GTSC IRS Day 2019 - Online Services at IRS - Maria Cheeks, Acting Director, Online Engagement, Operations and Media, IRS

1. Office of Online Services
IRS Day
May 2019
Discussion document

2. Online Services (OLS) Vision and Mission
Our vision is to “continuously
innovate to transform the taxpayer
experience.”
Our mission is to “advocate for
customers and drive digital
transformation by aligning people and
processes.”
IRS | Office of Online Services 2

3. OLS helps shape service-wide digital and
customer experience strategies
Key leaders include but not limited to:
 W&I (Submission Processing, Accounts Management, EPSS, JOC, RICS)
 SBSE (Exam and Collection)
 OLS (OEOM, Product Management, UXD)
 IT (EOPS:ETI, EPMO: WebApps, AD: Customer Service, Cyber: eAuth)
Customer Experience Strategy
IRS’s customer experience (CX) is a result of the collective efforts of many
organizations, and comprises much of the mission statement and strategic plan
OLS Strategy
OLS influences, and is influenced by, both the digital and
CX strategies. We study customer needs, collaborate to
improve experiences, and facilitate business transformation.
Digital Strategy
IRS’s digital strategy is a subset of the customer experience,
and is a result of the collective efforts of many organizations
3

4. OLS supports the digital experience across a
variety of customer touchpoints
4
 Content and publishing
 Information architecture
 Web Content Management System operations, enhancements, and search
IRS.gov
 Portal business operations
 IRS.gov helpdesk
 Modernization, enhancement, O&M for legacy applications
Portals
 Product Management
 Integrated product vision
Web Apps and IRS2Go
 User research
 Analytics
 Customer Experience surveys
 Design standards
 Prototypes and concepts
Shared Services

5. IRS.gov is our most public face
KEY FEATURES
 Scalable and cloud based
 Usable on any mobile device
 Streamlined content and production
609
MILLION
VISITORS
An increase of 23% over FY17 and comprised of 48% traffic from mobile devices
FY18 METRICS
3.2
5
IRS.gov communicates information from every IRS business unit; hosts over 125,000
webpages, publications, and other content items; and provides over 100 tools, calculators,
and services for taxpayers, businesses, charities, and tax professionals.
BILLION
PAGE VIEWS
Top 10 Pages by Views
/forms-instructions 49.20M
/direct-pay 22.86M
/irs-withholding-calculator 13.57M
/online-payment-agreement-
application 13.16M
/employer-id-numbers 7.53M
/payment-plans-installment-
agreements 4.77M
/get-an-identity-protection-pin 3.25M
/free-file-everyone-can-file-an-
extension-for-free 3.02M
/refund-timing 2.92M
/about-form-w9 2.33M
Date Range: 10/1/2017-10/1/2018

6. Account is already a critical service channel
KEY FEATURES
 View cumulative balance due
 Access payment options
 Access key tax record information
2
MILLION
UNIQUE
USERS
Users established 19.7% of all online payment agreements through online account
Through nearly
581,000 Direct
Pay Transactions
in FY18
FY18 METRICS
$1.8BSUBMITTED
6
Research showed that taxpayers desire a self-service way to access account information,
address outstanding tax, penalty and interest balances, and confirm that actions are
reflected on their tax account.

7. IRS2Go offers key services in a flash
KEY FEATURES
 Check status of tax refund
 Easy access to mobile-friendly payment options
 Generate codes for certain IRS online services
8.5
MILLION
ACTIVE
USERS
1.5 million visits to mobile-friendly payment options and free tax help tools
Million completed
refund status
inquires
FY18 METRICS
118.2
7
Every year, millions of taxpayers quickly access Where’s my Refund, payment options,
security codes, and other common services on their mobile device. A mobile app allows
taxpayers to easily access services on-the-go, enabling voluntary compliance with
payments and keeping taxpayers informed.

8. Customer experience expectations are growing
as demonstrated by recent developments
IRS | Office of Online Services 8
External Influences
21st Century
IDEA
Sets minimum standards for accessibility, ease of use, and security of
government websites or digital services and asks agencies to identify services
that could be provided through digital means.
Taxpayer First
Act
(Passed H.R.)
This bill modifies requirements for the IRS regarding its organizational structure,
customer service, enforcement procedures, management of information
technology, and use of electronic systems.
President’s
Management
Agenda –
CAP Goal 4
This Cross-Agency Priority Goal, “Managing Customer Experience and
Improving Service Delivery,” calls upon Federal agencies to improve the
Customer Experience of Federal programs. In particular, it demands more timely
adoption of customer experience activities by designated High-Impact Service
Providers, including the IRS.
Foundations for
Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act
Among a number of provisions, the Act calls for the creation of an agency Chief
Data Officer, requires federal agencies to look at ways to enhance data privacy,
and generally encourages federal data to be made more readily available.
Each of these directives emphasizes
transparency and an improved experience;
together they demand new ways of working

9. OLS has been working with its partners to help
IRS become more responsive to expectations
9
Modern Content
Publishing Platform
Analytics &
Measurement
Integrated Products
& Services
Improved
Content
“Digital First”
Culture & Processes
Secure Authentication
& Authorization
Design & User
Experience

10. Integrated Customer Experience Areas
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A unified service providing individual taxpayers on-demand, self-
service options to increase compliance and meet tax-related needs
Account
A secure online self-service portal where tax professionals can
manage authority relationships with their clients, access information,
and represent clients with IRS
Tax Professional Account
Digital services related to securing access to tax data, tax filings, and
identity theft.
Security
A cohesive digital experience for taxpayers and representatives to
make, schedule, and revise payments to the IRS.
Payments
Enable taxpayers to access and understand their tax records and
information via self-service
Tax Records
Secure digital services allowing taxpayers to communicate with the
IRS to increase compliance and meet their tax-related needs
Taxpayer
Communications