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Preparing External Clients for Changes to Your E-Portal – Wisconsin’s Experience

Vicki Gibbons & Ellen Hefty Wisconsin

Department of Revenue August 14, 2011

History Lesson

•  SIP (Sales Tax Internet Program) – DOR’s first sales tax return e-file

application –  Implemented -1999 – Original returns only – 35,000 returns received per month – SIP Suspension rate - 3% – All return suspension rate 15%

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History Lesson

•  Corresponding E-Pay Application – Mandatory for limited taxpayers – 56,000 payments per month – 90% of payments were withholding – DOR incurred a per transaction bank fee

History Lesson

•  2009 - My Tax Account (MTA) – GenTax TAP module configured for WI

– Small external group asked to test

–  Implemented February 2, 2009

– Business taxes only - over 200,000 accounts

– Started with sales and withholding and expanded to remainder of tax types

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History Lesson

•  2009 - My Tax Account (MTA) – Publicity through external publications,

presentations, and press releases

– Substantial training limited to business customer service reps

– Mandated e-filing and payment to monthly filers at the time of rollout

2009 – My Tax Account

•  Highlights – Allow file and pay for sales tax and other

business taxes

– Replaced bank EFT – no more fees

– Averaged 60,000 returns per month

– E-file users doubled

– Suspension rate around 3%

– Overall suspension rate 6%

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•  Improved Offerings – Pay-only accounts

o  MeF the primary return source

– Mail access

– Electronic web messages

– Wage certification payments and employee maintenance

– State-wide debt collection portal

2009 - My Tax Account

•  Immediate Feedback – State-wide registration too difficult (two-

step process)

– Not intuitive o  Look-alike forms previously

o  Withholding combined file and pay

o  Too much new at one time

– Not enough instructions / instructions too difficult

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•  Lessons Learned – Timing is everything – roll out at your slowest

time of the year for all tax types –  Listen to your customers and customer

service representatives – and act accordingly – Practitioner needs are different than business

owners and employees

– Don’t assume tax administrators and programmers know what customers want or need


•  Lessons Learned – Training is everything – multiple options

prior to roll-out, during rollout, and with each subsequent filing frequency

– Overstaff for customer contacts – borrow staff, cross train, provide help and instructions in multiple forms

– Assume most customers won’t participate until their due date or shortly before regardless of notice

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•  Check-Back (PDCA) – Customer contacts summarized

– Surveyed 20,000 users o  4,400 responses received

– Practitioner meetings

–  Internal discussions


•  Strategic Direction – Access to registered MTA functions

o  Businesses only

o  External integration

– Access to non-registered MTA functions o  Individuals – different needs

o  Inquiries, one-time events

– Balance security with ease of use

– Combined launch page

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•  MTA Launch Page


•  Additional Services – Appeals

– Business registration

– Claims for refund

– New corporation questionnaire

–  Improved wage certification functionality

–  Improved state-wide debt collection

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•  Help Tools – Filing tips on data entry screens – Links to existing web pages – Pop-up bubbles – Messages at top and bottom of screen – Error messages using color and tip text – Visually impaired tags – FAQs for using application and tax issues


•  MTA Help Tools

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•  Communications – External presentations

– Other stakeholders (legislators, etc.)

– MTA and web teasers (more later)

– Training invitations

–  Internal announcements and timelines

– Follow-up survey


•  Training – Live webinars

o  Monthly filers first – 90 minutes – 2,000 attendees

o  Quarterly next – 500 attendees

– Posted webinars on DOR website

– How-to videos

– External presentations

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•  MTA Overview Video


•  The Good –  “I love the new system, I cannot believe

how easy it is to use”

–  “Site is GREATLY IMPROVED, good work!!”

–  “Thanks for the update to your site. It took me 1 minute and absolutely no thinking to file and pay my monthly payroll taxes. Very successful upgrade!”

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•  The Ugly –  “Again, it appears the state implemented

changes for their own benefit only and ignored the needs of the taxpayers and the public users of the my tax account system.”

–  “This revision is ten times worse than the previous version that I think was clunky all by itself.”


•  Browser Information –  Internet Explorer 8/9 – 56%

–  Internet Explorer 7 – 17%

–  Internet Explorer 6 – 6%

– Firefox and Chrome – 11%

–  iPad and iPhone; AOL; Linux - < 1%

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•  Web Messaging –  Initially communicated legislative changes – Expanded to reminders

o  Pre-filing; late filing history and annuals o  No return post-due, but before estimate o  Filing frequency changes

– Considerations o  Government spam o  Third parties o  Opt in/opt out


•  Web Messaging –  Increased timely return filing

o  Pre due date notice

o  Annual change in filing frequency

– Reduced nonfiler estimates by 30%

– Promoted self-service account inactivation

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•  Benefits to WI DOR –  Reduction in data entry and account maintenance

–  Customers more self sufficient

–  Automated work flow (appeals, etc.)

•  Benefits to the Customers –  Actions confirmed

–  DOR contact avoided with more self-service tools

–  Increased awareness of balances

–  Reduced post-filing adjustments

Final Thoughts

•  You can’t make everyone happy

•  Workload is reduced or shifted

•  Manage frequency of changes

•  Screen consistency •  Simple language

•  Listen to your customer service reps

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Final Thoughts

•  System decisions - balance risk and impact

•  New functionality breeds new ideas – what can I do better/easier

•  Continuous improvement •  E-Portal development and expansion –

your customer will thank you for it … eventually

Questions?

•  Contact information: – Vicki Gibbons

o  Wisconsin Department of Revenue

o  608-266-3612

o  [email protected]

– Ellen Hefty o  Wisconsin Department of Revenue

o  608-267-1040

o  [email protected]

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