Generic Clearance Submission Template_10-2025_Email Survey_Individual Respondents

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:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Contact Center (CDC-INFO) Web-based Satisfaction Survey (for Individual Respondents Who Send E-mail Inquiries)

PURPOSE:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeks to obtain approval to conduct surveys of customers who e-mail the CDC National Contact Center (CDC-INFO) with health questions. CDC-INFO offers CDC health information in English and Spanish, to the general public who e-mail the contact center through a web form (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form). The e-mail survey will be programmed in Survey Monkey or comparable tool, and accessible through a hyperlink on the agent’s response e-mail to the inquirer; the survey will collect customer feedback on satisfaction with the e-mail service, satisfaction with the response provided, trust in CDC’s health information, and customer demographic information (including age, race, and ethnicity).

Once the information is collected, CDC-INFO staff will analyze the survey data to:

• Monitor satisfaction with the CDC-INFO e-mail service and improve program performance.

  • Lower than expected thresholds of reported customer satisfaction with their experience will be assessed and addressed through internal system improvement.

  • E-mail inquirers will be asked if they have additional feedback to provide and will be able to elaborate through an open-ended question.

• Monitor satisfaction with CDC-INFO responses and improve content given to agents.

  • Lower than expected thresholds of reported customer satisfaction with responses or health information received (whether their health question was answered or not) will also be addressed through internal improvement of prepared CDC responses and other resources provided to agents.

• Measure the public’s trust in CDC to provide accurate health information, following the A-11 OMB guidance.

• Assess demographics (background information) of individuals calling CDC-INFO for health information, including age, race, and ethnicity. This is to allow for potential targeted health messaging, and understand which groups are likely to call CDC-INFO for health information. Staff may also assess addition of new communication channels for reaching demographic groups with low access to CDC-INFO by phone.

Justification for Collecting Race/Ethnicity Data

There is growing focus within HHS and CDC on Health Equity, and a movement towards public health communications that ensure equitable health information access for diverse populations (see, Using a Health Equity Lens | Gateway to Health Communication | CDC). CDC-INFO is a consolidated contact center for whole of CDC, providing the American people with information on health topics ranging from smoking cessation to where to get vaccines, where to get HIV/STD test, cancer screening, COVID-19, access to resources such as free or low-cost medicine, tests, and health services, and more.  The CDC-INFO hotline is a free resource and is designed to serve those who might not have ready Internet access, the elderly and underserved populations.

We can use race/ethnicity data to determine:

1. Is our service reaching racial/ethnic groups that are at higher risk for certain diseases and conditions? As CDC programs run communication campaigns, data will show if information is reaching different demographics of people, including those are underserved and may be socially or economically vulnerable. Data that demonstrate that certain groups are not reached enables CDC-INFO to develop corrective strategies.

   1. As an example, CDC-INFO recently piloted a chat channel to try to reach a younger, more diverse audience, as demographic data so far showed our regular channels reached mainly older callers who are White.

2. Equity of service: Moreover, people need information that they can understand, use, and that is appropriate culturally and linguistically. CDC-INFO can link customer survey satisfaction scores to demographic data and determine if there are racial/ethnic differences in satisfaction rates and perception of service received and trust in CDC to provide accurate health information. Using this data, CDC-INFO can better adapt its content pool, scripts, and processes to improve the public’s trust in CDC’s communication.

3. Equity and access to services: CDC-INFO also serves the Hispanic/Latino population, who may have unique challenges ranging from low English proficiency to lack of access to a doctor or Internet. Having race/ethnicity data enables CDC-INFO to identify these respondents and understand their unique needs and help CDC-INFO improve its scripts, resources, and referrals for that population.

Changes since last submission

No changes have been made to our survey instruments (both phone and email) since our last submission in 2022.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Participation in the CDC-INFO e-mail survey is optional. Since 2006, the contact center has received more than 6.8 million phone and e-mail inquiries from both Spanish and English speakers in the United States. Most inquiries are from the general public. Other customers usually include healthcare professionals, health departments and clinics, and international travelers. In 2021, CDC-INFO had the upper number of 12,000 e-mail inquiries and lower number of 400 e-mail inquiries per day. From 2021, over 6,700 e-mail surveys were submitted with an average response rate of 3%. (Note: over the past three years, the response rate has steadily increased for e-mail surveys).

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:_____Reilly Altman__________

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

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals or Households	1,600	3/60 hr	80
Totals			80

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 anyone who e-mails CDC-INFO with a legitimate health inquiry, mainly the general public, public health partners, and medical and healthcare providers seeking CDC health and safety information.. Active consent is required in order to participate in the e-mail. E-mail inquirers who do not wish to participate can choose not to do so.

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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