CDC-INFO Web-based User Satisfaction Survey for the Chatbot Tool

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0920-1050)

Instruction: This form should be completed by the primary contact person from the Program sponsoring the collection.

DETERMINE IF YOUR COLLECTION IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS GENERIC CLEARANCE MECHANISM:

Instruction: Before completing and submitting this form, determine first if the proposed collection is consistent with the scope of the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism. To determine the appropriateness of using the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism, complete the checklist below.

If you select “yes” to all criteria in Column A, the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism can be used. If you select “yes” to any criterion in Column B, the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism cannot be used.

Column A	Column B
The information gathered will only be used internally to CDC. [X ] Yes [ ] No	Information gathered will be publicly released or published. [ ] Yes [X ] No
Data is qualitative in nature and not generalizable to people from whom data was not collected. [ X] Yes [ ] No	Employs quantitative study design (e.g. those that rely on probability design or experimental methods) [ ] Yes [ X ] No
There are no sensitive questions within this collection (e.g. sexual orientation, gender identity). [ X ] Yes [ ] No	Sensitive questions will be asked (e.g. sexual orientation, gender identity). [ ] Yes [ x ] No
Collection does not raise issues of concern to any other Federal agencies. [ X] Yes [ ] No	Other Federal agencies may have equities or concerns regarding this collection. [ ] Yes [X ] No
Data collection is focused on determining ways to improve delivery of services to customers of a current CDC program. [X] Yes [ ] No	Data will be used to inform programmatic or budgetary decisions, for the purpose of program evaluation, for surveillance, for program needs assessment, or for research. [ ] Yes [ X ] No
The 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 future. [X ] Yes [ ] No

Did you select “Yes” to all criteria in Column A?

If yes, the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism may be appropriate for your investigation. You may proceed with this form.

Did you select “Yes” to any criterion in Column B?

If yes, the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback generic clearance mechanism is NOT appropriate for your investigation. Stop completing this form now.

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

CDC-INFO Web-based User Satisfaction Survey for the Chatbot Tool

PURPOSE:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks to obtain approval to conduct surveys of customers who use a new chatbot tool developed by the CDC National Contact Center (CDC-INFO). CDC-INFO will be launching a chatbot tool for the general public, accessible through chat software embedded on the CDC website. The chatbot widget will live on the main Contact CDC page (https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html) and offer a way for people to quickly get “self-service” answers to popular questions.

The chatbot will initially be accessible Monday through Friday between 8 AM and 8 PM ET, and if the need is determined, it will be accessible 24/7 and will answer inquiries only on specific topics. Topics may include CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, animal importation, training and continuing education online, COVID-19, and others. The chatbot will offer a way for people to quickly obtain answers to popular questions without having to talk to a live agent or wait for an emailed response. If the chatbot cannot answer the question, the inquirer will be referred to a live agent either via live chat or phone.

Following the chatbot interaction, the survey will be sent to the inquirer via URL link in the chatbot messaging widget. The survey will be programmed in Survey Monkey or comparable tool. The survey will collect customer feedback on satisfaction with the chatbot tool.

Once the information is collected, CDC-INFO staff will analyze the survey data to monitor satisfaction with chatbot and improve its performance. Lower than expected thresholds of reported customer satisfaction with their experience and responses received (whether their health question was answered) will be addressed through internal improvement of content and chatbot process.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The respondent population are customers that visit the main Contact CDC-INFO page and use the chatbot tool. The chatbot will offer a self-service option for people to get quick answers to their questions prior to placing a phone call or sending an email.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

Instruction: Please sparingly use the Other category

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

Name:_Jennifer Hondel

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No

If Yes: Please describe the incentive. If amounts are outside of customary incentives, please also provide a justification

BURDEN HOURS (Annual)

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals or Households	1380	1/60 hr	23
Totals			23

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $5,700.

These costs are comprised of: Survey coding and set up (IT staff) - $1,500; reporting & analysis - $4,200

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X ] Yes [ ] No

If Yes: Please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)

If No: Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them or ask them to self-select/volunteer

Our target audience is general public customers who use the chatbot tool to submit health questions to CDC-INFO. Active consent is required in order to participate in the survey at the end of the chatbot interaction. Inquirers who do not wish to participate in the survey can choose not to do so.

We typically receive 2,300 visitors on the main Contact CDC-INFO page per month—that will be the total number of respondents we may expect to receive at maximum. Based on a previous pilot of a chat service that we conducted in 2022, we anticipate getting a 5% response rate on the survey. This equates to 115 respondents per month, or 1380 respondents annually.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a concise description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a concise description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument. The ‘Other’ category should be used only in the contexts in which the provided categories cannot reasonably apply.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: As a general matter, incentives are not appropriate for customer service collections; however, incentives may be appropriate for focus groups or in-depth usability studies, especially when participants must travel to a site to participate. In the latter circumstance, the incentive should include travel costs. Customary incentives for focus groups in the Federal government are $40 for a one-hour interview and $75 for a 90-minute focus group. If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for amounts other than those cited above; justifications should be limited to Federal studies of a similar design and subpopulation.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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