Tax Administration: IRS' Telephone Routing Interactive System May Not Meet Expectations

Highlights

GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) efforts to develop and implement its Telephone Routing Interactive System (TRIS), focusing on: (1) taxpayers' use of TRIS applications; and (2) TRIS' expected benefits as presented in IRS' business case.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Internal Revenue Service	The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should devise a plan to reassess TRIS and its role in improving taxpayer service. The plan should include: (1) an analysis of the services taxpayers need, want, and will use; (2) an assessment of why taxpayers are not using the existing TRIS applications; and (3) a reevaluation of the costs and benefits of TRIS.	Closed – Implemented Consistent with the recommendations, IRS contracted for an independent assessment of TRIS that will address such issues as: (1) appropriateness of services/options provided customers; (2) user friendliness of services offered; (3) ability of applications to serve expanding audiences; (4) abandoned calls; and (5) whether current and planned applications are those that can serve the greatest number of customers willing to use automated telephone services.
Internal Revenue Service	The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should delay development and implementation of any additional interactive applications until the reassessment is completed.	Closed – Implemented As GAO recommended, IRS delayed its development and implementation of new applications. In providing oral comments on this report, IRS told GAO that no additional development of interactive applications would take place until IRS hired a modernization contractor.

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