ATO in race to update communication channels
The ATO's chief information officer, Bill Gibson, speaking at the Optus Vision 2013 event last week, said the Tax Office wanted to have an "agnostic" channel strategy, with taxpayer interactions possible on any device at any time. Some services would be available in three, others in up to nine months, he said.
"We are running at about 1000 miles an hour in mobile and things around online channels and how you converge and unify them. I have a large group of people that is flat out doing the things that we will make visible over the next nine months."
Mr Gibson said the ATO had been working for several years towards being able to offer taxpayers more options for dealing with it.
"For the last six years we have been getting our back office in order because for us to be able to offer online services to all taxpayers we have to have the back-end systems supporting them. The front end can then become more agile and responsive.
"We might not hit the mark initially but one of the other things we are looking for is feedback."
The ATO's current contact channels - face-to-face, phone, paper and online - are all managed separately, but "the intention with our new channel strategy is that we have one unified approach across these four channels," Mr Gibson said.
The new strategy includes a radical revision of the ATO's website set to go live on July 1. "For example, if you are an individual and you go online and identify yourself as an individual we should be setting the page so the things on it are the things that you need, instead of having a table of contents for the whole tax system, which is what the current ato.gov site looks like."
Catriona Wallace, head of customer experience consultancy Fifth Quadrant, described the Tax Office's approach as an omnichannel contact strategy, "a process whereby a consistent customer and brand experience is delivered to whichever channel the customer is interacting with".
Social networks had been expected to feature prominently in omnichannel contact strategies but Ms Wallace said this was proving not be to the case.
"We see that investment in social media has plateaued and that most investment is now going into mobility because we are seeing 100 per cent growth in the use of mobiles."
The author attended the Optus event in Sydney as a guest of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is restructuring its taxpayer communications to create a unified, device-agnostic experience so people can interact on any device at any time. For everyday investors this means clearer, more convenient access to tax information and services—whether you need to check a tax record, lodge information or get guidance—across mobile, phone, face-to-face, paper and online channels.
The article says the ATO planned a radical revision of its website to go live on July 1, with other services rolling out at different speeds. Some services were expected within about three months, while others could take up to nine months as the Tax Office converged and unified its channels.
An omnichannel contact strategy means the ATO aims to provide a consistent customer experience across all channels—face-to-face, phone, paper and online—so whichever way you contact them the interaction feels coherent. For taxpayers and investors this should reduce duplication, make information more relevant to your situation, and make switching between channels smoother.
The revised site is intended to be more personalised: if you identify yourself as an individual, the site will prioritise the information and tools relevant to individuals rather than presenting a table of contents for the whole tax system. That should make it quicker to find tax guidance, forms and services that matter to personal investors.
According to the article, the ATO is prioritising mobility over social media. Catriona Wallace noted that investment in social media has plateaued while mobile use is growing rapidly, and the ATO's channel strategy is focusing heavily on mobile access and online channels as key ways taxpayers interact.
The ATO has spent several years getting its back office in order because reliable back-end systems are required to support expanded online services. With stronger back-end systems, the front-end (website and channels) can become more agile and responsive, enabling smoother, more reliable service for taxpayers and investors.
The ATO indicated that rollout times vary—some services could be available in around three months, others up to nine months. Officials said they may not get everything perfect initially and are explicitly looking for taxpayer feedback to help refine services as they are made visible over the rollout period.
The ATO's chief information officer Bill Gibson spoke about the channel strategy at the Optus Vision 2013 event, which the article's author attended as a guest of Optus. Catriona Wallace, head of customer experience consultancy Fifth Quadrant, commented on the ATO's omnichannel approach and trends showing growing investment in mobile over social media.
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