OMB # 1545-1349
Supporting Statement
Approval Request to Conduct Focus Group Research
(OMB #1545-1349)
IRS W&I Field Assistance Focus Groups 2015
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, we seek to obtain OMB approval for three telephone focus groups with taxpayers who recently visited a Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC).
This collection of information is necessary to enable W&I to garner customer feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with our commitment to improving service delivery. The information collected from our customers and stakeholders will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with W&I’s customer service programs. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. Collection of this information will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the IRS and its customers and stakeholders.
The qualitative data obtained from focus group respondents will assist in evaluating various aspects of their IRS experience and to provide input as to establishing the areas of the process that need improvement. The focus group feedback received will not institute new policy, yet will enable the Service to effectively meet taxpayer needs.
Purpose and Use of the Information Collection
Improving service to taxpayers requires ongoing assessment of service delivery, by which we mean conducting customer-based research in addition to evaluating internal operations. W&I Research will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered through this clearance to identify strengths and weaknesses of services provided at local IRS offices and make improvements in service delivery based on feedback. The solicitation of feedback will target why taxpayers visit Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) rather than use other service channels as well as Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA). Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on W&I’s services may be unavailable.
Consideration Given to Information Technology
The Focus Groups will be conducted via telephone conference calls.
Duplication of Information
No similar data are gathered or maintained by W&I or are available from other sources known to W&I.
Reducing the Burden on Small Entities
Small business or other small entities are not involved in this research effort.
Consequences of Not Conducting Collection
Without this type of feedback, W&I may not have information to adjust its services to meet individual taxpayer needs.
Special Circumstances
There are no special circumstances. The information collected is voluntary and will not be used for statistical purposes.
Consultations with Persons Outside W&I Field Assistance
Not applicable.
Payment or Gift
W&I plan to provide a stipend of $50 per participant, an industry-standard amount for participating in this form of research.
Confidentiality
No PII will be collected during the focus groups. Moderator will indicate that no names will be used in the final report. Also, the data returned to IRS will have no identifying information relating specific records to individual taxpayers. Nonetheless, IRS will ensure that privacy to the extent allowed by law and security of the aggregated results will receive the utmost attention. Public and official access to the information will be tightly controlled. The computer files containing this tabulated information will remain password protected at all times. Data security approaching level C-2 will be accomplished using the Windows XP operating system. Audiotapes used to record testing sessions will be destroyed when the project is completed and there is no further need for the data. We will apply fair information and record-keeping practices to ensure protection of all taxpayers. The criterion for disclosure laid out in the Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, provides for the protection of taxpayer information as well as its release to authorized recipients.
Sensitive Nature
No questions will be asked that are of a personal or sensitive nature.
Burden of Information Collection
Sign-up sheets will be used as instruments to collect information from respondents at selected Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs). It is estimated that 1000 TAC customers (50 hours) will sign-up. Of those, 360 customers (30 hours) will be recruited to determine if these customers are available for the designated date and time. The response rate is estimated to be 5% based on the expected 18 confirmed participants (18/360=.05). The annual burden hours requested (98 hours total) are based on the number of focus groups we expect to conduct over the requested period for this clearance. There will be three telephone focus groups with six participants in each focus group. No travel is required.
Activity |
No. of Respondents |
Participation Time |
Burden |
Initial/general recruitment |
1000 |
3,000 minutes (1,000 x 3 minutes each) |
50 hrs. |
Specific participant recruitment |
360 |
1,800 minutes (360 x 5 minutes each) |
30 hrs. |
Focus group participation (three telephone focus groups with 6 participants in each focus group) |
18 |
1,080 minutes (18 x 60 minutes each) |
18 hrs. |
Totals |
|
5,880 minutes |
98 hrs. |
Costs to Respondents
No costs are anticipated.
Costs to Federal Government
The anticipated cost to the Federal Government is approximately $10,587.78 annually. These costs are comprised of: focus group recruiting, moderating the sessions, creating a summary, telephone conference call costs, and participation incentive fees.
Reason for Change
Not applicable.
Tabulation of Results, Schedule, Analysis Plans
Feedback collected 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 the W&I does not intend to publish its findings, W&I will disseminate the findings when appropriate, strictly following "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.
19. Dates collection will begin and end
Data collection will begin in April 2015 and end in May 2015.
B. STATISTICAL METHODS
Data collection methods and procedures will consist of three telephone focus groups with 6 participants each. The primary purpose of data collection will be for internal management purposes; there are no plans to publish or otherwise release this information.
Universe and Respondent Selection
The activities under this clearance involve samples of self-selected customers, including specific customer characteristics related to certain products or services. Results will not be used to make statements representative of the universe of study, to produce statistical descriptions (careful, repeatable measurements), or to generalize the data beyond the scope of the sample.
Procedures for Collecting Information
Focus group participants will self-identify interest in participating in future research by providing their names and telephone numbers to IRS employees at select IRS offices that cover all five areas nationwide; this is to ensure that participants are representative of the universe of local IRS office. Pacific Consulting Group will manage the actual recruitment of participants to gain cooperation to participate at the sessions during specific dates and times. W&I expects to use telephone data collection methods, both for recruiting and for conducting the focus groups. The focus groups will be moderated by professional moderators at Pacific Consulting Group.
Methods to Maximize Response
Information collected 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
No pretest is necessary for these focus groups as W&I has evidence from previous research that the research procedures to be used for this task are successful.
Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection
Andrea Ptaszek | Senior
Project Manager | [email protected]
Direct:
617-314-9397 | Fax: 650-326-6768
PACIFIC CONSULTING GROUP | Main 650-327-8108
200 S. California Avenue, Suite 200 | Palo Alto, CA 94306
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Supporting Statement |
| Author | Mar_S |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-28 |