Are the IRS's chat applications helping taxpayers?

Opportunities Exist to Improve the Quality of Chat Applications Why did we do this audit? In July 2019, the Taxpayer First Act required the IRS to develop a comprehensive customer service strategy to better meet taxpayers’ needs and expand online services. The IRS had already begun offering live chat through a pilot program in 2017 and expanded those services in 2021 to include automated chatbots. The IRS implemented chat applications to improve customer service by promoting the use of online services and providing an alternative communication method for taxpayers in lieu of calling the IRS toll-free line. The purpose of our review was to determine if the IRS’s chatbot and live chat applications provided effective and efficient service to help taxpayers meet their tax obligations. What did we find? IRS management has not taken sufficient steps to evaluate the effectiveness of the Automated Collection Service (ACS) function’s chat applications. Nevertheless, the ACS chat program was expanded. Compounding this issue, the data currently collected to measure program performance is unreliable, limiting the IRS’s ability to determine whether the expanded program is operating effectively. Specifically, the IRS has not analyzed its chat applications and does not have any performance measures. Our review of statistical reports identified outliers and discrepancies that made the reliability of these reports questionable. For example, the reports showed a live assistor handling as many as 603 live chats at the same time, which the IRS agreed was incorrect because the system limits the number of concurrent chats to 3. We also reviewed 40 live assistors and assessed the transcripts of their live chats. We identified 24 live assistors (60 percent) that worked multiple live chats concurrently. Working multiple chats concurrently can decrease customer service and increase the risk of inappropriately disclosing taxpayer information to the wrong taxpayer.   Read the full report Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Stay Connected 901 D Street, SW, Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20024-2169 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe All  |  Help

---

This email was sent to jtrent238.test@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration · 901 D Street, SW, Suite 600 · Washington, D.C. 20024-2169 · (800) 366-4484