Trans Am Plaza Dr, Ste 100, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 | www.usercentric.com | tel: 630.376.1188 | fax: 847.655.2850