Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to improve the responsiveness and consistency of its telephone customer service.

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

HMRC are investing in new technology to improve their telephony services. Last year, they launched procurement for a new Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) platform which will significantly enhance the customer experience.

They are also expanding their digital services. HMRC online services and the HMRC app are convenient to access and receive high customer satisfaction ratings.

As more people use HMRC digital services, HMRC’s customer service advisers are freed up to support those who are digitally excluded, have complex tax affairs, or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.

HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap sets out further steps to improve the customer experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses. The Roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-transformation-roadmap