Our client struggled to properly manage staff levels to match the needs of their business. As a leader in providing tax preparation services across the US, the client lacked a flexible business model to hire additional employees during busy season, and retain top perFormers throughout the year. Our client also managed all contact center services in-house, making it difficult to Focus on what they do best, offering tax preparation services across the nation.
Our client engaged Sutherland to manage its contact center business. Sutherland seamlessly transitioned the customer support from the tax preparer’s in-house operation to our team of experts in transforming the customer experience. After seamlessly transitioning support for consumer and professional tax customers to Sutherland, we were able to maintain 98% service levels ongoing along with a true partner relationship with the client.
The contact center team uses a mix of the client’s proprietary, web-based tools, along with Sutherland’s CRM, and a variety of knowledge resources to quickly, efficiently, and accurately respond to customer inquiries regarding IRS refund status. We also make continuous recommendations to transform processes based on customer feedback including measures to prevent customers from mistakenly validating their own refund checks, weekly reviews for each line of business to address changes or issues, and an action tracker that lets the company review issues and implement process changes for the coming tax year in a timely manner.
Our partnership relationship with this client is built on our ability to address their unique and aggressive staffing needs, which few other providers are able to facilitate. The returning experienced agents improve service levels to 98% on average, as well as reducing Average Handling Time (AHT), and improving overall quality of service. New hires receive two weeks of intensive, hands- on training and returning agents receive 3-5 days of refresher training to acquaint them with regulatory and process changes.
