Canada Revenue Agency Reports Major Call Response Improvements

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has announced significant progress in its call response capabilities, revealing that its “100-day Service Improvement Plan” has increased the number of unique calls answered from just 35 percent to more than 70 percent. Despite this achievement, officials stated they will never be able to answer 100 percent of calls, as the agency receives over 30 million calls annually.

During a recent briefing, Melanie Serjak, assistant commissioner of the Assessment, Benefit and Service Branch, explained that while maintaining a 70 percent response rate is a goal, achieving higher levels is unsustainable. “That number is just not maintainable at a 100 percent call answer level,” she stated. The agency noted that at certain points, they managed to answer as many as 92 percent of calls in a week, thanks to initiatives like rehiring 1,250 employees and extending contracts.

Focus on Digital Transformation and Service Efficiency

The 100-day plan concentrated on four key areas: enhancing call response, expanding digital self-service tools, addressing underlying issues, and modernizing services. Serjak indicated that while there remains much work to be done, the CRA is pleased with the advancements made thus far.

One of the notable improvements is the reduction in unique callers, which dropped by 11 percent, equating to 223,000 fewer calls. This reduction is attributed to the agency’s increased digital offerings. Maxime Guénette, assistant commissioner of the Service, Innovation and Integration Branch, expressed pride in these developments, emphasizing the importance of moving services online to alleviate call volume.

The impetus for the 100-day review stemmed from delays that Canadians faced when seeking assistance from the agency. In a candid interview last September, Wayne Long, Secretary of State overseeing the CRA, remarked, “We hit rock bottom. It can’t get much worse than it is now.” A subsequent report from the auditor general highlighted that the call centers provided accurate answers to general tax questions only 17 percent of the time, a claim the government contested.

Enhancements in Digital Services and Processing Times

The CRA has rolled out several digital self-service features to reduce call volume. For instance, individuals who lose their CRA sign-in details can now recover their accounts online, potentially diverting around 300,000 calls annually. The agency also introduced a “Manage Balance” feature that allows users to make payments online without assistance, which has already been utilized 23,000 times.

The agency’s chatbot, powered by generative AI, has seen a significant uptick in usage, with a 240 percent increase compared to the previous year. This enhancement allows the CRA to handle more complex queries efficiently. Additionally, over 59,000 Canadians have benefited from a new scheduled callback program for issues related to account access or online business registration.

Processing times for key benefits have also improved. The time taken to process the Canada Child Benefit has decreased from 19 weeks to 13 weeks, while the Disability Tax Credit processing time has been reduced from 15 weeks to 11 weeks. Despite these improvements, Guénette acknowledged that these times still exceed the agency’s service standards.

Looking ahead, the CRA plans to integrate further automation, especially in manual tasks, to enhance efficiency. Serjak stated that the agency is focused on maintaining a temporary staffing level of 4,500 during the upcoming tax season, up from 3,300 last year, in preparation for the influx of calls expected during this busy period.

While officials aim to improve the service experience this tax-filing season, they recognize that achieving the 70 percent service level consistently may still prove challenging. “We don’t want to proclaim victory too soon,” Serjak cautioned. As the CRA continues its improvement efforts, uncertainty remains regarding potential job cuts amid broader government budget reviews. Guénette clarified that while no immediate cuts are planned, decisions stemming from the comprehensive expenditure review are still pending.

Overall, the CRA’s recent initiatives reflect a commitment to enhancing service delivery and adapting to the evolving needs of Canadians while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead.