IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: Accounts Management (AM) has already replaced the Level of Service (LOS) metric with the Assistor Service Rate (ASR), implemented on January 26, 2026. We also have other metrics already in place including Average Speed of Answer (ASA), Average Handle Time (AHT), and various Quality metrics. In addition, AM has been working with the Joint Operations Center to come up with an overall Customer Response Rate (CRR) that combines the new ASR (LOS + Live Chats) with “paper” cases that are customer-driven including Individual Masterfile/Business Masterfile adjustments, Identity Theft, Refund Inquiry, Centralized Authorization File/Reporting Agents File, Employee Identification Number, and miscellaneous. The annual receipts for these paper programs are added to the calls/live chats received, and the annual closures are added to the calls/live chats answered to provide an overall percentage of taxpayer inquiries resolved. After additional review and approval by IRS leadership, the CRR is scheduled to be implemented by October 1, 2026.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: Accounts Management (AM) has already replaced the Level of Service (LOS) metric with the Assistor Service Rate (ASR), implemented on January 26, 2026. We also have other metrics already in place including Average Speed of Answer (ASA), Average Handle Time (AHT), and various Quality metrics. In addition, AM has been working with the Joint Operations Center to come up with an overall Customer Response Rate (CRR) that combines the new ASR (LOS + Live Chats) with “paper” cases that are customer-driven including Individual Masterfile/Business Masterfile adjustments, Identity Theft, Refund Inquiry, Centralized Authorization File/Reporting Agents File, Employee Identification Number, and miscellaneous. The annual receipts for these paper programs are added to the calls/live chats received, and the annual closures are added to the calls/live chats answered to provide an overall percentage of taxpayer inquiries resolved. After additional review and approval by IRS leadership, the CRR is scheduled to be implemented by October 1, 2026.

TAS RESPONSE: The new CRR measure has the potential to fully address the recommendation; however, it must include qualitative aspects that measure whether the taxpayer’s issue was resolved. Outcome-based measurements must capture more than merely whether the taxpayer was able to communicate with a live agent, voicebot, or chatbot; they must capture the quality of service provided to the taxpayer.

ADOPTED, PARTIALLY ADOPTED or NOT ADOPTED: Partially Adopted

OPEN or CLOSED: Open

DUE DATE FOR ACTION (if left open):10/01/2026

IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: The IRS currently tracks call abandons and maintains data on both primary and secondary abandons. Primary abandons occur where a taxpayer disconnects before selecting an option and being placed in queue for a representative. The IRS also tracks secondary abandons, which occur after a selection is made, the caller was waiting for a CSR but hangs up prior to getting connected to the CSR.

However, while the IRS captures data on these events, it does not have the technological capability to reliably determine the specific cause of a disconnection during a live assist interaction—such as whether the call was terminated by the taxpayer, the CSR, or due to a technical issue. As a result, the IRS is unable to systematically identify and analyze the reasons for these dropped calls without extensive manual review of call recordings, or technology that can scan and monitors vast volumes of contacts.

The IRS will continue to evaluate potential options to enhance visibility into call disconnections as technology and resources allow.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: N/A

TAS RESPONSE: To address the recommendation, the IRS should consider permitting a taxpayer at the beginning of the call to opt-in to a survey on their experience, including providing preferred follow-up contact information, and providing the caller the opportunity to complete a survey even if the call ends in a disconnect.

ADOPTED, PARTIALLY ADOPTED or NOT ADOPTED: Not Adopted

OPEN or CLOSED: Closed

DUE DATE FOR ACTION (if left open): N/A

IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: The IRS currently captures taxpayer feedback through existing post-call survey processes, where a statistically valid sample of individual and business taxpayers are invited to provide feedback at the conclusion of their interaction. These surveys collect information on the quality of service and actions taken during the call.

The IRS will study how to improve taxpayers’ ability to submit feedback and evaluate options to enhance digital feedback capabilities, including the potential development or expansion of an online submission tool. The IRS cannot commit to implementing a standalone online submission tool by the end of FY 2026 but will continue to assess feasible improvements to the taxpayer feedback experience, dependent on resources and funding.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: The IRS will study how to improve taxpayers’ ability to submit feedback and evaluate options to enhance digital feedback capabilities, including the potential development or expansion of an online submission tool. The IRS cannot commit to implementing a standalone online submission tool by the end of FY 2026 but will continue to assess feasible improvements to the taxpayer feedback experience, dependent on resources and funding.

TAS RESPONSE: The current post-call survey process does not capture some types of taxpayer interactions, particularly unsuccessful ones. An online submission tool would be another opportunity for capturing feedback from taxpayers whose interaction ended via a disconnect, or whose call was not successfully routed to the appropriate type of assistance. Those types of interactions represent an important part of the taxpayer experience with the IRS and must be measured to provide an accurate picture of how well the IRS is serving taxpayers.

ADOPTED, PARTIALLY ADOPTED or NOT ADOPTED: Partially Adopted

OPEN or CLOSED: Open

DUE DATE FOR ACTION (if left open): Ongoing

IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: ​The IRS already collects data from surveys from the chatbot and voicebot experience. At the end of chatbots there is a link provided or while using voicebot there is an option to complete a survey. Both surveys ask if the taxpayer was satisfied with the IRS Automated Chatbot/Voicebot, the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot was easy to use, the IRS automated Chatbot/Voicebot helped me with my issue and then allows the taxpayer to leave comments on what they liked or disliked about the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: The IRS already collects data from surveys from the chatbot and voicebot experience. At the end of chatbots there is a link provided or while using voicebot there is an option to complete a survey. Both surveys ask if the taxpayer was satisfied with the IRS Automated Chatbot/Voicebot, the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot was easy to use, the IRS automated Chatbot/Voicebot helped me with my issue and then allows the taxpayer to leave comments on what they liked or disliked about the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot.The IRS already collects data from surveys from the chatbot and voicebot experience. At the end of chatbots there is a link provided or while using voicebot there is an option to complete a survey. Both surveys ask if the taxpayer was satisfied with the IRS Automated Chatbot/Voicebot, the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot was easy to use, the IRS automated Chatbot/Voicebot helped me with my issue and then allows the taxpayer to leave comments on what they liked or disliked about the IRS Chatbot/Voicebot.

TAS RESPONSE: Surveying users to only measure satisfaction limits the usefulness of the data collected. More robust data collection is necessary to identify the root cause of interactions that fall short of the taxpayer’s expectations, leave the taxpayer feeling dissatisfied, or fail to resolve the taxpayer’s issue. Adopting a metric that measures the quality of service provided will allow the IRS to better identify opportunities to improve the taxpayer experience when interacting with voicebots and chatbots.

ADOPTED, PARTIALLY ADOPTED or NOT ADOPTED: Partially Adopted

OPEN or CLOSED: Closed

DUE DATE FOR ACTION (if left open): N/A

IRS RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: The IRS has taken significant steps toward enhancing employee access to integrated taxpayer data and research tools. Deployment of the Taxpayer 360 (TP360) Research Companion was completed for all Accounts Management Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), Lead CSRs, and IMF/BMF Customer Experience Representatives (CERs) as of February 16, 2026. Access was subsequently extended to CSR Frontline Managers on February 27, 2026, ensuring that both assistors and their leadership have consistent visibility into the same integrated taxpayer information and research capabilities. The TP360 Research Companion will improve the accuracy and timeliness of responses to taxpayer inquiries. This deployment supports the IRS’s broader modernization goals by streamlining workflows and enhancing the employee experience.

The team is building additional capabilities to include call management, disclosure, the ability to view select scanned images, and capture call notes within the TP360 platform. These capabilities will be rolled out to a small subset of users throughout 2026 based on organizational readiness including user, operational and technical performance metrics. In addition, integration with the Finesse telephone platform and the Accounts Management Services (AMS) system will further strengthen operational efficiency. These integrations allow for improved call handling, better alignment of taxpayer account data with live interactions, and more seamless case documentation.

Together, these capabilities reduce handling time, minimize the need for duplicate data entry, and support more effective resolution of taxpayer issues during initial contact.

The IRS will continue to monitor system performance, gather user feedback, and implement iterative improvements to ensure TP360 and its associated integrations deliver sustained value and align with evolving service needs.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: The IRS has taken significant steps toward enhancing employee access to integrated taxpayer data and research tools. Deployment of the Taxpayer 360 (TP360) Research Companion was completed for all Accounts Management Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), Lead CSRs, and IMF/BMF Customer Experience Representatives (CERs) as of February 16, 2026. Access was subsequently extended to CSR Frontline Managers on February 27, 2026, ensuring that both assistors and their leadership have consistent visibility into the same integrated taxpayer information and research capabilities.

The IRS will continue to monitor system performance, gather user feedback, and implement iterative improvements to ensure TP360 and its associated integrations deliver sustained value and align with evolving service needs.

The IRS has taken significant steps toward enhancing employee access to integrated taxpayer data and research tools. Deployment of the Taxpayer 360 (TP360) Research Companion was completed for all Accounts Management Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), Lead CSRs, and IMF/BMF Customer Experience Representatives (CERs) as of February 16, 2026. Access was subsequently extended to CSR Frontline Managers on February 27, 2026, ensuring that both assistors and their leadership have consistent visibility into the same integrated taxpayer information and research capabilities.

The IRS will continue to monitor system performance, gather user feedback, and implement iterative improvements to ensure TP360 and its associated integrations deliver sustained value and align with evolving service needs.

TAS RESPONSE: The IRS’s planned actions will fully implement the recommendation.

ADOPTED, PARTIALLY ADOPTED or NOT ADOPTED: Adopted

OPEN or CLOSED: Closed

DUE DATE FOR ACTION (if left open): N/A