This Informational Memorandum is being issued to alert RMA National and Regional Office Leadership, personnel, and partners of the upcoming FPAC Customer Experience Survey that is being conducted by the Customer Experience Division (CXD) within the FPAC Business Center (FBC). The FBC is seeking both maximum support from RMA employees and maximum participation among FSA, NRCS, and RMA external customers.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified 25 High Impact Service Provider agencies across the federal government that provide critical customer-facing services, including FSA and NRCS. OMB requires that these agencies conduct annual surveys to measure and respond to areas identified as needing improvement. As RMA, through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), provides crop and livestock insurance products for many of the same producers who work with FSA and NRCS, RMA has been incorporated into this survey as well.

Deployment of the survey will occur on or about August 3, 2020 with responses returned within six (6) weeks or until a 30 percent rate of return is achieved. Approximately 28,000 producers will be issued invitations to participate by email or by paper copy.

The sample will be taken from 1.5 million producers who have received USDA payments generated by FSA, NRCS, or RMA. Participation is voluntary. Responses are confidential. Data will be reported in an aggregated manner to protect confidentiality. The survey is 20 questions and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. To accommodate customers without an email address, a paper-based survey will also be mailed along with a postage-paid envelope.

This survey will gather information about the quality level of service delivered to customers served by FSA, NRCS, and RMA. Once survey results are received and evaluated, an accurate baseline can be determined that will be considered as FPAC formulates future customer experience goals and program targets. These targets will help FPAC maintain and improve future levels of service based on analysis of the customer experience data collected. Insights gained through the survey results will inform customer facing programs working to deliver services at the State and local levels.

In order to maximize participation and ensure a valid sample size, CXD is requesting that RMA leaders and their staffs and partners emphasize the importance of the survey and inform and encourage the external customers (i.e., producers) to participate. The goal is to receive 30 percent response from producers which will provide a clear understanding of the current levels of service delivery. Support for this survey among RMA personnel and the RMA partners in the field (i.e., the Approved Insurance Providers and Crop Insurance Agents) is critical to ensure the widest survey distribution possible. The results will be shared throughout FPAC for consideration when customer service-related decisions are made in the future.

If you have questions regarding this Notice, please contact the Customer Experience Division at FPAC.CustomerExperience@usda.gov.

DISPOSAL DATE:
Effective until September 30, 2020

Link to Attachment: SAMPLE SURVEY