IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION #2-1: IRS Agrees to Implement TAS Recommendation in Full.

The IRS agrees expanding customer callback technology on the toll-free telephone lines will relieve taxpayer burden of waiting in a live queue for an available customer service representative and can also help improve the level of service by reducing call abandons and retries. In FY 2019, the IRS began a multi-year, phased initiative to deploy customer callback technology as part of the IRS Modernization Plan by piloting customer callback technology on one telephone line. The IRS expanded the technology to five telephone lines in FY 2019 and to sixteen telephone lines in FY 2021 to offer the service to more taxpayers. The IRS is also upgrading the call center infrastructure as part of the overall strategy to expand the customer callback option and, based upon available funding, reach our goal of an optimal use of the technology by the end of FY 2024.

COMPLETION DATE: The FY 2021 expansion launched on January 4, 2021.

RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION: Wage and Investment, Customer Account Services, Joint Operations Center