California BOE Extends Call Center Hours to Handle Volume Influx

The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) has announced that it plans to extend its Taxpayer Information Call Center operating hours from October 14-30. This extension is being positioned as part of the effort to reduce wait times and better help taxpayers during peak return filing periods.


The extended hours are to be set from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On October 31, Call Center representatives will take calls until midnight. Depending on the volume of calls received, hours may be extended even further.

The BOE has established its commitment to helping all California businesses and individuals to comply with the state’s complex and changing tax laws. The organization offers a full range of services tailored specifically to the diverse needs of the state’s businesses.

 

Normal Call Center operating hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), excluding state holidays.

The Call Center handles more than 400,000 calls per year from taxpayers, tax practitioners, and the general public. The center had a wake-up call in July. A recent quarterly return peak period, Call Center representatives handled more than 45,146 phone calls, which is an 11 percent increase over July 2007.

Customer service representatives spend their time helping taxpayers with diverse questions regarding efiling, registration, return preparation, the Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program, tax exemptions and other BOE related questions.

The BOE is currently focusing on transitioning paper return filers to efiling as taxpayers were informed that they will no longer receive paper returns from BOE, effective with returns due in October.

This change has increased the number of calls. As a result, at times, taxpayers hear a busy signal instead of getting the immediate assistance they need. Call Center representatives offer individualized assistance to taxpayers to aid in the transition.

Some calls can be several minutes long and cause longer wait times for other callers. With the extended hours, more Call Center representatives will be available to answer phone inquiries.

Callers generally experience the shortest wait times from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. each day. The highest volume is generally found to be between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. The last week of the month appears to have the highest average volume of calls, creating longer wait times for callers.

The BOE has done well to recognize the challenges that they encounter on a daily basis, as well as the anticipated rush now that taxpayers are being required to transition to efiling status. By extending hours and ensuring that every customer can be helped, the organization is working to create a better customer perception and greater satisfaction overall.