2021-26255. Information Collection: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)

AGENCY:

Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Foundation for the Arts and the Humanities.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has under OMB review the following proposed Information Collection Request “Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)” for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. This Notice proposes a generic clearance to gather customer and stakeholder feedback via customer interviews, feedback surveys, and rapid feedback user testing of website experiences in order to improve customer experience with IMLS services of various kinds. For more information on the types of proposed information collection requests IMLS may make under this clearance, contact the individual listed below in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

DATES:

Submit comments on or before January 2, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments identified by Information Collection 3137-NEW, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation) to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection request by selecting “Institute of Museum and Library Services” under “Currently Under Review;” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Once you have found this information collection request, select “Comment,” and enter or upload your comment and information. Alternatively, please mail your written comments to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn.: OMB Desk Officer for Education, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, or call [phone].

Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information Collection 3137-NEW, Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation) in all correspondence related to this collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information should be directed to Amira Boland, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20006, by phone at 202-881-9453, or via email to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.

Title: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation).

Abstract: A modern, streamlined and responsive customer experience means: Raising government-wide customer experience to the average of the private sector service industry; developing indicators for high-impact Federal programs to monitor progress towards excellent customer experience and mature digital services; and providing the structure (including increasing transparency) and resources to ensure customer experience is a focal point for agency leadership.

This proposed information collection activity provides a means to garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner to improve customer service delivery as discussed in Section 280 of OMB Circular A-11 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/​wp-content/​uploads/​2018/​06/​s280.pdf.

As discussed in OMB guidance, agencies should identify their highest-impact customer journeys (using customer volume, annual program cost, and/or knowledge of customer priority as weighting factors) and select touchpoints/transactions within those journeys to collect feedback.

These results will be used to improve the delivery of Federal services and programs. It will also provide government-wide data on customer experience that can be displayed on www.performance.gov to help build transparency and accountability of Federal programs to the customers they serve.

As a general matter, these information collections will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

IMLS will only submit collections if they meet the following criteria:

• The collections are voluntary;
• The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours 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;
• Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
• Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes;

• Upon agreement between OMB and the agency all or a subset of information may be released as part of A-11, Section 280 requirements only on performance.gov. Summaries of customer research and user testing activities may be included in public-facing customer journey maps or summaries.

• Additional release of data must be done coordinated with OMB.

These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the Agency, its customers and stakeholders, and OMB as it monitors agency compliance on Section 280. These responses will 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 services will be unavailable.

Current Action: New Collection of Information.

Type of Review: New.

Affected Public: Museums, Libraries, Institutions of Higher Education, Non-profits, State, Local or Tribal Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: Below is a preliminary estimate of the aggregate burden hours for this new collection. IMLS will provide refined estimates of burden in subsequent notices.

Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: Three types of customer experience activities: Interviews, feedback surveys, and user testing.

Average Number of Respondents per Activity: 1 response per respondent per activity.

Annual Responses: 2,740.

Average Minutes per Response: Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a questionnaire or survey may be 3 minutes or up to 30 minutes to participate in an interview.

Burden Hours: IMLS requests approximately 454 burden hours.

Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

All written comments will be available for public inspection.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

Dated: November 29, 2021.

Suzanne Mbollo,

Grants Management Specialist, Institute of Museum and Library Services.