Tell Sonny Generic Template

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0503-0021)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Tell Sonny” Initiative for Collecting United States Department of Agriculture Customer Feedback via On-Line Web Form

PURPOSE:

The goal is to collect this feedback through an online web form on an ongoing basis to provide input to the mission areas and agencies at USDA focusing on improving processes and the overall customer experience.

“Tell Sonny” is a pilot initiative created to solicit, collect, and leverage feedback from our customers by providing them with the voice to which they have become accustomed with such services as Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Uber. Tactical feedback tools are a proven resource in the private sector, but are a new and important resource for USDA that will enable us to identify patterns of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, put our executives in touch with customers, and provide them with the information they need to continuously evaluate and improve our programs and services.

“Tell Sonny” was not envisioned to bypass existing case management systems. It was created and is managed using existing resources through a collaborative effort by the Secretary’s Office of Customer Experience (OCX), the Office of Communications (OC), and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

The screenshots of the web form are included in this submission.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

“Back to Our Roots” RV Tour participants who have received the Tell Sonny comment cards and other members of the public through the USDA website’s home page. We anticipate the participants to be members of the public, businesses and anyone interested in contacting the USDA Secretary to provide their feedback.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program(s) or may have experience with the program(s) in the future.

Name: Joanne Dea, Secretary’s Office of Customer Experience

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [X] Yes [ ] No. Examples would be names, phone number or email information to contact the individual. This information is voluntary and only if the caller wants a call back from USDA.

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [X] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [X] Yes SORN OES-2 [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

1000

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals - Public, businesses and anyone interested in contacting the USDA Secretary	3,000	10 minutes	500 hours
Totals			500 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $ 68,736.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The respondents will be individuals who may meet Secretary Perdue on one of his visits to a state, or businesses and individuals who visit the USDA homepage and wish to provide input on USDA’s customer service.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request (e.g., Tell Sonny).

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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