Description of FY 2017 800 Number Survey

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 800 Number Caller Survey

SSA SUB-NUMBER: D-01

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY (give purpose of activity, provide specific information; i.e., date(s) of survey, number of focus groups, locations, etc.):

BACKGROUND

The Social Security Administration (SSA) annually surveys individuals who do business with us to assess their satisfaction with the specific mode of contact they used. As part of this effort, we conduct the 800 Number Caller Survey, in which we interview members of the public who called SSA’s 800 number to transact their business. We designed the survey, which we conduct shortly after the participant’s call, to (1) measure public perception of SSA’s 800 number service; and (2) collect information that will assist us in understanding the customer experience behind satisfaction ratings. SSA has been conducting a satisfaction survey with the 800 number caller population since 1989.

SURVEY

Description of Survey

SSA conducts the 800 Number Caller Survey over a four-week period in March/April 2017. We conduct the survey in the same general timeframe each year to maintain comparability of results. An SSA contractor conducts the survey interviews by telephone. The survey covers a variety of topics related to SSA’s 800 number service, including the following:

• Callers’ satisfaction with how quickly they were served on the 800 number;

• Callers’ level of comfort using the automated speech recognition system;

• Callers’ ease of getting the automated system to understand the type of service needed;

• Whether callers chose to conduct business using an automated service, and whether they were able to complete their business that way;

• Whether callers were connected immediately or had to wait on hold for an agent;

• Satisfaction with the time spent on hold waiting to speak to an agent;

• If all agents were busy, whether the 800 number offered callers the option to be called back later, and how satisfied they were with the callback process;

• Callers’ satisfaction with agent service -- their courtesy, job knowledge, helpfulness, and clarity of explanations;

• Whether the agent was able to take care of the caller’s business during the call;

• The caller’s rating of the 800 number service overall;

• The nature of the caller’s business and the type of benefits involved;

• Whether callers tried to take care of their business some other way before calling the 800 number, what action they took, and why they weren’t successful;

• Callers’ service preferences for future business, including a series of questions on the use of the Internet and on SSA’s my Social Security online account; and

• Whether callers needed special accommodations to do business with SSA because of a medical condition, what those special accommodations are, and their satisfaction with how well SSA met their needs.

Statistical Information

Sample Selection

SSA draws the sample for the 800 Number Caller Survey from the automatic number identifier (ANI) detail data supplied by the contractor for SSA’s national 800 number telephone network. During the 4‑week sample selection period, we process ANI data to identify completed calls that represent individuals who “got through” to the 800 number. We select individuals who have used automated services and/or spoken to a representative, or hung up while waiting.

SSA’s 800 number receives close to 40 million calls each year. Based on this volume, we anticipate that over the 4-week period of the survey the 800 number will handle roughly 3 million calls. From the universe, we will randomly select 4,000 unique telephone numbers via a random generator program that uses selected digits of the current date and time. We will use these originating numbers to attempt to contact and interview the individuals who placed the sample calls. During the initial contact, we will screen out calls that originate from a public or business telephone, since we cannot usually identify individuals who call from such locations.

Methodology

An SSA-approved contractor will conduct this survey by telephone and translate the survey questionnaire into computer-assisted interviewing (CATI) software so that interviewing and data input of the individual’s responses occur simultaneously. The CATI software also ensures that we ask only questions pertinent to the individual’s circumstances, allowing for complicated question paths while still minimizing response burden.

Response Rate

To maximize the response rate for this survey, SSA will:

• Select samples twice a week (to minimize the time between the customers’ service experience and the survey);

• Transmit sample listings to the contractor within a week of the 800 number call;

• Have the contractor make at least 15 attempts to reach the caller over a 3‑week period in an effort to obtain the highest possible response rate;

• Have the contractor arrange call attempts for daytime, evenings, weekend hours;

• Have the contractor arrange callbacks and leaves messages for the sampled individual as necessary, and provide a toll-free number for return calls to encourage participation;

• Provide Spanish-speaking interviewers as necessary.

In past years, using this methodology with similar populations, we typically achieved response rates around 50 percent. In the most recent 800 Number Caller Survey for FY 2016, the response rate was 41 percent. Considering the telephone number is the only contact information available to the contractor, this response rate is remarkably good. We routinely review the information recorded by the contractor each year to monitor any significant trends in the reasons for non-response and to ensure the contractor makes adequate efforts to achieve a good response rate.

Sampling Variability

The key variable in the 800 Number Caller Survey is overall satisfaction with telephone service. In the FY 2016 800 Number Caller Survey, the overall satisfaction rating was 72 percent excellent, very good or good. Our proposed sample size of 4,000 is large enough to allow for the screening of business calls and, assuming a 50 percent response rate from the remaining sample, will provide a sampling variability at the 95‑percent confidence level of +/‑2.0 percent for this key indicator of satisfaction.

SSA’s Office of Quality Review and Office of Quality Improvement (OQI) are responsible for sampling and data analysis. Douglas Turnbull, Director, Office of Modeling, OQI, SSA, provides statistical support. OMB can reach Mr. Turnbull at (410) 966-2595.

IF FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A PAYMENT, INDICATE AMOUNT (No more than $25 can be authorized under OMB rules):

We will not compensate participants in this survey.

USE OF SURVEY RESULTS:

SSA will use the results of this study to assess customer satisfaction, and evaluate and improve various aspects of its 800 number service. In addition, we combine the results from the 800 Number Caller survey and annual surveys of FO callers and office visitors to calculate an overall satisfaction rate for SSA’s agency priority goal, “Increase customer satisfaction with our services.”

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response time (/60) = annual burden hours):

Number of Responses: 4,000

Estimated Response Time: 15 minutes

Annual Burden Hours: 1,000 hours

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Jen Fink

TELEPHONE NUMBER: (410) 965-0236

Generic Clearance 800 Number Caller Survey

October 2016