Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) Committee
Meeting Minutes
Face-to-Face Meeting
Denver, CO
May 4, 5 and 6, 2006
Program Owner:
- Tunely, Estelle
- Washington, Shirley (Analyst)
Members
- Chowning, Kimberly
- Fireman, Jerry (Chair)
- Haines, Robert
- Matheny, Bill
- Melchior, Jerry
- Morrell, Jack
- Whitehead, Wayne
- Wilhelm, Doug
- Zgoda, Bruce (Vice-Chair
Staff
- Coffman, Dave (Analyst)
- Coston, Bernie (TAP Director)
- Nicholas, Judi (Program Manager)
- Ofilas, Marla (Note taker)
Guest
Opening/Welcome/Review Agenda
Jerry opened the meeting and welcomed the members. The agenda
was reviewed. Estelle stated that Mark Pursley, Director of
Customer Assistance, Relationships, & Education (CARE)
would join the committee via teleconference later in the day.
Goals and Accomplishments
- Customer Experience Sub-committee – Jack
Morrell
The sub-committee will focus on creating a survey that will
provide the TAC committee with feedback about the customer
experience from both sides of the counter. The target audiences
are the Taxpayer Resolution Representatives (TRR) and the
taxpayers that visit the TAC offices for assistance. Mike
Roberts, Policy Analyst, will help the sub-committee through
the process that will end in creating a survey that asks
the right questions and collects data that will be useful.
Estelle asked the sub-committee to consider some methods
of administering the survey. The purpose and goal of the
survey is to determine the quality of service provided
in the TAC offices. Estelle also reported that she is
not moving forward on any recommendations until the Taxpayer
Assistance Blueprint (TAB) is presented in October.
- Publication Method Guide (PMG) Sub-committee
– Bob Haines
The sub-committee goal is to recommend an improved tool
for the TRRs to provide accurate assistance to taxpayers.
The sub-committee has scheduled several guest speakers to
discuss industry practices in the area of knowledge management.
Estelle stated that the sub-committee would need to
develop a process that will make it easier for experienced
TRRs as well as new TRRs to provide accurate assistance.
New employees have found the PMG easy to work with because
it provides systematic instructions, which aids in providing
the correct answer. Although the PMG guides the TRR to
the correct answer, some experienced TRRs have found the
PMG cumbersome. They feel that they already know the answer
to the taxpayer’s question(s) but are still required
to use the PMG.
Estelle would ultimately like the sub-committee to speak
to the TAC employees and analyze their input.
TAB Report – Teleconference with Mark Pursley,
Director of Customer Assistance, Relationships, & Education
(CARE)
Estelle welcomed Mark to the meeting. Mark asked how the committee
would like him to start his presentation. Jerry F. indicated
that he would like to start by identifying who the report
is aimed at and its purpose.
Mark explained that the genesis of the report is a recommendation
made by the Joint Appropriations Committee. The Committee
believed that the IRS should consult with stakeholders, the
National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA), and the IRS Oversight Board
prior to terminating or reducing any taxpayer services. Additionally,
Conference Report 109-301 directed the IRS to collaborate
in joint authorship with the NTA and the IRS Oversight Board
in the development of a five-year plan, or a five-year strategy,
to deliver taxpayer services which include long-term goals
and reflect a balance between law enforcement and service.
In the first statement of the report, the IRS addressed
the issue of service delivery, defining and providing value
by way of services to the taxpaying public. Since Commissioner
Rossotti initiated the organizational technology modernization
plan in the year 2000, specific efforts have been made to
address and improve the quality and accessibility of IRS services.
Mark explained that the report is intended for the Joint
Conference, both the House and Senate appropriations committees
and the finance committee. Other audiences include Congress,
Treasury, OMB, NTA and community partners, and practitioners.
Also included are individuals that have an interest in overseeing
or participating in the broad community that provides services
in tax administration. A third broad audience is the IRS itself,
the functions that are engaged in the services as well as
the employees.
Jerry F. asked if the document was also intended for the
general public. The report is not directed to the general
public. The general public is the beneficiary of the report
and the general public’s interests are certainly factored
into the report. This is a business strategy and is not directed
to, specifically, the general public as the primary audience.
Jerry stated that he understands phase one will lay out
the background and identify some of the issues, however the
TAC committee would like clarification on how the plan will
turn into something concrete and affect the operation of IRS
services. Mark added that phase two of the report will lay
out a set of business outcomes. Mark felt that the TAC committee
would have the opportunity to provide their input during phase
two of the report.
Closing
The meeting adjourned for the day.
May 5, 2006
Program Owner
- Tunley, Estelle
- Washington, Shirley (Analyst)
Members
- Chowning, Kimberly
- Fireman, Jerry (Chair)
- Haines, Robert
- Matheny, Bill
- Melchior, Jerry
- Morrell, Jack
- Whitehead, Wayne
- Wilhelm, Doug
- Zgoda, Bruce (Vice-Chair)
Staff
- Coffman, Dave (Analyst)
- Coston, Bernie (TAP Director)
- Nicholas, Judi (Program Manager)
- Ofilas, Marla (Note Taker)
Guest
Opening/Welcome/Review Agenda
Jerry welcomed the members to day two of their face-to-face
meeting. Jerry explained that the members would break into
their sub-committees to work on their assigned tasks. The
committee will reconvene at the end of the day for a brief
report out.
Sub-committee Breakouts
The members of the PMG and Customer Experience sub-committees
met for the remainder of day.
May 6, 2006
Program Owner
- Tunley, Estelle
- Washington, Shirley (Analyst)
Members
- Chowning, Kimberly
- Fireman, Jerry (Chair)
- Haines, Robert
- Matheny, Bill
- Melchior, Jerry
- Morrell, Jack
- Whitehead, Wayne
- Wilhelm, Doug
- Zgoda, Bruce (Vice-Chair)
Staff
- Coffman, Dave (Analyst)
- Coston, Bernie (TAP Director)
- Nicholas, Judi (Program Manager)
- Ofilas, Marla (Note Taker)
Guest
Opening/Welcome/Review Agenda
Jerry opened the meeting and welcomed the members.
Publication Method Guide (PMG) Sub-committee Report
– Bob Haines
The sub-committee met with two TRRs who used two scenarios
to demonstrate how the PMG is used to answer taxpayer questions.
The sub-committee found that the PMG, in Adobe PDF format,
is not interactive. In addition, the committee observed that
some questions asked were out of order. For example, on the
topic of Medical and Dental Expenses, the sub-committee felt
that question #8 – “Were the expenses paid for
you, your spouse, your dependent or other qualifying individual”
– should be asked earlier in the interview. At the beginning
of the scenarios, the taxpayer indicated that, while she paid
her mother’s medical expenses, her mother was not a
qualifying dependent. She would like to know if she could
deduct the medical expense. The sub-committee felt that if
the question were asked at the beginning of the interview,
it would have resulted in terminating the interview because
the medical expenses could not have been claimed.
Decision: After the demonstration, the
sub-committee decided that they would like to review the topic
in the PMG and make suggestions to reorder the questions asked.
Action: The sub-committee has requested
a list of 83 topics used in the PMG.
The committee would like to see a much more interactive
PMG. The sub-committee listened to speakers from two software
companies who provided comments on how the PMG could be interactive.
It was agreed that the PMG could be more like Turbotax, for
example, where the questions asked are easily understood in
a system that is easy to navigate.
Action: The sub-committee would like to
know which topics are used most often.
Customer Experience Report – Jack Morrell
The sub-committee developed 15 customer questions and 13 IRS
employee questions. Bernie Coston will research questions
raised from the sub-committee on administering the survey
to TAC employees and TAC customers. The IRS has strict restrictions
on administering surveys. A series of steps must be followed
in order for the process to be approved.
Action: Bernie and Estelle will meet to
talk about administering surveys to employees and to TAC customers.
Estelle stated that the purpose of the survey is to ensure
that TAC customers receive the best experience possible when
visiting a TAC. Estelle will stay involved with the sub-committee
to ensure that the survey asks the right questions.
End of meeting Assessment
The members had a chance to provide input on the meeting.
Most members felt that it was a productive meeting and much
was accomplished.
Closing
Jerry closed the meeting and thanked everyone that attended.
The next meeting will be a teleconference on Tuesday, June
6, 2006.
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