Business News
HMRC scales back helpline service
Following a ‘realignment’ of its contact centre’s opening hours, HMRC has made the decision to scale back its helpline service.
From November 29th 2010, HMRC’s tax helpline will no longer be open on Sundays, due to weekend staff being redeployed to support current staff during peak times during the rest of the week.
HMRC claims that the changes will enable the centre to offer a more effective helpline service during busier weekdays, thereby resulting in shorter waiting times for callers.
Callers will see no change to the normal Monday to Friday opening hours (8am – 8pm).
However, the Revenue’s telephone helpline service on Saturdays will also be reduced from the end of November, with opening hours changing from 8am – 8pm to 8am – 4pm.
A spokesman for HMRC commented: 'After consulting widely, we have redeployed our Sunday contact centre staff to the busiest periods during the week, driving down waiting times and providing a more effective service when our customers need it most.
'This does not reduce the number of advisers answering calls. We have simply moved staff from quiet periods to busier ones, enabling us to answer an additional 1.7m calls during peak times.'
However, some experts have warned that a reduced weekend helpline may make it more difficult for those working during the week to access the service.
