Policy hub
September 2015
...no call would have been needed had the information been made available online had been made and was told that they could only confirm three payments and then I would have to call the employer helpline. I asked why didn’t they have all the payments in front of them. Then the advisor huffed and reluctantly confirmed all the payments for the current tax year. This solved the query.” And when asked “Do you stay on the line until you are able to speak to someone, or do you disconnect the call after a period time?”, it would appear that the same pattern of patience and tenacity is being demonstrated in March 2016 as it was in September 2015 with almost 65% of respondents staying on the line until the call is answered. All comments were consistent with previous survey returns; however, we had to applaud one member whose star tip is “I used to hang up, but as it is so difficult to get through to them, I now stay on hold until I do. On one call, I was reading Professional in Payroll, Pensions & Reward whilst waiting and by the time the call was answered I had forgotten what I was calling about!” ● Alternative solutions – Survey respondents called upon a wide range of solutions when they failed to achieve success with their first call attempts including: ringing HMRC again; ringing another helpline; turning to an online forum; writing to HMRC; employing the services of specialist; and self-resolving, with further research. The fifty-million-dollar question We asked “If you completed our previous survey in September 2015 please indicate how your recent experiences compare”. The small number of comments in response to this might suggest – just might – that there may be a very small line are quicker at answering, generally around 15 minutes. However, they are not always helpful. A client had received a letter saying they owed some money so I called the DM line to query what payments
March 2016
chink of light at the end of the very long tunnel for some: 11% returned the view that they had experienced some level of improvement and no-one reported further deterioration since they last completed the survey in September. However, with almost 42% of respondents returning an “is the same” response, we take this to be an indication that as at March 2016 there was still work to be done – a finding that we know is recognised by HMRC and has since been confirmed by the National Audit Office. On a final note… It would be wrong to suggest that with 41 responses the March survey outcome is reflective of the experiences being encountered by the entire payroll profession but with few exceptions the findings are consistent with the September survey findings. So, when put together with previous quick poll findings and anecdotal evidence they provide a reasonable benchmark against which we can measure and monitor improvements to future service delivery being experienced by the
payroll professional when using HMRC contact centres. We welcome the 2016 Budget announcement that Government: ● recognises that more needs to be done now to improve customer service delivery, and ● will invest £71 million to improve the service it provides to taxpayers to deliver an improved telephone services and reduce call waiting times by recruiting over 800 new staff into HMRC call centres. This we applaud, but what has been made very clear throughout both surveys is that for many members – and in the majority of cases – no call would have been needed had the information been made available online. So we continue to urge Government Digital Services to expand its coverage on GOV.UK to include more in-depth guidance written accurately and with the payroll and employment taxes specialist in mind. To support this request and as a demonstration of user need, we have shared the responses to the service specific questions with HMRC. n
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Issue 23 | September 2016
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
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