Hold, Please: Customer Service Still a Challenge for IRS

The other day, I sat on hold with the Internal Revenue Service for more than three hours. I took to Twitter to complain, and my fellow tax professionals had little sympathy: Long phone waits remain the rule, not the exception.

It’s not surprising that improving customer experience remains one of the most serious management and performance challenges confronting the IRS, according to a recent report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

TIGTA is required by law each year to prepare a report summarizing the most significant challenges facing the IRS. As part of the Reports Consolidation Act of ...