Addendum to Supporting Statement (Answers to Wendy Liberante's questions)

Office of Disaster Assistance Survey - Addendum to Supporting Statement -

Answers to Wendy Liberante’s questions

         How was the 50% response rate determined, is this based on prior/other surveys?

                The 50% response rate is estimated based on our experience with other similar outbound calling campaigns (outreach).

·         Will the survey be completed after a certain amount of time or when a certain number of responds are achieved (24,284)?

The survey is envisioned to be on-going in nature and intended to measure the DACSC’s effectiveness in meeting customer expectations and identify any deficiencies in that regard.  The number of surveys required annually (24,284), is an estimate based on historical activity.  The actual number of surveys conducted will be limited to the number required to obtain a representative sample.  At present activity levels, the number of surveys for the DACSC portion of the survey would be closer to 15,000 annually.  The proposal also included a provision to survey customers of ODA’s Field Operation Centers which will require up to an additional 6,000-7,000 surveys annually if performed on an on-going basis.     

·         Per Part B, SBA plans to call approx 134 customers with an estimated 50% “contact rate”, resulting in ~67 completed surveys daily.  Does SBA have the staff capacity?

The DACSC maintains minimum staffing levels (45 CSRs) that are slightly in excess of typical requirements.  At normal activity levels, this results in a small degree of excess capacity which we intend to utilize to conduct the survey.  We estimate the resource requirements to be less than 8 hours per day to administer 60+ surveys.  This can be accomplished within existing excess capacity and will result in no incremental cost to the government (under typical activity levels).

·         What is the main objective of the survey? The questions seem to focus on the actions of the SBA representatives and less about the services/program.

The main purpose of the survey is to document, measure and interpret customer satisfaction with the DACSC’s and FOCs service (not to assess the efficacy of agency programs in general).  The DACSC survey is envisioned as a method for measuring the performance of the centers, as well as a means for obtaining timely and on-going feedback from the public we serve.  The information gleaned from this survey will help the DACSC and the FOCs refine internal processes as we pursue our ultimate goal of excellence in customer service.

·         The introduction does not need to have the last couple of sentences on the OMB #, it might turn off customers. Letting them know we can provide additional information on the survey if they are interested.

                We will strike it from the script.

·         Part B – what is the calling procedure if a customer is not reached the first time they are called (non-respondents)?

They are simply bypassed and the next customer is contacted.  No messages are left and no call back is made in the event of a non-response (no answer).

·         Are the DACSC staff going to have any training to conduct survey? If so, can you please explain how the training will be conducted.

The DACSC employs two full-time Trainers/Quality Assurance specialists (including a certified teacher) who will provide formal training to employees delegated to administer the survey. The focus of the training will be on the proper procedure for delivering survey questions in a consistent and objectively (unbiased) manner, and on proper data collection methods.  The cost for the training  to employees who will administer the survey is negligible.

·         How will this information be used?  What type of statistical analysis is expected?

The survey results will be used internally by the DACSC and FOCs for training and development purposes.  Additionally the results may be utilized as a method for evaluating the performance of the DACSC and FOCs

·         Are the customers able to provide any open ended comments if they wish?

Yes, the very last question (“Is there anything further I can help you with?”) is intended to provide an opportunity for the respondent to offer additional comments/concerns for DACSC management.