IRD call centre performance a disgrace

Massive redundancies at the IRD have taken a huge toll on frontline customer service and the economy will be suffering as a result, Labour’s State Services spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“The IRD plays a critical role in maintaining the overall health of the economy and yet we’ve got people waiting for hours to have their calls answered, with many giving up completely.

“In the past four years the IRD has dished out over $31 million in redundancy payments. Clearly that’s having an impact on its customer service record, particularly in the regions,” Chris Hipkins said.

“IRD’s call centre performance is a disgrace. Statistics I’m releasing today show that people are waiting for two and a half hours just to have their phone calls answered. It’s just not good enough.

“This Government is always talking about productivity, but how does having people waiting for hours on end to speak to the IRD help with that? Millions of dollars are being lost every day as Kiwis sit around waiting for the IRD to pick up the phone.

“Increasing numbers of Kiwis are getting so frustrated they’re just giving up completely. Last year over one million people hung up before their call had been answered. A further 260,000 gave up after being placed on hold.

“IRD’s job cull is also having a big impact on regional New Zealand with over 360 jobs being cut in provincial towns and cities.

“Under National we’re seeing a lot of public services centralised in Wellington. This Government is hollowing out our regional towns and cities. It’s no wonder so many Kiwis from provincial areas are heading over to Australia,” Chris Hipkins said.