CS-24-565 Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Virtual Assistant Feedback Supporting Statement

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 1545-1432)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Virtual Assistant Feedback

PURPOSE:

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) has made enhancements and changes to a primary platform used for taxpayer education and outreach by adding a Virtual Assistant option. The site is located at https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/, known as the TAS website. The website is configured to function differently based on the user’s device – mobile, desktop, or tablet configuration with an emphasis on meeting or exceeding WCAG 2.0 guidelines. TAS will conduct research through a feedback process to better understand the usability, usefulness, and efficacy of the virtual assistant function that has been added to the website. Feedback gathering and analysis will identify opportunities and continue to optimize user experience and prioritize new features for virtual assistance.

The main goal for this research initiative is to facilitate more taxpayer self-help, provide a better understanding of the U.S. income tax system, and provide a digital resource for both taxpayers and tax practitioners. Leveraging information technology to provide this digital outreach, as well as automating processes, will reduce administrative burden on TAS, thereby reducing costs to the taxpayer. Trust in the TAS organization will be achieved by ensuring a positive and useful virtual interaction.

 

TAS needs to ensure the Virtual Assistant is easily accessible, user-friendly and meets the requirements of self-help content for our customers. We plan to gather user comments, thoughts, and issues regarding the Virtual Assistant from at least 10 to 30 anonymous participants daily through a brief series of questions to be administered after accessing and using the Virtual Assistant. This will provide valuable information on:

• Ease of use and experience of the Virtual Assistant;

• What areas work well or will need further enhancements to create a better virtual experience; and

• What additional information or assistance method is missing.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

This survey is targeted toward individual taxpayers who are most frequently wage earners.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

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

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

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Feedback form

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.

6. 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.

Name: _ __

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

BURDEN HOURS

We will maintain access to the feedback form for up to 6 months. The expected 10 to 30 daily participants for 6 months averages about 3,600 participants (20 participants x 30 days x 6 months).

 

The total annual burden hours requested (420 hours). The estimated time to complete the participant screener questions is seven minutes and a 50 percent response rate is assumed. 

Type of Collection	Participation	Response   Time  (minutes)	Total Burden (Hours)
Potential participants – (User testing)	Maximum 3,600	7 minutes	420
Grand Total	Maximum 3,600	25,200 minutes	420 total hours

FEDERAL COST:

The anticipated cost to the Federal Government the survey documents is approximately $668.20 TAS estimates that it will spend about 10 hours posting the survey form and analyzing and summarizing the resulting data. The fiscal year base 2023 GS-15 Step 5 hourly rate is $66.82.

STATISTICAL METHOD:

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? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

All participants for user testing will be recruited through their use of the Virtual Assistant. Users will be asked to optionally answer a series of questions after using the virtual Assistant. No payment or compensation will be provided, due to the low-impact, and optional nature of the survey. For a length of up to 6 months, approximately 10 to 30 daily users will anonymously self-select to provide feedback.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[X] Other, Explain – Virtual Assistant survey.

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 brief 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 brief 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.

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: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

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.

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