Omichannel Contact Center Services help NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Reach more than 700,000 New City Residents in an 8-week Free Tax preparation services campaign via live calls, robocalls and self-service text messaging.

 

Customer Name:                  New York City Department of Consumer Affairs

Industry:                                 Local Government

Headquarters:                       New York, NY

 

Business Results

• Nearly $250 million in tax refunds and free tax preparation savings were funneled into the pockets of low-income families in the City.
• NYC DCA expanded the base of New Yorkers who use their services.
• Taxpayers using self-service tools decrease the volume of calls to the NYC 311 and the DCA.

 

Business Challenge

Each year, New Yorkers – especially those in low-income households – forfeit unclaimed Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC). Corporate sponsors partnered with the de Blasio Administration to combat poverty by educating low-income residents about the free tax prep services and EITC.

 

In most cases, the funds were unclaimed because either the tax filer or preparer was unaware of an entitlement to Federal Earned Income Credit tax reliefs. Furthermore, New Yorkers are often charged exorbitant professional tax preparation fees. As a solution, the Administration created a special fund to set up free tax preparation sites, staffed with highly-qualified tax preparers. The NYC DCA embarked upon a major campaign to broadcast the free service and opportunity to receive a substantial credit.

 

Solution

The New City DCA contracted Serenport Information Technology and engaged the omichannel contact center as a major advertising platform. Serenport devised a robust digital tactic whereby a person could call NYC 311 or visit a website URL. After the initial contact was made, Serenport would send an SMS text back to that person’s mobile phone. It would contain a short URL with the location of the closest tax prep service, along with a longer URL with a Google map.

 

Second, Serenport created call-to-action advertising posters that were displayed in targeted communities, busy transit ways and terminals. The message was simple: “Text your NYC ZIP code to 99267 for the closest free tax preparation site.” They were advised that their action would trigger an automatic response with the necessary information. Tax filers were also able to opt-in to receive a reminder in the coming year about the service.

 

Results

NYC DCA helped low-income households gain access to funds they probably would not have had. The DCA commissioner estimates that each low-income household received approximately $2,500 from tax credits, and also saved about $250 in tax prep savings.

 

NYC DCA list of contacts for the annual EITC and Free Tax Preparation campaign grew exponentially, and projects continuous growth.