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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| HMRC tax call handling 'must sharpen up' | HMRC tax call handling 'must sharpen up' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The UK tax authority's new target for answering calls from taxpayers is "unambitious and woefully inadequate", according to a committee of MPs. | The UK tax authority's new target for answering calls from taxpayers is "unambitious and woefully inadequate", according to a committee of MPs. |
| The aim of answering 80% of calls within five minutes would still see 16 million callers waiting longer than that to be answered by HM Revenue and Customs, its report said. | The aim of answering 80% of calls within five minutes would still see 16 million callers waiting longer than that to be answered by HM Revenue and Customs, its report said. |
| The Public Accounts Committee said HMRC faced more calls but had fewer staff. | The Public Accounts Committee said HMRC faced more calls but had fewer staff. |
| HMRC is to close its Enquiry Centres to focus on phone and online assistance. | HMRC is to close its Enquiry Centres to focus on phone and online assistance. |
| It announced the move last week, and also said that it had improved its performance since the time featured in the committee's report. | It announced the move last week, and also said that it had improved its performance since the time featured in the committee's report. |
| Cheaper calls | Cheaper calls |
| The committee said that the tax authority received 79 million calls in 2011-12 about issues such as self-assessment forms, but 20 million of these calls were not answered. | The committee said that the tax authority received 79 million calls in 2011-12 about issues such as self-assessment forms, but 20 million of these calls were not answered. |
| A third of the letters received by HMRC in the same year were not given a response within a 15-day target. | A third of the letters received by HMRC in the same year were not given a response within a 15-day target. |
| Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee, described this record as "abysmal" but welcomed HMRC's changing attitude to customer service. | Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee, described this record as "abysmal" but welcomed HMRC's changing attitude to customer service. |
| "Officials are beginning to realise that good customer service lies at the heart of any strategy to maximise revenues while cutting costs," she said. | "Officials are beginning to realise that good customer service lies at the heart of any strategy to maximise revenues while cutting costs," she said. |
| She welcomed the fact that call costs were to be reduced by ending the use of 0845 numbers later in the year. | She welcomed the fact that call costs were to be reduced by ending the use of 0845 numbers later in the year. |
| But the committee said that a target of answering 80% of calls within five minutes was still well short of the industry benchmark of 80% of calls being answered within 20 seconds. | But the committee said that a target of answering 80% of calls within five minutes was still well short of the industry benchmark of 80% of calls being answered within 20 seconds. |
| "While achieving this target would be an improvement on current performance, it remains unambitious and woefully inadequate," the committee said. | "While achieving this target would be an improvement on current performance, it remains unambitious and woefully inadequate," the committee said. |
| A spokeswoman for HMRC said that its performance had picked up. | A spokeswoman for HMRC said that its performance had picked up. |
| In the past three months, it had answered more than 90% of calls to contact centres, and this year it had provided replies within 15 working days to 84.5% of the 16 million pieces of post received. | In the past three months, it had answered more than 90% of calls to contact centres, and this year it had provided replies within 15 working days to 84.5% of the 16 million pieces of post received. |
| Closures | Closures |
| The committee said that the introduction of new benefits meant more calls were likely to be made to HMRC in the near future, but HMRC planned to cut a third of its customer-facing staff. | The committee said that the introduction of new benefits meant more calls were likely to be made to HMRC in the near future, but HMRC planned to cut a third of its customer-facing staff. |
| On Thursday, HMRC announced it was to close all of its 281 enquiry centres in 2014. These offices gave face-to-face help to 2.5 million people with tax queries last year. | On Thursday, HMRC announced it was to close all of its 281 enquiry centres in 2014. These offices gave face-to-face help to 2.5 million people with tax queries last year. |
| People will need to contact the phone line or go online to get their tax query answered. Advisers may then decide that the issue should be discussed face-to-face at the caller's home or elsewhere, under the HMRC call handling 'must sharpen up'plans, which HMRC said would save £13m a year. | |
| HMRC said that the new service would be "more flexible and affordable" than the current service. | HMRC said that the new service would be "more flexible and affordable" than the current service. |
| "We are investing an extra £34m in our contact centres to maintain this industry standard level of performance," the HMRC spokeswoman said. | "We are investing an extra £34m in our contact centres to maintain this industry standard level of performance," the HMRC spokeswoman said. |
| "We will continue to build on these improvements until we deliver the consistent quality of service that our customers are entitled to expect." | "We will continue to build on these improvements until we deliver the consistent quality of service that our customers are entitled to expect." |