Form 481 RBB Unemployment and Sickness Benefits Questionnaire

RRB U&S Benefits 2011 Final Version

Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)

Unemployment & Sickness

Benefit Recipients

2011 Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire

(Items in BOLD are interviewer instructions, and are not intended to be read to the Client. Items marked i.e. or e.g. should only be read if respondent needs clarification.)

Introduction (Do not read)

1. Hello. The Railroad Retirement Board has hired my company, [Data Collection Company], to call on behalf of the RRB. My name is ______. May I please speak with __________?
   
   1 Yes (Continue)
   2 Person not available (Schedule a call back)
   3 No Such Person “Thank you and have a nice day!”
   99 Refusal/Hung Up

(Interviewer: When respondent comes to the phone, read INTRO2)

2. Hello. The Railroad Retirement Board has hired my company, [Data Collection Company], to call on behalf of the RRB. My name is _____________. We are conducting research on how satisfied users are with services provided by federal government agencies as part of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The purpose of this research is to help the Railroad Retirement Board improve its services to you. Your answers are voluntary, but your opinions are very important for this research. Your responses will be completely confidential, and you will never be identified by name. This interview is authorized by Office of Management and Budget Control No. 1090-0007. This interview will take between 8 and 10 minutes. Is this a good time?
   
   1 Yes (Continue)
   2 No Can we schedule a time that is more convenient for you?

Note: Based on sample file, customers will be divided into ‘sickness’ and ‘unemployment’ benefits groups. Wherever [benefits type] appears in the questionnaire, the specific group (sickness or unemployment) will be inserted.

For all questions, please include choices 97 = Don’t Remember, 98 = Don’t Know and 99 = Refused/Hung Up

Screening Questions (Do not read)

The Railroad Retirement Board has told us that you are currently receiving [benefits type] benefits.

1_1 Is this correct?

1. Yes (Continue to 1_2)

2. No (TERMINATE “Thank you for your time. Have a nice day!”)

98 Don’t Know (TERMINATE “Thank you for your time. Have a nice day!”)
99 Refusal/Hung up (TERMINATE “Thank you for your time. Have a nice day!”)

Unemployment (Do not read)

IF BENEFITS TYPE=UNEMPLOYMENT ASK 1_2 ELSE GO TO INSTRUCTION BOOKLET INTRO BEFORE 2_1

1_2 Did you file your Application for Unemployment Benefits online at RRB.gov or by completing a paper application form?

1. Online at RRB.gov (Ask 1_3 then go to 2_1)

2. Paper application form (Skip to 2_1)

1_3 Using a 10-point scale where 1 means Not at All Helpful and 10 means Very Helpful, please rate how helpful the online instructions and help were to you in completing your Unemployment Benefits Application.

Instruction Booklet (Do not read)

Please think about the instruction booklet you may have consulted for information on applying for and receiving your [benefits type] benefits.

1. Did you use the instruction booklet to help you complete your application?

1 Yes (Continue)

2 No (Skip to Benefit Notification Letter section 3_1)

Thinking about the instruction booklet, please rate the following on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent:

2. Ease of understanding the information in the booklet

3. Accuracy of the information

4. Usefulness of the information

5. Helpfulness of the booklet in completing your application for benefits

6. Helpfulness of the booklet in completing your claims forms

Benefit Notification Letter (Do not read)

Now, please think about your “Notice of Receipt of Application,” which was the first letter you received to notify you of your benefits.

1. Did you receive a benefit notification letter or “Notice of Receipt of Application?”

   1. Yes (Continue)

   2. No (Skip to CLAIMS ACTIVITY 4_1)

On a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent, please rate the following:

2. Length of time to wait to receive your letter

3. Clarity of the information contained within the letter

4. Ease of understanding the letter’s directions about when to expect claims and payments

Claims Activity (Do not read)

4_1 How did you file your most recent [benefits type] Benefits Claims? Was it online at RRB.gov or by completing paper claims forms?

1. Online at RRB.gov (Ask 4_2 then skip to 4_8)

2. Paper claims forms (Skip to 4_3)

4_2 Using a 10-point scale where 1 means Not at All Helpful and 10 means Very Helpful, please rate how helpful the online instructions and help were to you in completing your [benefits type] Benefits Claims.

Next, consider the claims you file regularly to receive your [benefits type] benefits. On the same scale from 1 to 10 where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent, please rate your claims forms on the following:

4_3 Timeliness of arrival

4_4 Ease of reading the claim forms

4_5 Amount of information you are required to submit

4_6 Ease of filling out the claim forms

4_7 Were you aware that you could file your claims online? If yes, why did you not file online?

4_8 Did you refer to the Benefit Instruction Booklet when completing your claims?

1. Yes

2. No

4_9 Did you contact a field office for assistance with the completion of your claim forms?

1. Yes

2. No

Customer Service (Do not read)

Now, think about the ways you have recently contacted the Railroad Retirement Board about your [benefits type] benefits.

1. Please mention all of the ways that you have had contact with the Railroad Retirement Board regarding your [benefits type] benefits?

(Interviewer: Read list and record response(s))

1. Contacting the Railroad Retirement Board’s automated telephone helpline

2. Contacting a Railroad Retirement Board Field Office by telephone

3. Accessing “View Your Account Statement” online to check your claims and payments

4. In person contact with a Railroad Retirement Board Field Office Representative (either visiting a field office in person or meeting a traveling field service representative at a customer outreach program service location)

5. No contact (Skip to next section 6_1)

IF 5_1 = 1 Contacting the Railroad Retirement Board’s automated telephone helpline ASK 5_2 to 5_4

Consider the most recent contact you have had with the Railroad Retirement Board concerning your [benefits type] benefits. On a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent, please rate the Railroad Retirement Board on the following:

5_2 Ease of navigating the automated telephone prompts

5_3 Accuracy of the information

5_4 Usefulness of the information

IF 5_1 = 2 Contacting a Railroad Retirement Board Field office by telephone ASK 5_5 to 5_8

5_5 The ease of getting in touch with the Railroad Retirement Board

5_6 The courtesy of its personnel

5_7 The clarity of the information provided to you

5_8 The usefulness of the information provided to you

If 5-1=3 Accessing “View Your Account Statement” online to check your claims and payments, ASK 5_9 to 5_11

5_9 Ease of navigating the “View Your Account Statement”

5_10 Accuracy of information

5_11 Usefulness of information

IF 5_1 = 4 Face to face contact with a Railroad Retirement Board Field Office Representative ASK 5_12 to 5_15

5_12 The ease of getting in touch with the Railroad Retirement Board

5_13 The courtesy of its personnel

5_14 The clarity of the information provided to you

5_15 The usefulness of the information provided to you

If 1 is NOT SELECTED for 5_1 ASK 5_16

5_16 Why did you choose to not use the Railroad Retirement Board’s automated telephone helpline?

ACSI Benchmark Questions (Do not read)

6_1 On a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 means Very Dissatisfied and 10 means Very Satisfied, how satisfied are you with services provided by the Railroad Retirement Board in paying your [benefits type] benefits?

6_2 Using a 10-point scale on which 1 now means Does Not Meet Expectations and 10 means Exceeds Expectations, to what extent have the services provided by the Railroad Retirement Board in paying your [benefits type] benefits fallen short of or exceeded your expectations?

6_3 Forget for a moment your experiences with the Railroad Retirement Board. Now, imagine an ideal organization that pays [benefits type] benefits. How well do you think the Railroad Retirement Board compares with that ideal organization? Please use a 10-point scale on which 1 means Very Far from Ideal, and 10 means Very Close to Ideal.

Outcome Measures (Do not read)

Next, I want you to think about your interaction with the Railroad Retirement Board since you started receiving your [benefits type] benefits.

7_1 Since you recently began receiving [benefits type] benefits, have you complained to the Railroad Retirement Board about its service providing your benefits?

1 Yes (Continue to 7_2)

2 No (SKIP to 7_3)

7_2 Using a 10-point scale on which 1 means Handled Very Poorly and 10 means Handled Very Well, please rate how well your complaint was handled.

7_3 Using a 10-point scale on which 1 means Not At All Confident and 10 means Very Confident, how confident are you that the Railroad Retirement Board will do a good job in providing [benefits type] benefits in the future?

Epilogue Questions (Do not read)

Consider the value you place on the various ways the Railroad Retirement Board provides assistance and service to you. Rate the following services using a 10-point scale where 1 means Not At All Valuable and 10 means Very Valuable.

8_1 Internet/World Wide Web services

8_2 Services provided by its field offices

8_3 Help Line Services (e.g. automated phone assistance)

8_4 Customer Outreach Services (e.g., meeting a traveling field service representative in a place other than a field office)

8_5 Railroad Retirement Board RSS feeds to receive current news and updates

8_6 Have you visited the Railroad Retirement Board website?

1 Yes (GO TO 8_7)

2 No (SKIP to 8_ 8)

8_7 The RRB is considering a possible future enhancement to its website, to allow you to receive your initial Benefits Notifications letter and other letters online. Please rate how valuable that service would be to you, using a 10-point scale where 1 means Not At All Valuable and 10 means Very Valuable.

8_8 Do you have any suggestions on how the Railroad Retirement Board can better serve you?

(Closing Statement)

Thank you for your time. The Railroad Retirement Board appreciates your views and will use them to better serve its customers. Have a nice day!