SUPPORTING STATEMENT – PART A
ANNUAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS
DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE (DFAS)
REQUEST FOR GENERIC CLEARANCE RENEWAL (OMB 0730-0003)
1. Need for the Information Collection
The activities described in this Supporting Statement comprise the Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s (DFAS) plans to collect customer satisfaction feedback on the agency’s products and services, reflecting both the annual burden and the maximum burden that may be undertaken during the three-year period covered by the generic approval. The actual conduct of any particular activity could be affected by such circumstances as a change in or refinement of focus in a specific area. Also, resource constraints or data requirements could require deletion or substitution of any listed item. The cadence of information collected will depend on the data requirements and strategic need; customer feedback will be sought under this request for generic clearance and includes annual and time-of-service surveys.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has inculcated a customer-focused culture within the fiber of the Agency. To achieve and maintain our goal of first-class customer service in all areas, we must measure our service delivery to ensure our clients are satisfied with their level of service. Our centralized survey program, with improved procedures, allows for prudent and streamlined management while complying with the requirements of DoD I 1100.13, “Surveys of DoD Personnel,” and DoD 8910.1-M, “Department of Defense Procedures for Management of Information Requirements.” DFAS will continue to conduct a variety of surveys to measure the perceptions of our clients’ satisfaction with their level of service received.
The principal purpose in collecting this information is to gather input from customers about the quality of service provided by DFAS. The survey results will be used to identify customer service strengths and challenges, to identify strategies that will help improve the quality of service DFAS provides, and to assess the overall quality of service provided by DFAS.
Previous survey results have led DFAS to revise and improve some of its procedures. For example, based upon responses received on an earlier Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS), DFAS Rome Vendor Pay Help Desk has been fully migrated to IMATS (Information Management and Tracking Systems) as of September 30, 2013. The implementation of this system allows DFAS Indianapolis and DFAS Rome to view one another's customer service inquiries and to forward/track these inquiries allowing enhanced communication among one another through the use of a singular program. This has allowed DFAS Rome/Indy to respond to the vendor or route the vendor to the correct contact more efficiently thus improving the quality of responses provided to the vendor.
Retired and Annuitant Pay (R&A) also implemented an improvement based on previous survey results. R&A created options to myPay for customers to select security questions and have the ability to reset their own password without having to contact the Customer Care Center.
DFAS has made additional improvements for our customers to improve service excellence based on the feedback and voice of the customer through the CSS. All employees attend an annual Customer Awareness training which encourages skills and tool sets to provide high quality and courteous customer service. Also implemented in two Mission areas is an Online Status tool. Customers now have the ability to access this tool and obtain the status of their claim or voucher rather than having to call the Care Centers. This has reduced the number of status calls and improved the service provided to our customers.
3. Use of Information Technology
DFAS will continue to use the latest technologies when possible to reduce the burden upon the public.
4. Non-duplication
The information gathered in these surveys is not available via other avenues. These surveys do not represent any duplication of previous effort.
5. Burden on Small Business
The collection of information by DFAS will not have a significant impact on small business or other entities. Small businesses or other entities may be involved with our survey efforts, but our surveys will be short, most will be randomly disseminated, and sent with a voluntary return understanding.
This information, if collected less frequently than previously stated, would not provide the same cost effective nor strategic benefit to the Agency, and ultimately our customers. To add ease for the survey respondents, DFAS will incorporate new technologies as indicated above.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
There are no special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines.
8. Consultation and Public Comments
The 60-Day Federal Register notice was published on August 2, 2013 (expired October 1, 2013) and no comments were received.
The 30-Day Federal Register notice was published on January 28, 2014 (expired February 27, 2014) and no comments were received.
No gifts and/or payments will be given to our respondents.
10. Confidentiality
Individuals and entities surveyed will be assured of the confidentiality of their responses under 41 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 422, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974) and OMB Circular No. A-130. Contact information (name, phone number, email address) is collected optionally. This information, along with survey responses, are stored on a server protected electronically and physically. Administrative access to the online database is by secure socket connection (https). Any local copies of the data are stored on a secure (though not cleared for classified information) server or on encrypted computers. Copies of the information will not be printed. Copies emailed will be encrypted using WinZip.
11. Sensitive Questions
There are no questions of a sensitive nature, such as those pertaining to sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters usually considered sensitive.
12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs
a. Estimation of Respondent Burden
The number of questions on the surveys will be the minimum required, ranging from 5-70. Surveys will be routinely administered yearly to measure customer satisfaction and perceptions. The surveys will also be administered after major changes in programs with follow-up surveys anticipated not more frequently than 12-24 months. Additional surveys are offered after transactions with My Pay via an online format and DFAS Customer Care Center representatives via an Interactive Voice Response telephone format.
Annual surveys and surveys conducted after major program changes:
Number of Respondents: 48,100/yr. (144,300 over 3 yrs.)
Frequency of Response: Annual
Burden per Response: approximately 8 minutes
Total Burden Hours: 6,413/yr. (19,240 over 3 yrs.)
Additional surveys are offered each time a user accesses MyPay or Customer Care Center:
Number of Responses: 25,000/yr. (75,000 over 3 yrs.)
Method of Gathering Responses: Convenience sample (survey offered each time MyPay is accessed or the Customer Care Center is called)1
Burden per Response: approximately 2 minutes
Total Burden Hours: 833/yr. (2499 over 3 yrs.)
Total Respondent Burden Combining Both Types of Surveys
Number of Respondents: 73,100/yr. (219,300 over 3 yrs.)
Frequency of Response: Annual
Burden per Response: approximately 5.9 minutes
Total Burden Hours: 7,246/yr. (21,739 over 3 yrs.)
b. Labor Cost of Respondent Burden
At a standardized labor rate of $27/hr. (GS-9, Step 5, Indianapolis), the burden hours of 7,246 hours per year (21,739 over 3 yrs.) will incur an anticipated labor cost to respondents of approximately $195,642/yr. ($586,926 over 3 yrs.).
13. Respondent Costs other than Burden Hour Costs
There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
The Customer Satisfaction Surveys cost DFAS $301,000/yr. to the Office of Personnel Management for development and administration. ($903,000 over 3 yrs.).
Additional analyses of CSS, MyPay surveys, and Customer Care Center IVR surveys consume the work of approximately 1 FTE per year = $56,160 ($168,480 over 3 yrs.).
Total cost to the Federal Government is estimated to be $357,160/year and $1,071,480 over 3 years.
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
A more accurate calculation of the survey burden on the public leads to a higher level of survey burden in this three-year timeframe compared to the 2011 submission.
16. Publication of Results
The results for collection of this information will not be published for the public. The survey results may be published, communicated, and shared with management within DFAS and the DoD domain.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
Approval not to display the expiration date is not being sought. DFAS will display the expiration date on all survey instruments to the general public.
18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
No exceptions to the certification statement are being sought.
1 There have been fewer than 173,000 total responses (not respondents) for both FY2012 and FY2013
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | 1. Sample vs. Population |
| Author | Jack E. Edwards |
| Last Modified By | Frederick Licari |
| File Modified | 2014-03-12 |
| File Created | 2014-03-12 |