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Quality in Student Financial Aid Programs A New Approach (1993) / Chapter Skim
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B The Taxpayer as Customer
Pages 194-196

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 194...
... Hence, with rare exceptions, there has historically been very little market pressure to build a customer focus into governmental operations. However, as agencies come under tighter fiscal constraints and closer scrutiny by Congress and the media, there is increasing interest in the quality movement (with its potential productivity gains)
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From page 195...
... The training that customer assistance staff receive includes a heavy emphasis on the importance of the taxpayer as the customer and customer-contact standards and skills, in addition to basic training in tax law, as needed. Customer-contact standards are considered a critical element in effective job performance, and employees are monitored against the standards by managers as part of performance assessments and by quality reviewers to identify areas where additional training or job aids may be needed.
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From page 196...
... The test-call program for measuring the accuracy of the IRS telephone assistance service is an example of a measurement system designed to meet upper management's need for data to inform resource allocation and largescale system management. Data are generated weekly at a level of detail adequate to provide overall accuracy rates by call site and by area of tax law nationally.
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Key Terms

  • service division
  • customer service
  • tax returns
  • accuracy rates
  • tax law

  • overall accuracy
  • statistical management
  • improvement efforts
  • assistance service
  • telephone assistance

  • customer focus
  • quality movement
  • receive includes
  • assistance staff
  • allows monitoring

  • local management
  • irs telephone
  • overall governmental
  • little direct
  • increased attention

  • provide feedback
  • accuracy trends
  • test question
  • distributing tax
  • separate structure

  • critical element
  • operating outreach
  • fiscal constraints
  • governmental operations
  • budget process


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