Proposed Collection; Comment RequestCustomer Satisfaction Surveys

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

Proposed Collection; Comment Request--Customer Satisfaction

Surveys

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requests

comments on proposed surveys and other information-collection

activities to determine the kind and quality of services CPSC customers

want and customers' level of satisfaction with existing services. The

Commission will consider all comments received in response to this

notice before requesting approval of this collection of information

from the Office of Management and Budget.

DATES: Written comments must be received by the Office of the Secretary

not later than October 13, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be captioned ``Customer Satisfaction

Surveys'' and mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product

Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, or delivered to that office,

room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814. Written

comments may also be sent to the Office of the Secretary by facsimile

at (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed

collection of information, or to obtain a copy of the questions to be

used for this collection of information, call or write Robert E. Frye,

Director, Office of Planning and Evaluation, Consumer Product Safety

Commission, Washington, DC 20207; (301) 504-0416, Ext. 2264.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

This request for clearance, in general, of several planned customer

satisfaction surveys, is in response to the Government Performance and

Results Act (GPRA)-related evaluations of service quality and customer

satisfaction, and in response to the Vice President's call for

``Conversations with America,'' to survey customers and determine the

type and quality of services they want and to obtain information on how

to improve existing government services. ``Customers'' of CPSC include

any individual or entity interested in or affected by agency

activities. These would include, but not be limited to, (1) consumers

telephoning the Hotline to report product-related incidents, or to

receive information; (2) consumers, industry members, or others

contacting the National Injury Information Clearinghouse for

information; (3) State representatives who work with CPSC on

cooperative programs; (4) firms using CPSC's Fast-Track Product Recall

Program to report and simultaneously propose satisfactory product

recall plans; (5) small

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businesses that have sought information or assistance from the CPSC's

small business ombudsman; and (6) other individuals CPSC is providing

information to, such as those through the CPSC's Office of Information

and Public Affairs.

The information will be used by the CPSC Office of Planning and

Evaluation to prepare sections of the agency's annual performance

report (required by the GPRA). This information will provide measures

of the quality and effectiveness of agency efforts related to three

goals in its strategic plan (informing the public, industry services,

and customer satisfaction). Also, the information will be used to guide

improvements in initiatives related to the ``Conversation with

America'' program. If this information is not collected, the Commission

would not have useful measures of its effectiveness in providing useful

services to consumers and others, and information necessary to guide

program development would not be available.

B. Estimated Burden

The surveys and other information collection activities would be

conducted by various methods, including contractors or in-house staff.

They may be by (1) amending CPSC's web site's comment page, ``Talk to

Us/Tell Us What You Think,'' to solicit feedback on the level of

satisfaction with CPSC's services, (2) the periodic use of brief

customer service follow-up queries (on-line) with samples of telephone

hotline callers, (3) surveying a sample of firms using the Fast-Track

Product Recall Program to assess their views and suggestions for

improvements in the service aspects of the program, (4) including

customer comment cards within the pages of the Consumer Product Safety

Review, and (5) conducting mail surveys of state partners and samples

of customers of the National Injury Information Clearinghouse. Fewer

than 10 customer surveys or information collection activities a year

would be conducted using this clearance.

The Commission staff estimates the number of annual respondents to

be about 1,550. Among the anticipated sources and annual respondents

are:

Sources

Web site...................................................... 500

CPS Review.................................................... 100

Recall Round-ups.............................................. 100

Hotline....................................................... 300

National Injury Information Clearinghouse..................... 300

Small Businesses.............................................. 100

State Partners................................................ 50

Fast Track Product Recall Program............................. 100

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1,550

The average time needed for each response is estimated at two

minutes. Thus, the annual time burden would be about 3,100 (2 x

1,550) minutes or 51.7 hours. Using $12 an hour (the average hourly

wage for all private industry workers, according to the 1996 edition of

the Statistical Abstract of the U.S.) times 51.7 hours, the cost would

be negligible (a total of about $620 per year).

For CPSC staff, the average time needed to process each response is

estimated at five minutes. Thus, this information collection activity

would require about 7,750 (5 x 1,550) minutes or 129.2 hours per

year. Based on the average hourly Commission salary of $37.37, the

129.2 hours of CPSC staff time would be valued at about $4,828.

C. Requests for Comments

The Commission solicits written comments from all interested

persons about the proposed surveys. The Commission specifically seeks

information relevant to the following topics:

--Whether the surveys described above are necessary for the proper

performance of the Commission's functions, including whether the

information would have practical utility;

--Whether the estimated burden of the proposed collections of

information are accurate;

--Whether the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be

collected could be enhanced; and

--Whether the burden imposed by the collection of information could be

minimized by use of automated, electronic or other technological

collection techniques, or other forms of information technology.

Dated: August 5, 1998.

Sadye E. Dunn,

Secretary Consumer Product Safety Commission.

[FR Doc. 98-21541 Filed 8-10-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6355-01-P