Revenue agencies the world over are on a journey towards delivering public service for a digital future. To stay on route, it can be helpful to analyze the footprints of industries that are further down the track. Banks and insurers are particularly relevant, with many successfully using digital to improve customer loyalty, profitability and operational processes.

1. Revenue Agencies
Stepping in the Digital Footprints
of Banks and Insurers

2. 2
Revenue agencies the world over are on a journey towards delivering public service for a digital
future. To stay on route, it can be helpful to analyze the footprints of industries that are further
down the track. Banks and insurers are particularly relevant, with many successfully using digital
to improve customer loyalty, profitability and operational processes. They have also faced many
of the same challenges as revenue agencies, from the complexity of millions of transactions and
exchanges to a service model overly-reliant on call centers and offices.
The key difference at this point is how far financial services have already changed
the nature of their interactions with consumers: going deeper with online,
mobile and social, while transforming phone and branch services to
complement the digital mix and exceeding customer expectations across
a number of these metrics.¹
So what can revenue agencies learn from this experience?
Some of the key answers are in three trends shaping the financial
services industry and echoed in the revenue industry as confirmed
by Accenture’s 2015 Digital Taxpayers research.
Three trends to track from the progress
of the financial services industry

3. 3
With so much emphasis
on automation and self-
service, some revenue agency
leaders have assumed digital
transformation will result
in fewer interactions with
taxpayers. But the experience
from banking and insurance
shows the opposite is true
(Figure 1).
As services become more
streamlined, integrated and
personalized, agencies can
actually expect interactions
to rise. Why? Because better
services increase taxpayer
engagement as well as
demand for more new services,
boosting interactions.
1. Prepare for more (not less) interaction
Figure 1. Digital channels have significantly increased the number of overall banking interactions
20
15
10
5
0
25
How many times do you usually interact/get in touch with your main bank, on monthly basis, using the methods listed?
(Provide number of interactions)
Other digital banking** Telephone call centre Social media Branch
Mobile/tablet bankingCash machine/ATM Internet banking
*Base = 9,000 (Total retail banking respondents in 12 key markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, UK, US
** Other Digital Channels = Video chat and instant messaging
BrazilIndonesiaUSGermanyCanadaItalyUKFranceAustraliaSpainEmergingMatureTotal China
9
6
2
3
1
23
6
7
4
2
3
1
24
7
2
3
2
15
8
4
1
1
15
7
4
2
2
16
7
5
2
1
1
16
8
4
3
1
18
10
4
2
1
18
8
4
3
1
18
9
5
3
2
21
7
5
4
2
2
1
21
8
4
2
1
16
7
4
3
1
1
17
5
3
3
2
2
1
17

4. 4
A similar story is already
unfolding in the revenue
industry. Our research shows
that taxpayers who use digital
channels contact their agency
more often: 31 percent of digital
users contact their agency
more than three times a year,
versus 19 percent of non-digital
taxpayers. To cope, revenue
agencies should plan on a digital
service that can automate the
majority of simple interactions,
freeing staff for the high
value, high touch interactions
(see next trend. Today only 47
percent of taxpayers say they
use digital channels to manage
simple interactions and this
varies a lot from one country
to another (figure 2).
La Caixa, Spain’s third largest
financial services firm, has
developed a service called
Real Time Decision to improve
the customers’ interaction
with La Caixa’s Home Banking
service. The technology helps
consistently make the best
possible decisions in real time,
automatically and using self-
learning techniques, making
use of all the information
the bank has available on the
customer. The bank will offer
customers products that match
their interests on the basis of
real-time analysis.²
Figure 2. Taxpayers using a digital channel to manage simple
interactions by country
Source: Accenture Research Analysis; Accenture Taxpayer Survey
Sample: All respondents who have performed the task
ITUSUKIEESAUFRNZNLSGDKOverall DE
26%
34%
43%44%45%45%
56%57%58%
71%
76%
47%
24%

5. 5
Fewer than 2 out of the average 17
monthly customer interactions are branch visits.
Phone banking accounts for just 1 in 17
transactions.³
Accordingly, banks are turning many transactional
branch roles into multi-skilled advisory positions.
But 22 percentof banks believe they won’t
have the branch skills needed in coming years –
and this skills gap could be much higher.⁴
Digital banking services have
resulted in a steep decline in the
number of visits to branches.
Some in the banking industry
have seen this as the end for the
branch and phone workforce.
The reality, however, is that
while banking customers
choose mobile and online for
transactions and simple needs,
they still want high-touch, in-
person services for complex
needs such as buying a home.
The implications for the workforce
have been significant. Banks
are turning many transactional
roles at branches into multi-
skilled advisory positions. But
this isn’t an easy task. Some 22
percent of banks believe they
won’t have the branch skills
needed in coming years – early
indications are that the skills
gap could be much higher.⁵
Similarly, taxpayers will continue
to require support to handle
complex issues. Staff needs to be
acquired or developed to act more
as problem-solvers than process
facilitators. The lesson from
banking is to start planning early
to mitigate the risks of a similar
skills shortfall. Revenue agencies
will need multi-skilled, problem-
solving agents to manage the
compliance of taxpayers, and to
proactively engage with them.
Capital One, a major US financial
services firm, is augmenting its
branch network with Capital One
360 Cafés – community spaces
in which visitors can manage
their banking, meet with bank
associates, or enjoy coffee and
Wi-Fi. There is more banks can
learn from the likes of Apple
and Starbucks – especially with
the role of their employees.⁶
2. Plan for high touch / high value interactions

6. 6
Another trend from the financial
services industry is about first-
time resolution: more than
80 percent of consumers who
switched banks due to poor
service say they could have
been retained if their issue
had been resolved on their
first contact with the bank.⁷ Of
course, taxpayers can’t switch
revenue agencies. However,
taxpayers will quickly abandon
digital services unless they are
quick, easy and useful (figure 3).
First time resolution is crucial,
not only for simple automated
interaction but also for more
complex compliance issue,
and across any channel.
Remember that taxpayers are
not just like bank customers,
they are bank customers:
they expect a seamless user
experience across whichever
is their preferred channels.
The top reason taxpayers
give for choosing to phone
or visit their tax agency is
speed – 67 percent and 52
percent respectively believe
these traditional channels are
the fastest way to get the
information they need.⁸
Strong integration and high
personalization across channels
are key to ensuring taxpayers
have a seamless experience
and resolve issues in the most
cost effective way. Improving
the taxpayer experience is the
only route to higher taxpayer
satisfaction – something
revenue agencies know leads to
greater compliance.
In Italy, Allianz SE, the world’s
largest insurance company,⁹ has
launched ‘Allianz1’, which brings
all its services and options
together, allowing the freedom
to personalize policies on the
go.¹⁰ It has traditionally relied
on a large branch network, and
while Allianz1 means everything
can be done digitally, it has
not abandoned its physical
presence. Instead, its branches
have been reinvented, complete
with huge touchscreen tablets
and face-to-face expertise.¹¹
3. Meet customer expectations on first
time resolution, across any channel

7. 7
4 out of 10
taxpayers who phoned their revenue agency had
already tried to find the required information or
service online beforehand – but failed.
One third
of those who visited the revenue agency in
person had already tried to use digital services
beforehand but struggled with complexity.
Three-quarters
of taxpayers have visited their revenue
agency’s website, but less than half found
what they were looking for.
Figure 3. Reason for switching from digital to non-digital
channels when interacting with revenue agencies

8. 8
Mobile: the neglected channel
Figure 4. Interest in mobile access
Interest in using mobile devices
Source: Accenture Research Analysis; Accenture Taxpayer Survey
File your
tax return
45% 47%
Apply for
new taxes
or tax
deductions
52%
Resolve
an issue
you have
45%
Pay your
tax
50%
Access your
personal
account
details
52%
Access
online
services
requiring
log-in
55%
Find
information
on tax
obligations
and tax topics
Around half of taxpayers would like to use
their mobile devices for a broad range of tax
agency dealings.
But when asked about their satisfaction with
several aspects of digital self-service, mobile
access ranked lowest – fewer than
1 in 5 were very satisfied.¹²

9. 9
Taxpayers expect their interactions with tax agencies to mirror their experience
with other institutions, such as banks and insurance companies. Revenue
agencies can benefit from examining the financial services industry: these serve
as a guide to improving the taxpayer experience, and as an indicator of the
impact that digital can have on their organizations.
Accenture’s experience with its financial services clients shows that the digital
world will bring increased taxpayer interaction, expanded mobile services,
a focus on first time resolution, and a more highly-skilled workforce to
support high value / high touch exchanges. This will be tough to deliver
on, but getting this right will also achieve greater taxpayer certainty and
increased compliance. Personalized design services offer tremendous
scope to improve certainty. Add this to a seamless, omni-channel user
experience and compliance will certainly increase. To some, that is a
distant destination. But there are shortcuts on this journey – by following
the right footsteps revenue agencies can catch up sooner than anyone
expects and deliver public service for the future.

10. References
1. “FIS Consumer Banking PACE Index
2015”, Fidelity National Information
Services, 2015
2. “Banking Customer 2020”,
Accenture, July 2015
3. Ibid.
4. “Branching out: The case for the human
touch in banking”, Accenture, 2015
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. “Banking Customer 2020”, Accenture,
July 2015
8. Accenture Taxpayer Survey 2015
9. “The World’s Biggest Public
Companies,” 2015 Ranking, Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/global2000/
list/#industry:Diversified%20Insurance
10. Allianz, https://www.allianz.
com/en/press/allianz-journal/
edition-01-15/150201_have-a-nice-day
11. “Allianz’s Digitalization: Insuring For
the Future”, Handelsblatt, 9 March 2015
http://www.slideshare.net/decarlimarco/
allianz-brand-relationship-hub
12. Accenture Taxpayer Survey 2015
About the research
The Accenture Global Taxpayers Survey 2015
was conducted in June/July 2015 among
6,500 taxpayers aged 18+ who have contact
with the national revenue agency in their
country. The online survey was executed by
Market Knowledge Online (MKO) in twelve
countries: Australia, Denmark, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the U.K. and
the U.S. We surveyed 500 taxpayers in
each country, apart from in the U.S. where
the sample was 1,000. Respondents were
surveyed in their local languages, with
English used in Singapore. Respondents
included employees, retirees, the self-
employed, and small business owners.
Digital taxpayers: Taxpayers who had digital
contact with their tax agency in the last
12 months. This could be only digital contact
or a mix of digital and non-digital contact
Non-digital taxpayers: Taxpayers who have
only used non-digital channels to interact
with their tax agency in the last 12 months.
Contact
David Regan
Managing Director – Health & Public
Service, Revenue Industry Lead
david.regan@accenture.com
About Delivering Public
Service for the Future
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for taxpayers in a digital world – delivering
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