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

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 216 (Tuesday, November 10, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72605-72606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22875]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 13149]


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

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of 
proposed collection of information.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State has submitted the information 
collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we 
are requesting comments on this collection from all interested 
individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 
30 days for public comment.

DATES: Submit comments up to December 10, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

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 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 
<a href="http://performance.gov">performance.gov</a> 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.
    <bullet> Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,101,550.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 100,800.
    <bullet> Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

C. Public Comments

    The Department of State published a 60-day notice for this 
collection on August 20, 2026. 91 FR 53925. There was one public 
comment, which stated that data collection is limited to ``non-
sensitive opinions'' and feedback regarding government service, and 
asked if this collection satisfies those legal requirements. The 
Department believes that it does, and by this notice invites further 
comment 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

[[Page 72606]]

request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will 
become a matter of public record.

Alden F. Fahy,
Acting Director, Office of Privacy and Organizational Policy, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2026-22875 Filed 11-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P


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