SOI-393 - Field Assistance Customer Comment Focus Groups 2011; SOI-394 - SB/SE Excise Phone Focus Group Recruiting

OMB Supporting Statement

W&I CARE, Field Assistance

Field Assistance – Focus Groups OMB # 1545-1349

THE IRS NEEDS YOUR HELP

$50 FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

We are looking for help on a research study to help with our communication efforts. The study involves participating in a one-hour phone discussion on DAY DATE, 2011. A toll-free telephone number will be provided for the call.

The meeting will include about 6 taxpayers and will be led by a professional moderator, contracted by the IRS. You will be asked to share your experience about your visit to this IRS office. You will not be asked about your tax situation and your identifying information will not be shared in the results. Taxpayers will receive $50 for their participation in the one-hour call.

If you are interested, please write your name and telephone number on the sign up sheet. Please note that participants are selected randomly from the list, so not all names will be contacted.

NAME TELEPHONE NUMBER

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IRS FOCUS GROUP SIGN UP SHEET

CONTINUED

NAME TELEPHONE NUMBER

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IRS W&I Field Assistance

Phone Focus Group Recruiting Guide and Reminder

INITIAL CALL

Hello, I’m _________ and I’m calling from ____________. You recently visited a local IRS office and indicated you would be interested in participating in a research study. We are calling to set-up this one-hour focus group call for the study. This is NOT a call about your specific case. Participation in the focus group will give you an opportunity to tell the IRS about your service experiences and the group can share their ideas for service improvements.

Your participation in this research is voluntary, but your help on this project would be very much appreciated. As a token of our appreciation for your time, you will receive $50. Are you interested in participating? [If no, thank taxpayer for their time, and hang up]

The focus group will be held via telephone on Tuesday May 4th at (TIMES Eastern Time). All participants will call a toll-free 800 number to join the conference call. The discussion will last about one hour. You will be joined by a group of about six people who, like you, recently visited a local IRS office. You will not be asked about your specific tax situation, only about your experience with this process. Would you be able to participate? [If no, thank them and terminate the call].

Are you or is anyone in your immediate family an employee of the IRS?

_______ Yes [explain, thank, then terminate the call]

_______ No

[Recruiter: note male or female]

_______ Male

_______ Female

[Recruiter: note office size]

_______ Small

_______ Medium

_______ Large

[Recruiter: note office area]

_______ Area 1

_______ Area 2

_______ Area 3

_______ Area 4

_______ Area 5

We are delighted that you will participate in our group.

The dial in number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX

The access code is: XXXX#

Do you have any questions? We would like some contact information to confirm the meeting and to mail out the token of appreciation for your participation.

Respondent Name __________________________

Respondent Address ___________________________________________________________

We would also like to give you a reminder call on the day of the group. Would we reach you at this number or another? [record number _____________]

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that IRS provide an OMB Control Number on all approved public information requests. That number is OMB 1545-1349. Also, if you like, I can give you an address where you can send comments and questions regarding this process or suggestions for making it simpler.

READ ONLY IF RESPONDENT ASKS FOR ADDRESS: Send your comments and suggestions to:

Tax Products Coordinating Committee

SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC  20224

Thank you and have a nice day. We look forward to speaking with you on:

DAY DATE at Noon EST

DAY DATE at 3pm EST

DAY DATE at 6pm EST

For record keeping:

______ Confirmation letter mailed or faxed

______ Reminder call made

REMINDER CALL

Hello, I’m _________ and I’m calling from ____________. This is a call to remind you of your participation in the telephone focus group scheduled for (DATE AND TIME). The dial in number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX. The access code is: XXXX#. Do you have any questions? (PAUSE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS). Thank you in advance for your participation.

W&I Field Assist 2011 - Phone Focus Groups Confirmation Letter

[DATE]

Thank you for your willingness to participate in a one-hour phone focus group interview of taxpayers to better understand the service you received and your service needs. This is NOT a call about your specific case. This is your opportunity to have input and to tell the IRS what your experiences have been and to make recommendations for change.

Your participation with this research is voluntary, but your help on this project would be very much appreciated. As a token of our appreciation for your time, you will receive $50.

The focus group will be held by telephone on DAY DATE at (STATE TIME FOR EACH TAXPAYER: TIMES Eastern Tim)e. All participants will call in to a toll-free number to join the conference call. The discussion will last about one hour. You will be joined by a group of up to 8 people who, like you, have experience with the IRS’s process. You will not be asked about your specific tax situation, only about your experience with this process.

We are delighted that you will participate in our group.

The dial in number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX

The access code is: XXXX#

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-1349. Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, you may write to the IRS.

Send your comments and suggestions to:

Tax Products Coordinating Committee

SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP

1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC  20224

Thank you and have a nice day. We look forward to speaking with you on: (STATE APPROPRIATE DATE AND TIME FOR TAXPAYER)

Thanks,

Field Assistance Focus Group OMB Supporting Statement 5