[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44433-44434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14657]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 11997]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Improving 
Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation)

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, is announcing an opportunity 
for public comment on a new proposed collection of information by the 
Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Federal 
Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, and to allow 60 
days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits 
comments on new collection proposed by the Agency.

DATES: The Department will accept comments from the public up to 
September 11, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Web: Persons with access to the internet may comment on 
this notice by going to www.Regulations.gov. You can search for the 
document by entering ``Docket Number: DOS-2023-0006'' in the Search 
field. Then click the ``Comment Now'' button and complete the comment 
form.
     Email: [email protected].
    You must include the DS form number (if applicable), information 
collection title, and the OMB control number, 1405-0241 in any 
correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. ``Collection of 
information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and 
includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public 
submit reports, keep records, or provide

[[Page 44434]]

information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, the Department of State is publishing notice of the 
proposed collection of information set forth in this document.
    Whether seeking a loan, Social Security benefits, veteran's 
benefits, or other services provided by the Federal Government, 
individuals and businesses expect Government customer services to be 
efficient and intuitive, just like services from leading private-sector 
organizations. Yet the 2016 American Consumer Satisfaction Index and 
the 2017 Forrester Federal Customer Experience Index show that, on 
average, Government services lag nine percentage points behind the 
private sector.
    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. To support this, OMB 
Circular A-11 Section 280 established government-wide standards for 
mature customer experience organizations in government and measurement. 
To enable Federal programs to deliver the experience taxpayers deserve, 
they must undertake three general categories of activities: conduct 
ongoing customer research, gather and share customer feedback, and test 
services and digital products.
    These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or 
quantitative in nature or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, 
data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited 
to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (i.e., in 
person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, 
surveys, and focus groups. The Department of State will limit its 
inquiries to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions 
or responses. Steps will be taken to ensure anonymity of respondents in 
each activity covered by this request.
    The results of the data collected will be used to improve the 
delivery of Federal services and programs. It will include the creation 
of personas, customer journey maps, and reports and summaries of 
customer feedback data and user insights. It will also provide 
government-wide data on customer experience that can be displayed on 
performance.gov to help build transparency and accountability of 
Federal programs to the customers they serve.

Method of Collection

    The Department of State will collect this information by electronic 
means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical 
discussions, and in-person interviews. The Department of State may also 
utilize observational techniques to collect this information.
    Data:
    Form Number(s): DS-4318.
    Type of Review: Extension.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

    Affected Public: Collections will be 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. For the 
purposes of this request, ``customers'' are individuals, businesses, 
and organizations that interact with a Federal Government agency or 
program, either directly or via a Federal contractor. This could 
include individuals or households; businesses or other for-profit 
organizations; not-for-profit institutions; State, local or tribal 
governments; Federal Government; and Universities.
     Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,001,550.
     Estimated Time per Response: Varied, dependent upon the 
data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a 
questionnaire or survey may be 3 minutes or up to 1.5 hours to 
participate in an interview.
     Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 101,125.
     Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

C. Public Comments

    The Department of State invites comments on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (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. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB 
approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter 
of public record.

Zachary A. Parker,
Director, Officer of Directives Management, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2023-14657 Filed 7-11-23; 8:45 am]
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