[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7164-7165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01595]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Information Collection; Improving Customer Experience (OMB 
Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)

AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration has submitted the following 
information collection: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-
11, Section 280 Implementation), to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

DATES: Submit comments on or before: February 25, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by the deadline stated in the DATES section 
above to:
     www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' and searching for this information collection by 
title or OMB Control Number 3245-0404; and
     Amber Chaudhry, Customer Experience Lead, 
[email protected]; 202 657 9722.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Submit requests for additional 
information, including requests for copies of the collection instrument 
and supporting documents to Amber Chaudhry, Customer Experience Lead, 
[email protected]; 202-657-9722, or Curtis B. Rich, Management 
Analyst, [email protected]; 202-205-7030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 
280 Implementation).
    OMB Control Number: 3245-0404.
    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 
in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving 
customer service delivery as discussed in Section 280 of OMB Circular 
A-11 at https://www.performance.gov/cx/a11-280.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

[[Page 7165]]

considered private. The Small Business Administration 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 coordinated with 
OMB.
    These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between the Agency, its customers, 
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.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and 
Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Below is a preliminary estimate of 
the aggregate burden hours for this information collection.
    Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: Approximately five 
types of customer experience activities such as feedback surveys, focus 
groups, user testing, and interviews.
    Average Number of Respondents per Activity: 1 response per 
respondent per activity.
    Annual Responses: 501,550.
    Average Minutes per Response: 5 minutes-120 minutes, dependent upon 
activity.
    Burden Hours: Small Business Administration requests approximately 
251,125 burden hours.
    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.
    Request for Comments: 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.

Curtis Rich,
Management Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2021-01595 Filed 1-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026-03-P