18/05/16
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 2
CONTENTS
Page
Summary of key results 3
Conclusions 6
Background and objectives 7
Overview of methodology 8
Wider perceptions 10
Satisfaction 15
Service commitments 15
Overview of satisfaction across channels 17
Service expectations 18
Inbound phone 20
Shopfront 29
Correspondence 33
Compliance activities 38
Digital experience 46
Appendix A: Sample profiles 65
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 3
SUMMARY OF KEY RESULTS A
IMM
ET
HO
D
The ATO’s Corporate Perceptions survey provides overall community measurements of the ATO’s reputation and the ATO’s service delivery performance. This report presents the annual 2015 results, with comparisons made with 2014 (the benchmark year) where relevant.
The ATO acts with integrity
64 71 7953 62 65
55 63 6851 60 69
54 5565
50 53 6143
54 54
GENERAL PUBLIC PERCPETIONS OF THE ATO HAVE WORSENED SINCE 2014 FOR THREE MEASURES, BUT CONTACT WITH THE ATO CONTINUES TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE WIDER PERCEPTIONS% agree (nett)
GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC
The ATO is technologically
up-to-date
The ATO is doing a
good job
The ATO is fair and professional in how it
administers the tax and Superannuation system
The ATO applies the tax and
superannuation law with certainty and consistency
The ATO is open and
accountable
If I provided feedback to the ATO, I think they
would be responsive
GP = General public community (451) BC = Business Community (451) RC = Recent Contact Customers (3,100)
The survey involved telephone interviews with 4,002 respondents. Fieldwork was conducted from 24 March 2015 to 22 January 2016 and covered customer interactions that occurred during the 2015 calendar year. Both customers who had a recent service experience with the ATO and the wider Australian general public and business communities were surveyed.
WID
ER
PE
RC
EP
TIO
NS
OV
ER
AL
L S
AT
ISF
AC
TIO
N
The ATO continued to be viewed most favourably in terms of acting with integrity and least favourably for being responsive to feedback. General public perceptions of the ATO declined since 2014 for three of the attributes. Recent contact with the ATO continued to have a positive influence on wider perceptions of the ATO (furtheranalysis indicates this was especially the case among individuals). More in-depth analysis also shows tax professionals’ perceptions of the ATO were weaker than other customer groups in some regards (i.e.technologically up-to-date, responsiveness to feedback, and being open and accountable), but they were at least as likely as other customer groups to view the ATO as acting with integrity.
Base: customers who have had recent contact with the ATO (ranges from 139 to 3,070)
74 76 75 73 74 67 70 72 69 85 77 75 7055
70 7753
77 67
THREE IN FOUR ATO CUSTOMERS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICE THEY RECEIVED
% satisfied
TOTAL(ATO
sample)
Individual Micro SME Large business
Tax agent
BAS agent
Inbound phone
Inbound corresp
Shop-front
Online Outbound phone
Audit Website Outbound letter
Outbound email
ATO app
SMS myGov
Significantly lower than total
Individuals
Overall satisfaction across all customer groups and channels combined (74% in 2015) was consistent with the 2014 result (76%). Satisfaction continued to be lowest for the ATO app and website, although the websiteachieved a six point increase (significant at the 90% confidence level). Tax agents were the least satisfied customer group.
Other analysis shows service expectations fell slightly in 2015 (59% had positive expectations of the service they would receive, a drop of three points since 2014).
Significant decrease since 2014
Significant change since 2014
51% among individuals/general
public (primary target)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 4
SE
RV
ICE
CO
MM
ITM
EN
TS
2015 ratings of the service commitments are on the whole consistent with the 2014 results.
Note, ratings for the attribute showing an annual decline (‘easy to meet my tax and Super obligations’) were not included in the first quarter of 2014. The 2015 quarterly results show that perceptions of this attribute are lower in the first quarter. When the 2015 first quarter results are removed from the annual calculation, there is no longer a significant difference between 2014 and 2015.
Knowledgeable in dealings with me*
Informed me of what I
needed to do*
Info sufficient to meet needs
Info I could rely on
Easy to meet my tax (and Super)
obligations
Time taken was acceptable
Kept informed about status/delays/issues*
Info I could understand
*These attributes were notasked of online customers
% Nett Agree (4-5) % Nett Disagree (1-2)Note: Ratings of ‘3’ or ‘don’t know’ not shown on chart
90%
80%
77%
77%
76%
75%73%
72%
68%
54%
53%
Treated respectfully and
courteously*
Easy to access info/service
ATO would be responsive to feedback
3%
8%
8%
11%
9%11%13%
15%
11%
19%
17%
Key shifts since 2014 Individuals’ perceptions of accessibility and a sense of being
treated fairly Tax professionals’ perceptions of staff taking responsibility to
resolve issues Business perceptions of timeliness and information
Base: inbound phone, inbound correspondence, shopfront, online, outbound phone, and audit (1,840-3,100)
OVERALL SATISFACTION
INB
OU
ND
PH
ON
E
61%55%
2014 2015
One contactCall resolution has worsened- In part due to more debt cases requiring multiple contacts
Most favourable perceptions• Treated respectfully and courteously• Treated fairly• Contact was in a way I wanted
Priorities for improvement• ATO took responsibility to solve issues• Easy to meet obligations• Individual circumstances taken into account• Time taken was acceptable• Easy to access services and information• Knowledgeable staff (tax professionals and businesses)• Improved information (large businesses and tax agents)
Key shifts since 2014 Individuals’ overall satisfaction Individuals’ perceptions of a tailored service, knowing what
to do, being treated fairly, information, and staff
OVERALL SATISFACTION
SH
OP
FR
ON
T
Most favourable perceptions• Treated respectfully and courteously• Treated fairly• Informed me of what I needed to do
Priorities for improvement• ATO took responsibility to solve issues• Easy to meet obligations• Individual circumstances taken into account• Knowledgeable staff and improved info (micro businesses)
2014 2015
One contact
56%68%
In 2015 individuals are more satisfied than businesses (76% vs 63%)
OVERALL SATISFACTION with inbound correspondence
CO
RR
ES
PO
ND
EN
CE
Most favourable perceptions (inbound correspondence)• Treated respectfully and courteously• Treated fairly
Priorities for improvement (inbound correspondence)• ATO took responsibility to solve issues• Reliable and sufficient information• Kept informed about status/delays• Knowledgeable staff (businesses)• Information I could understand (businesses)
Decline of 4 points since 2014, driven by individuals and general public
OVERALL SATISFACTION with outbound correspondence
72%
85%
69%
70%
Call resolution has improved- due to faster resolution of income tax queries, and fewer ABN or ABR queries among micro businesses
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 5
SMEs are most satisfied (81%)
70% OVERALL SATISFACTION
AU
DIT
S/R
EV
IEW
S
75% OVERALL SATISFACTION
OU
TB
OU
ND
PH
ON
E
Most favourable perceptions• Treated respectfully and courteously• Treated fairly• Fully informed of information needed to provide• Informed me of what I needed to do
Priorities for improvement• Clearly explaining process• ATO took responsibility to solve issues• Help taxpayer meet obligations• Kept informed about issues/status/delays• Individual circumstances taken into account• Sufficient, easily understood, and reliable information• Easy to understand rights and obligations• Time taken was acceptable• Knowledgeable staff
Most favourable perceptions• Treated respectfully and courteously• Treated fairly
77% OVERALL SATISFACTION
ON
LIN
E
(PO
RT
AL
)
55% OVERALL SATISFACTION
WE
BS
ITE
Most favourable perceptions• Available when needed• Accessible on preferred device• Knowing I could contact the ATO for help
Priorities for improvement• Well organised and easy to navigate• Easy to access information I needed• Information I could understand• Information sufficient to meet needs• Individual circumstances catered for• Time taken was acceptable
Key shifts since 2014 Ease of accessing on preferred device (all portal users) Online service available when needed (all portal users) Confident ATO received info (especially individuals) Confidence in system security (tax professionals)
Key shifts since 2014 Overall satisfaction across all website visitors
(significant at 90% confidence level) SME overall satisfaction Perceptions of information being sufficient to meet
taxpayer’s needs More website visitors said they had no problem with
the website
Priorities for improvement• ATO took responsibility to solve issues• Knowledgeable staff• Helping customer meet tax obligations• Ease of dealing with the ATO• Easy to understand rights and obligations
Most favourable perceptions• Confident system is secure• Confident the ATO received my info• Ease of access
Priorities for improvement• Well organised and easy to navigate site• Able to do what is needed in one visit• Information I could understand• Individual circumstances catered for
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 6
CONCLUSIONS
This section draws together key research conclusions and recommendations.
The ATO’s reputation and service delivery continues to be regarded favourably
In 2015, 74% of customers rated their service experience positively (compared to 76% in 2014). Further, across the two years of
this research most of the general public and business communities believed the ATO acted with integrity and did a good job.
All offline channels continue to meet the needs of most customers, but with some shifts in perceptions of the inbound phone
service evident since 2014
Satisfaction levels are highest for the shopfront service, and individuals’ experiences of the shopfront service have improved
since 2014.
Whilst the ATO’s inbound phone service continues to serve most taxpayers across all customer groups well, several declines are
evident. Call resolution has declined, as has individuals’ perceptions of the inbound phone service’s accessibility and fair
treatment of customers, and tax professionals’ perceptions of issue resolution. Conversely, businesses view the inbound phone
service’s timeliness and information more favourably than in 2014.
Opportunities to improve satisfaction with the inbound phone service centre on:
Issue resolution and improved information (the latter is especially key for tax professionals and large businesses)
Considering individual circumstances and making it easy for taxpayers to meet their obligations
Accessibility and timeliness
More knowledgeable staff – a lynchpin factor that underpins all of the drivers of satisfaction, but particularly for
businesses and tax professionals.
Portal services lead the ATO’s online channel offering, but with the website gaining ground since 2014
Portals continue to be the online channel viewed most favourably, while the ATO’s website and app continue to rate less well.
However, the performance of the ATO website has improved since 2014. Specifically:
Overall satisfaction with the website has risen, especially among SMEs
Fewer customers report problems with the website
Visitors are more likely to find sufficient information to meet their needs.
Opportunities to further enhance satisfaction with the website continue to mainly focus on:
Site organisation and navigation issues (which are closely linked to perceptions of accessibility and timeliness)
Sufficient information that is tailored to individual circumstances and easy to understand.
Building trust in, and the reputation of, the ATO is increasingly important to curtail declining general public perceptions and
support digital transformation
Despite fairly high levels of service delivery across 2014 and 2015, there is evidence of declining wider perceptions of the ATO
among the general public in regard to:
An overall sense that the ATO is doing a good job
Administering the tax and superannuation system in a fair and professional manner
Being technologically up-to-date.
ATO communications may have contributed to this, e.g. satisfaction with outbound correspondence has dropped among
individuals. However, the challenge is likely to predominantly lie with managing other conduits of influence that help shape
reputation, such as media and word of mouth. Looking ahead, the ATO’s greater focus on reducing tax avoidance among
multinationals and wealthy individuals may work favourably in this regard.
As customer interactions with the ATO move increasingly online, the importance of favourable wider perceptions rises. The
2014 customer satisfaction modelling work showed that wider views of the ATO’s integrity, fairness, and professionalism can
influence taxpayers’ experiences of digital services, e.g. trust levels in the reliability of the information.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 7
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The ATO commissioned Millward Brown to undertake a Corporate Perceptions survey focussing on enterprise wide issues
relating to the ATO as a government agency and administrator. The survey replaced a number of separate corporate perception
and satisfaction surveys and is designed to provide the ATO with a better evidence base for planning and reporting, including a
more sophisticated understanding of taxpayers.
Specifically, the survey is designed to provide overall community measurements of:
The ATO’s reputation
The ATO’s service delivery performance.
These measurements include external indicators of ATO performance as described by the ATO’s service commitments.
The survey has been conducted for two years. This report presents the 2015 annual results, with comparisons made to the 2014
(benchmark year) results where relevant.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 8
OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY
The 2015/2016 Corporate Perceptions survey involved telephone interviews with 4,002 respondents. The survey was
conducted in four waves, with fieldwork conducted monthly, as follows:
Quarter Fieldwork dates Period of service interactions covered
March quarter 2015 23 March – 24 April 2015 January – March 2015
June quarter 2015 11 May – 28 July 2015 April – June 2015
September quarter 2015 11 August – 23 October 2015 July – September 2015
December quarter 2015 10 November – 22 January 2016 October – December 2015
Annual period 23 March, 2015 – 22 January 2016 January – December 2015
Two broad groups are surveyed:
1. Customers who have had a recent service experience with the ATO (sourced from contact lists generated from ATO
business systems) via a range of channels
2. Wider Australian communities (the general public community and the business community) – representative samples of
these communities include both those who have and have not had a recent service experience with the ATO.
The table below shows the respondent profile for the annual sample along with maximum margins of error. These have been
calculated at the 95% confidence level and assume simple random sampling. They also assume a survey result of 50%. As a
survey result moves closer to 0% or 100%, the margin of error decreases.
Sample structure
Sample group Annual
n=
Maximum margin
of error (on YTD
sample)
Customers who have had a recent service experience (sourced from ATO
business systems) 3,100 +/-1.8%
CH
AN
NEL
Inbound phone 1,163 +/-2.9%
Shopfront 150 +/-8.0%
Inbound correspondence 229 +/-6.5%
Audit 159 +/-7.8%
Outbound phone 139 +/-8.3%
Online (Portal) 1,260 +/-2.8%
CU
STO
MER
GR
OU
P Individuals 1,001 +/-3.1%
Micro 834 +/-3.4%
SMEs 646 +/-3.9%
Large businesses 169 +/-7.5%
Tax agents 228 +/-6.5%
BAS agents 222 +/-6.6%
Wider Australian communities
General public community 451 +/-4.6%
Business community 451 +/-4.6%
Total number of interviews 4,002 NA
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 9
Respondents who have experienced additional channels – outbound correspondence, outbound email, SMS messages, ATO
mobile web applications, the ATO website, and myGov – were identified by asking respondents from the various sample groups
in the above table about their experiences with these channels.
Additional groups used in the analysis
Sample group Annual
n=
Maximum margin
of error (on YTD
sample)
Outbound letter (last 3 months) 2,320 +/-2.0%
Outbound email (last 3 months) 1,029 +/-3.1%
SMS message (last 3 months) 422 +/-4.8%
ATO mobile web application (ever) 207 +/-6.8%
ATO website* (last 3 months) 1,221 +/-2.8%
myGov (last 3 months) 442 +/-4.7%
*The online ATO sample group was not asked about visiting the website in the last 3 months as, by definition, they had had a recent online service (portal) experience with the ATO.
NOTES TO THE READER
Subgroup analysis
Detailed subgroup analysis was carried out for this report. Results pertaining to customer satisfaction were largely analysed by
customer group and channel. Results pertaining to wider community perceptions were analysed by customers who had a recent
service experience, and the community groups, as well as demographics and business characteristics within the respective
community groups.
Significant tests used in this report
Throughout this report, only statistically significant differences at the 95% confidence level between sub-groups of the survey
population are presented unless otherwise specified. Column proportion tests of difference were used for all subgroup analysis.
An overlap formula was also applied during analysis which accounts for respondents that fall into more than one column.
Weighting
Unweighted data has been used for the ATO sample group.
Interviews completed with the general public community group have been weighted by age and gender according to ABS 2011
census population characteristics.
Interviews completed with the business community group have been weighted by business size according to ABS 2012 business
population data.
Base sizes
Base sizes are shown in the tables and graphs in brackets and use unweighted data (as the statistical reliability of results is
determined by unweighted base sizes). The percentages in the tables and graphs use weighted data, where relevant, to ensure
the survey results are representative of the populations of interest.
Rolling averages
Rolling averages (also known as moving averages) are used for the ‘wider perceptions’ results to smooth out the volatility
between quarters in the results, which were caused by small sample sizes in the business community and general pubic
community results in particular. They are calculated in this report using the average (mean) of the data of the most recent two
quarters. Rolling averages have not been used elsewhere in the report as the satisfaction results are largely focussed on the
recent contact samples (which tend to be larger).
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 10
WIDER PERCEPTIONS
This section examines wider perceptions of the ATO among the following groups: all customers who have had recent contact
with the ATO (with results also presented separately for individuals, businesses, and tax professionals who have had recent
contact), the general public community, and the business community. The latter two groups may or may not have had recent
contact with the ATO.
WIDER PERCPEPTIONS OF THE ATO BY RECENT CONTACT GROUP ANDCOMMUNITY GROUPS Salient points from the findings presented in the two charts overleaf are:
Across all groups, the ATO was viewed most favourably in terms of acting with integrity and least favourably for being
responsive to feedback.
The general public community viewed the ATO least favourably (for five of the seven attributes their perceptions are
lower than general business community perceptions). This largely arose from declining general public perceptions since
2014, evident in the nett agree scores for three of the attributes.
Recent contact with the ATO clearly had a positive influence on wider perceptions of the ATO. Interestingly, individuals
who had had recent contact with the ATO viewed the ATO more positively in terms of doing a good job, being
technologically up-to-date, and responsive to feedback, than businesses and tax professionals who had had recent
contact.
Although tax professionals’ perceptions of the ATO were weak in some regards (i.e. technologically up-to-date,
responsiveness to feedback, and being open and accountable) they were at least as likely as other customer groups to
view the ATO as acting with integrity.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 11
D1: Now we have a question about your overall perceptions of the ATO. Please note that we are talking about how the ATO goes about its business and not about tax rates and tax laws. I’d like you to tell me how much you agree with each of these statements, using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree.
Community perceptions(%)
(1) Strongly disagree 2 4 (5) Strongly agree
IND - IndividualsBUS - BusinessesTAX – Tax/BAS agents
GP - General public communityBC - Business communityRC - Recent contact customers
Significant increase/decrease since last year
The ATO applies the tax and superannuation law with certainty and consistency
The ATO is open and accountable
If I provided feedback to the ATO, I think they would be responsive
7 7 5 4 6 7 6 10 7 5 712 16
11 13 11 13 161 43 3 3 3 2
33 3 3
45
46 5
78
4338 40 38 41 41
35 37 38 38 39 3732
37 35 37 34 32
11 17
25 28 24 25
1416
23 26 2220
11
16 1923
1815
GP BC RC
55
65
9 8
54 53
61
814
10
5054 54
21
1519
43
11
GP BC RC GP BC RCIND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
46
23
57
15
66
10
64
8
61
10
53
19
66
7
64
9
60
16
6pts
5pts
3pts
3pts
6pts
5pts
6pts
Base: General public community (451), business community (451), all recent contact customers (3,100), individuals with recent contact(1,001), businesses with recent contact (1,649), tax professionals with recent contact (450)
Community perceptions(%)
3 2 2 2 2 211
6 5 5 5 7 7 6 6 5 6 8 6 5 7 7 7 101 2 1 2 1
33 2 2 3
1 2 3 2 32 2
1 3 3 3 2
6
48 50 46 44 46 5041 43 43 40
45 44 43 47 44 44 44 4335
44 42 43 42 42
1521 33 33 32
32
10
1726 30 24 25
12
16 2429
2318
18
18 2329
2215
The ATO is doinga good job
The ATO is fair and professional in how it administers the tax and
superannuation systemThe ATO acts with integrity
The ATO is technologicallyup-to-date
64
71
79
3
GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC GP BC RC
5 3
51
60
69
6368
55
62 65
53
7 798 9
1488 10
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
IND(RC)
BUS (RC)
TAX(RC)
57
16
62
9
68
8
82
2
64
9
67
8
69
8
79
3
78
4
70
7
74
8
72
10
7pts
5pts
7pts
7pts7
pts
9pts
8pts
3pts
2pts
6pts
6pts
6pts
7pts 10
pts 5pts
(1) Strongly disagree 2 4 (5) Strongly agree
IND - IndividualsBUS - BusinessesTAX – Tax/BAS agents
GP - General public communityBC - Business communityRC - Recent contact customers
Base: General public community (451), business community (451), all recent contact customers (3,100), individuals with recent contact(1,001), businesses with recent contact (1,649), tax professionals with recent contact (450)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
7pts
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 12
CHANGES IN WIDER PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME For the same six groups, the next charts (on this page and overleaf) show how wider perceptions of the ATO have changed over
time in more detail.
Salient points are as follows:
General public perceptions of the ATO worsened in regard to:
o The ATO being fair and professional in how it administers the tax and superannuation system – a low point was
reached in the June 2015 quarter. This appears to be a non-seasonal effect as it was at a level lower than at
the same time in 2014.
o The ATO being technologically up-to-date – perceptions declined between the March and June quarters of
June 2015 and did not recover.
o The ATO doing a good job – the result of a gradual decline over time.
Individuals’ perceptions of the ATO being fair and professional in how it administers the tax and superannuation system
declined since 2014. Of note, the relatively low levels in the last two quarters of 2015 were significantly lower than at
the same time in 2014. However, individuals’ favourable ratings were still comparable with those of businesses and tax
practitioners who had had recent contact.
5851
59 60
71 69
62
65
62
52 5147
485557 59 58
58 59
57 63 63
70 70 71 73 71 69 69 69
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO is fair and professional in how it administers the tax and Superannuation system
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
75 7070 6967 6871
73 76 77 7571 70 7071
69 68
72
70 69
69
6864 66 67 67
70 67 65
69
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners
The ATO is fair and professional in how it administers the tax and Superannuation system
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACT
6153
62 6267 65
6056
62
64
52 54 54
66 68
6056 57
62 6665 67
68 66 65 67 66
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO is technologically up-to-date
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
74 7266 64
58 57
74 75 74 72 74 7570
6465
67
65 62 64 65
5157
6158 56 58 58
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACTThe ATO is technologically up-to-date
53 5053 53
63 61
53
56
54 51 53 5347 4649 51 54
55
53 5056 57
62 63 62 64 62 60 61 63
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO is open and accountable
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
68 6462 6159 5766 67 68 68 66 63 63 65
60 60 61
63
61
60 616263
6356 55
5953 55
61
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners
The ATO is open and accountable
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACT
Base: Noted in brackets in graphs
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter/year M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 13
6255
5863
69 6865
65 59
60
5753 53 5757
60
61
56
5963 65 63
7169 68 69 69 68 69 68
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO is doing a good job
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
76 7466 67
64 62
75 75 76 76 74 74 74 73
67 65
64
68 69 67 67
6673
7062 59 59 58
64 66
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACTThe ATO is doing a good job
65 6468
7179 79
6270
68
5966 68
58 59
75 73
66
64 70
7172
72
80 79 78 79 79 79 78 79
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO acts with integrity
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
78 7879 7980 82
77 77
7980
78 77 76 7881
79 75 78
80 79 7978
82 82 80
78 79
81 81 83
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners
The ATO acts with integrity
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACT
55 5456 5565 65
5160
58
50
54 58
5249
5858 56
54
48 50
61 59
64 64 65 67 65 64 66 67
30
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
The ATO applies the tax and Superannuation law withcertainty and consistency
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
69 6665 6460
6665 67 71 7065 64
66
6965
63 61
67 66 64
66 6559 61 62 59 60 63
6769
30
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACT
The ATO applies the tax and Superannuation law withcertainty and consistency
44 4350 5454 54
43 46 4842 43 47 43
39
54
50 50
50 50 53 565453
53 54 55 54 53 55 55
20
100
General publicBusiness communityRecent contact
If provided feedback to the ATO I think they would be responsive
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(224 - 451)
(1,449 – 3,100)
(224 - 451)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
59 6053 53
47 465458 62 61 58 58 61 61
51 51 52 55
53 52 52
53
59
5342 43
48 46 47 47
20
100
IndividualsBusinessesTax practitioners% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2 quarter rolling average
(495 – 1,011)
(217 - 485)
(715 – 1,649)
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
RECENT CONTACT
If provided feedback to the ATO I think they would beresponsive
Base: Noted in brackets in graphs
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter/year M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 14
DEMOGRAPHIC VARIATIONS Demographic variations in the business community’s perceptions of the ATO are as follows:
Partnerships had more positive perceptions of the ATO’s openness and accountability than sole traders (63% agreed vs
46%, respectively)
Smaller businesses (annual turnover under $100,000) rated the ATO more favourably than larger businesses (annual
turnover over $100,000):
o The ATO is doing a good job (71% agreed vs 56%, respectively)
o The ATO being responsive to feedback (63% agreed vs 46%, respectively).
A larger number of demographic variations exist in the general public community’s perceptions of the ATO. These are as
follows:
Females held more positive perceptions than males of the ATO being open and accountable (57% agreed vs 42%)
Younger Australians held more positive perceptions of the ATO’s application of tax and superannuation law being
certain and consistent (63% of those aged under 40 agreed vs 47% of those aged 40+)
Conversely, older Australians held more positive perceptions of the ATO being responsive (49% of those aged 40+
agreed vs 35% of those aged under 40)
Australians who speak a language other than English at home1 held less favourable perceptions of the ATO, than those
who do not speak another language at home, in terms of the following:
o Acting with integrity (52% agreed, vs 66% of those who only speak English at home)
o Being fair and professional in how it administers the tax and superannuation system (33% agreed, vs 54% of
those who only speak English at home).
Several differences in perceptions of the ATO also exist according to current employment status. These are as follows:
o Those working in full time employment had more favourable perceptions of the ATO than those working in
part time employment, in terms of:
Acting with integrity (68% agreed vs 55%)
Applying the tax and superannuation law with certainty and consistency (60% agreed vs 44%).
o Those who are retired, receive government assistance or primarily do home duties have less favourable
perceptions of the ATO being technologically up-to-date than those of any other employment status (40%
agreed vs 58%).
1 These results are based on 46 respondents who say they speak a language other than English at home.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 15
SATISFACTION
This section examines customers’ satisfaction with the ATO’s service from a range of channels.
SERVICE COMMITMENTS The ATO’s service commitments are in place to assure the community, and the ATO, that the services it provides are of a
consistent and high standard. The chart below summarises the annual results related to these.
Question scale: Please use a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is strongly disagree, 2 is disagree, 3 is neither agree nor disagree, 4 is agree and 5 is strongly agree.
On the whole, the 2015 results are fairly similar to those in 2014. At least seven in ten customers rated the ATO favourably on
eight of the 11 service commitments. The ATO’s service was again viewed most favourably for the ATO and its staff treating the
customer respectfully and courteously, and informing the customer of what they need to do. The least favourably rated service
commitments again relate to follow up (keeping the customer informed about the status of their issue/delays), and being
responsive to feedback. Just over half of customers rated these service commitments positively.
Since 2014, a small but significant decline in favourable ratings are evident for the ATO making it easy to meet the taxpayer’s tax
and superannuation obligations (partly driven by a decrease among large businesses) and individuals’ perceptions of the ATO
making it easy to access information and services. However, ratings for these attributes were not included in the first quarter of
2014. The 2015 quarterly results show that perceptions of these attributes are lower in the first quarter. When the 2015 first
quarter results are removed from the annual calculations, there are no longer significant differences between 2014 and 2015.
Differences in perceptions by customer group and channel are summarised in the text boxes in the chart above. Compared to
other channels, the shopfront service was rated most favourably for eight of the 11 service commitments. The ATO’s online
(portal) service was perceived especially favourably on several attributes related to a theme of ease and efficiency. Whilst the
Service commitment standards (all channels)
90%
80%
77%
77%
76%
68%
75%
73%
72%
54%
53%
3%
11%
8%
8%
9%
11%
11%
13%
15%
19%
17%
Treated respectfully and courteously*
Knowledgeable in dealings with me*
Informed me of what I needed to do*
Info sufficient to meet needs
Info I could rely on
Easy to access info/service
Easy to meet my tax (and Super) obligations
Time taken was acceptable
Kept informed about status/delays/issues*
ATO would be responsive to feedback
% Nett Agree (4-5) % Nett Disagree (1-2)
Base: 2015 data. Inbound phone, inbound correspondence, shopfront, online, outbound phone and audit (n=1,840 – 3,100 depending on attribute) *These attributes were not asked of online customers
Respondents who rated the service a 3 (neither agree nor disagree), or were unsure, are not displayed on the chart. Both are included in the bases.
Info I could understand
Shopfront 91%Inbound corr. 73%Large businesses 69%
Shopfront 86%Individuals 81%Inbound phone 80%Businesses 75%Online 73%
Shopfront 85%Online 79%Large businesses 70%
Shopfront 86%Individuals 79%Businesses 74%Inbound corr. 68%Shopfront 86%
Micros 80%Individuals 79%SMEs 71%Tax agent 66%
Individuals78% → 74%
Shopfront 83%Online 80%Inbound phone 68%Inbound corrs. 62%
Shopfront 82%Online 78%Inbound phone 68%Inbound corr. 62%Micros 75%Tax agents 64%
Significant increase/decrease since last year
Online 75%Inbound phone 65%Inbound corr. 61%Tax agents 61%
Large businesses80% → 67%
4pts
Shopfront 73%Inbound corr. 65%Online 51%Individuals 60%SMEs 49%Tax agent 43%
Audit 67%Inbound phone 51%Micros 57%Tax agents 44%
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 16
inbound phone channel was viewed less favourably than other channels in terms of convenience (i.e. timeliness and ease of
access), it was viewed most positively for providing information the customer can understand. Audit/review customers were
most likely to positively rate the follow up they received. Tax agents tended to be less satisfied, with their ratings of five of the
service commitments lower than average.
CHANGES IN SERVICE CO MMITMENTS OVER TIME
A small number of changes are evident in ratings of the service commitments over time. These are illustrated below.
80 7980 76 76
8579 82 79 76
0
100
Individuals (149-164)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
61 57
60 63 6559 54 49
5966
0
100
Micro (120-193)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Knowledgeable in dealings with me Kept informed about status/delays/issues
45 4368
3933
44 4638
5140
0
100
Tax agents (55-76)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
ATO would be responsive to feedback
Base: Individuals, 2014 (n=621), 2015 (n=611)
Significantly different from same quarter, previous year
Base: Micro, 2014 (n=558), 2015 (n=550)
Significantly different from same quarter, previous year
Base: Tax agents , 2014 (n=264), 2015 (n=228)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
Significantly different from same quarter, previous year
Easy to meet obligations
Base: All recent contact customers (2014 n= 2050, 2015 n=2772), Large businesses (2014 n=107, 2015 n=141)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
72 6880
67
72 73 70
66
67 72 69
76 7987
50
6373
88
0
100
All recent contact (644-723)
Large businesses (19-49)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
78 7477 79 78
70 73 76 75
0
100
Individuals (232-246)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Easy access service/info
Base: Individuals, 2014 (n=726), 2015 (n=954)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 17
OVERVIEW OF SATISFACTION ACROSS CHANNELS
The chart below summarises satisfaction levels with the overall quality of the service received, by customer group and channel.
Overall, around three quarters (74%) of customers were satisfied with the quality of the service they received in 2015. This has
not changed significantly since 2014 (76%).
There is a small amount of variation in nett satisfaction levels by customer group. Tax agents were least satisfied. Individuals
and micro businesses were more likely to be very satisfied (a rating of 5 out of 5).
Greater variation in satisfaction levels is evident by channel. Nett satisfaction levels (ratings of 4 or 5) were highest for the
shopfront and online (portal) channels, and lowest for the website and ATO app. Satisfaction levels in 2015 were similar to
those measured in 2014 for all channels with the exception of outbound letter, which experienced a drop of four points.
A5a/B3 (Inbound phone, inbound correspondence, shopfront and online): How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the (service/online service) you received? A5a (Outbound phone and audit): How satisfied were you overall with the way the ATO handled the (contact/review or audit)? C6a/6b/6c: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the (letter/SMS or txt message/email) you received? C2/C9/C11: Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience of (visiting the ATO’s website/using the app/using myGov to manage your tax or super online)? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
Overall satisfaction by channel
(%)
6 6 7 6 511 8 8 10
5 5 412
5 29
3 64 4 5 3 4
33 5
6
3
2 8 8
6
51
8
27
39 36 3644
5041 38
33 29 27
50
3732
3732 35
2835 35
35 40 3929
24
26 32 3939
58
27
3738
1837
43
25
4232
TOTAL(ATO
sample) Individual Micro SMELarge Bus
BAS agent
Inbound phone
Inboundcorresp.
Shop front Online
Outbound Phone Audit
(3,070) (981) (826) (645) (228) (222) (159)(139)(1,163) (229) (150) (952)
Outbound letter
(2,178)
ATO APP
(220)(168)
Taxagent Website
(669)
Outbound email
(1,411)
SMS
(722)
myGov
(581)*
74 76 7573 74
67 70 72 69
8577 75
70 70
77
53
77
67
10 10 11 9 814 11 13
16
7 1311 13
9
3
17
5
13
55
4pts
4
(1) Very dissatisfied 2 4 (5) Very satisfiedSignificantly higher or lower than total
Significant increase/decrease since last year
Base: Customers who have had recent contact with ATORespondents who rated the service a 3 (neither agree nor disagree), or were unsure, are not displayed on the chart. Both are included in the bases.*Note, myGov satisfaction is based on individuals and general public who have used myGov in the last 3 months.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 18
SERVICE EXPECTATIONS The chart below summarises service expectations by customer group and channel.
Service expectations have fallen slightly since 2014. Fifty-nine percent of customers had positive expectations of the quality of
service they would receive (rating of 4 or 5 out of 5) in 2015, a drop of three points. This fall appears to largely stem from a
decline in expectations among individuals (down five points to 55%).
Ten percent of all customers had negative expectations of the quality of service they would receive (rating of 1 or 2 out of 5).
Tax professionals have the highest expectations. In terms of channel, expectations are highest for inbound correspondence.
A6a (Inbound phone, inbound correspondence, shopfront): Before you had this last contact with the ATO, what quality of service did you expect? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very poor service’ and 5 means ‘very good service’. A6a (Audit and outbound phone): Before you had (contact/the review or audit) with the ATO, how well did you expect the ATO to handle it? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very poorly’ and 5 means ‘very well’. B4a (Online): Before you first tried this ATO online service, what quality of service did you expect? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very poor service’ and 5 means ‘very good service’.
Service expectations
(%)
Base: Customers who have had recent contact with ATO
7 9 6 84 2 5 5 5 8 7 6 5
9 8
34
34
32
3 3 35 5 5
2
61
3026
3227
35 3833
39
27 2934
19
3126
33
2929
2830
28 21 34
31
36 29
31
37
31
2921
TOTAL(ATO
sample)
(3,070) (981) (1,639) (826) (168) (450) (228) (222) (1,163) (229)(645)
Individual
Any recent contact business Micro SME
Large business
Any tax professional Tax agent Bas agent
Inbound phone
Inbound corresp Shopfront Online
Outbound phone Audit
(150) (952) (139) (159)
5955
6058
6459
6763
58
66
5661
55 54
10 13 912
75
8 8 913 12 11
715
9
703pts
5pts
(1) Poor 2 4 (5) Good
Significantly higher or lower than total
Significant increase/decrease since last yearRespondents who rated their service expectations a 3 (neither good nor poor), or were unsure, are not displayed on the chart. Both are included in the bases.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 19
COMPARISONS OF SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH EXPECTATIONS The chart below summarises how the service experience compared with expectations. A five point scale was used where 1 is
‘much worse than I expected’ and 5 is ‘much better than I expected’. Note, unlike other bar charts included in this report the
midpoint ratings (3) are illustrated on the graph as these are not considered to be a neutral rating; rather they indicate
expectations were met.
Six in ten (60%) customers rated their service experience better than they had expected (a drop of three points since 2014), 12%
rated it worse than they had expected, and 27% indicated it matched their expectations.
The small drop in service expectations being exceeded stemmed from individuals and the inbound phone channel. Note,
however, that individuals continued to be the customer group most likely to have their expectations exceeded. The service
expectations of tax agents and SMEs were least likely to be exceeded. The shopfront channel was most likely to exceed
customer expectations, whereas the online (portal) and inbound correspondence channels were least likely to exceed
expectations.
A6b (Inbound phone, inbound correspondence, shopfront): Looking back, how did the service you received from the ATO compare to what you expected? A6b: (Audit and outbound phone): Looking back, how did the way the ATO handled the (contact/review or audit) compare to what you expected? B4b: Looking back, how did the ATO online service you used compare to what you expected? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘much worse than I expected’ and 5 means ‘much better than I expected’.
6 6 6 5 5 8 7 9 5 6 9 3 63 5
6 75 6 5 4
7 6 9 8 8
5 49 7
2721
3025
3436 32
36
2824
28
13
3324 20
29
29
30
28
3035
3028
32
27
26
27
34
23 28
3036
2834
2418
22 2025
3429
47
23
40 36
(1) Much worse than expected 2 3 4 (5) Much better than I expected
Quality of service compared to expectations
(%)
Base: Customers who have had recent contact with ATO
TOTAL(ATO
sample)
(3,070) (981) (1,639) (826) (168) (450) (228) (222) (1,163) (229)(645)
Individual
Any recent contact business Micro SME
Large business
Any tax professional Tax agent Bas agent
Inbound phone
Inbound corres Shopfront Online
Outbound phone Audit
(150) (952) (139) (159)
60 65 58 62 55 53 52 57 62 55 75 57 63 64
12 13 11 12 10 11 14 14 14 14 17 8 10 12 12
48
3pts5pts
4pts
Significantly higher or lower than total
Significant increase/decrease since last year
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 20
INBOUND PHONE
OVERALL SATISFACTION The following two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the service they received from the inbound
phone channel. The first chart looks at satisfaction levels over time for all inbound phone customers and the second chart
displays the 2015 nett satisfaction ratings by customer group.
Nearly three quarters (72%) of customers were satisfied with the inbound phone service in 2015. This has not changed
significantly since 2014 (74%).
In 2015 micro businesses were more satisfied than SMEs or tax professionals. Additional analysis reveals a seasonal effect
among businesses. In both 2014 and 2015, businesses’ ‘very satisfied’ ratings declined in the June quarter and recovered in the
September quarter.
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
78 7569 70
62
8073
7768
5863
74
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with inbound phone by customer group
Individuals Micro SME Large business Tax agent BAS agent
(397) (390) (305) (311) (207) (223) (23*) (40) (100) (103) (112) (96)
Base: Inbound phone customers
*Caution: small sample size
Businesses who are very satisfied dips in June quarters and recovers in September quarters (32% to 48% in 2014 and 33% to 45% in 2015)
% nett satisfied
Overall satisfaction with inbound phone
Base: Inbound phone customers
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
73 74 75 74 71 72 7173
42 4048
38 37 40 39 41
11 10 13 12 13 14 13 12
0
100
Nett satisfied
Very satisfied
Nett dissatisfied
2014 2015
(1,144) (1,163)
74
42
12
72
39
13
%
M J S D M J S D
(205) (300) (310) (310) (303) (300) (293) (267)
2014 2015 ANNUAL
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 21
3
First priority
Second priority
Third priority
DRIVERS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION
Import
ance (
index s
core
)
Higher PerformanceLower Performance
Strong
driver
Weak
driver
PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT Next we present the results of multivariate analysis undertaken to establish the priorities for service improvements of the
inbound phone channel.
Service attributes have been mapped onto two key dimensions:
1. The perceived ‘performance’ of the ATO on service elements
2. The relative level of importance of each of these service elements (i.e. the strength of the element in driving overall
satisfaction).
The level of satisfaction with the service offered is
asked in the interview. The importance index is
calculated at the data analysis stage using a
combination of statistical analysis techniques
(regression and correlation). By examining these
results together, we can establish both the relative
level of importance of a given service or performance
element, and performance on this same element.
Attributes that are very important to customers, but
are ones which customers perceive the ATO to be
performing less well on, should be the ATO’s first area
of priority (see diagram to right).
The analysis described above is presented on the next
four charts. The first chart presents the results for all inbound phone customers. The subsequent three charts look at the
results separately for individuals, micro businesses, SMEs, BAS agents and tax agents.
Across all customer groups, the ATO performs especially well in treating customers respectfully and courteously, treating
customers fairly, and meeting customers’ channel preferences (i.e. offering contact to the customer in a way that they want).
Top priorities to focus on in order to improve overall satisfaction with the quality of the inbound phone service continue to
relate to problem resolution (i.e. the ATO and its staff taking responsibility to solve issues and problems), making it easy for
customers to meet their tax and superannuation obligations, providing a tailored service (i.e. taking individual circumstances
into account), timeliness and accessibility.
Follow-up (i.e. keeping the customer informed about status/issues) is also an area for consideration. Although it is not as strong
a driver as the above attributes, inbound phone customers perceive the ATO least favourably in this regard.
Whilst the patterns are broadly similar by customer type, there are additional priorities for some groups:
Staff knowledge is a priority for improvement for tax professionals, large businesses, and SMEs
Improved information is especially key for large businesses and tax agents
Making it easy to meet their clients’ tax obligations is a particular priority for tax agents (their perceptions of this are
notably lower than those of BAS agents)
Perceptions of the time taken being acceptable are notably lower among SMEs and large businesses.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 22
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound phone – individuals
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
INDIVIDUALS
60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.3
0.4
0.5
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needsIndividual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligationsTreated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Inbound phone customers – individuals (390) Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound phone – all customers
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
ALL INBOUND PHONE CUSTOMERS
60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issuesEasy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
All inbound phone customers (1,163)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 23
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound phone – micro, SMEs, and large businesses
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Treated respectfullyand courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Easy to access services and info
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfullyand courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Knowledgeable in dealings with meInformed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Understood complex tax issues
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
MICRO SME LARGE
Treated respectfully and courteously
Individual circumstancestaken into account
Easy to deal with
Able to resolve issues reasonably
ATO made it easyto meet tax and super obligations
Time taken was acceptable
Individual circumstances taken into account
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Info sufficient to meet needs
Inbound phone customers – micro (311), SMEs (223), and large businesses (40)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound phone – tax agents and BAS agents
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
TAX AGENT
60% 70% 80% 90%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meetclients’ tax obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet clients’ tax and obligations Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with meInformed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
BAS AGENT
Inbound phone customers – tax agents (103) and BAS agents (96)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 24
Changes over time in service attributes ratings
A number of changes in service attribute ratings over time are evident. These are illustrated below. Since 2014, individuals’
perceptions of the inbound phone service declined in relation to making it easy for taxpayers to meet their obligations,
accessibility, and a sense of being treated fairly. Tax professionals’ perceptions of staff taking responsibility to solve issues
declined. Conversely, businesses viewed the timeliness of the inbound phone service more favourably than in 2014. In the last
quarter (December 2015), micro businesses’ perceptions of the inbound phone service providing information they can
understand has reached a new high.
7368
72
58
72 74 7671
6569 70 69
65
78 78
65
5564
58 56
30
100
All Inbound phone (265 - 310)
Inbound phone - Tax professionals (31 - 71)
Took responsibility to solve issues
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: All inbound phone (2014 n=1144; 2015 n=1163), Inbound phone tax professionals(2014 n=212; 2015 n=199)
Easy to meet tax / Super obligations
7769
76 7974
78
66 6771 72
30
100
Inbound phone - Individuals (94 - 100)
Easy to access
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Inbound phone individuals (2014 n=397; 2015 n=390)
8882
88 88 90 8883 84
7885
30
100
Inbound phone - Individuals (94 - 100)
Treated fairly
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Inbound phone individuals (2014 n=397; 2015 n=390)
6965
7163
6674
6761
65 66 68
6776
6965
59 6068
30
100
All inbound phone (267 - 310)
Inbound phone - Individuals (94 - 100)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: All inbound phone (2014 n=879; 2015 n=1163), Inbound phone individuals (2014 n=297; 2015 n=390)
81 8181 83
82 79 81 8177 77
81
92
78 8085
8177 79 79
95
30
100
Inbound phone - Any business (109 - 152)
Inbound phone - Micros (66 - 103)
Information I could understand
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Inbound phone - Any business (2014 n=535; 2015 n=574), Inbound phone micros (2014 n=305; 2015 n=311)
6368
6254
7265 64 61
7378
30
100
Inbound phone - Any business (109 - 152)
Time taken was acceptable
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Inbound phone - Any business (2014 n=535; 2015 n=574)
Significant increase/decrease since previous quarter/year= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 25
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, inbound phone customers who were less than ‘satisfied’ with the overall quality of
service were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. This question was asked
without prompting with answer options. Responses are summarised in the table below. Categories that are similar have been
grouped together and presented as a ‘nett score’ (see bolded descriptions and figures) – each nett score figure gives the
percentage of respondents that gave at least one of the more detailed reasons (which are listed below the nett score).
Inbound phone customers’ unprompted suggestions for improvement of service quality
Inbound phone customers who are less than
satisfied with service quality*
(n=70)
%
Improve systems, processes, channels 31
Allocate case managers/deal with one person 7
Staff to be more consistent 4
Be more flexible with payment arrangements/debts 4
Better communication between ATO staff/departments 4
Follow up of unpaid Super needs to be better 4
Improve website navigation/less clutter 4
Ability to be contacted over the holidays 3
Not have to do everything online 3
Improve the way AUSkey works 1
Better communication/information 26
Keep people updated/provide follow up 9
Provide more information/advice 7
Make things clearer and easier to understand/less complicated 4
Improve communication 3
Provide accurate/correct correspondence 3
Improved understanding of taxpayer situation 24
Consider my individual case/circumstances 14
Listen 4
Be aware of client history 3
Need to do more research/look into the problem more thoroughly 3
Reply to issues instead of generic responses 1
Improved efficiency 21
Answer phone promptly/not on hold too long/no automated system 10
Be faster/more efficient 9
Quicker response 6
Better staff 13
Be more personable/compassionate/helpful/professional 7
Be more knowledgeable/qualified 7
Other 13
Follow through with my request/do what you say you will 7
Resolved the issue 3
Be fairer 1
Other 11
Nothing 4
Don’t know 1 Source: A5ai *Note, these results are based on respondents interviewed in the December 2015 quarter, when the question was introduced to the survey. Percentages add to more than 100% as respondents were able to suggest more than one improvement.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 26
IMPROVE SYSTEMS, PROCESSES, CHANNELS
Staff to be more consistent
Allocate case manager/deal with one person
Ensuring staff are the same staff so I don't get a different answer each time I call. (Micro, Inbound phone)
There needs to be more consistency between staff members and what they tell you. Also, there needs to be a way that staff
members can look up previous calls and information that will help current calls. (Individual, Inbound phone)
All I needed was somebody to have a more individual approach to my case - I had to repeat myself on several occasions.
Maybe they could allocate a case manager - somebody I can communicate with so I can develop a trust with someone and
come up with a better solution. (Individual, Inbound phone)
They seem to have a disconnect with the people you deal with and the subsequent action that follows. Have to re-explain
things to new people and go through the whole process again. (BAS agent, Inbound phone)
Don’t transfer people around so much. I just want to speak to one person. (Micro, Inbound phone)
BETTER COMMUNICATION/ INFORMATION
I would've liked to receive some kind of assurance that they would follow up with my missing funds, which are due to me by
the liquidator. (BAS agent, Inbound phone)
They should contact me because we lost our company return. It’s been five months and they haven't given me my tax
return. I need a call from someone like a supervisor. (Individual, Inbound phone)
A little more info on where they were up to with my claim, they said they would keep in touch but they did not. (Individual,
Inbound phone)
A faster timeline to deal with this. We had to constantly chase them and it took far longer than it should have. (Tax agent,
Inbound phone)
Keep people updated
Provide more information/advice
More certainty in interpreting tax rules. The ATO officers do not seem to provide us with opinions on the tax rules, but just
refer us to the website. (Tax agent, Inbound phone)
I wish they could've told me exactly what I needed to do. I was trying to sort out a debt for a client and wasn’t able to make
an offer. Disappointing. (Tax Agent, Inbound phone)
BETTER STAFF
Be more knowledgeable/qualified
Be a bit more welcoming, treating us as a customer. It shouldn't be so difficult to use to government services. Should be
easier to allow all ages to access these services. With older generations, we aren’t going to sit down to learn the internet.
(Individual, Inbound phone)
Be more personable/compassionate/helpful/professional
The staff are not well trained, they just put you from person to person. They need everything to be computerised. The wait
times are too long. (Tax agent, Inbound phone)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 27
IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF TAXPAYER SITUATION
Consider my case/individual circumstances
I want to be treated more as individual rather than just being lumped with everyone else as having the same problem. I
want to be treated as a unique situation. (Individual, Inbound phone)
The ATO are trying to do a lot with technology. Every client is unique and there seems to be too much of a template now. A
good trend in recent years is all the tax laws have examples in them, but sometimes the examples don’t fit the
circumstances you have. (Tax agent, Inbound phone)
When we ring up in regards to the clients’ debt, they are not really considerate with clients’ circumstances. It is frustrating
entering into a payment arrangement. The client tries really hard to meet their BAS and the ATO don't seem to care about
how tough it can be. (Tax agent, Inbound phone)
I think the ATO are there to work for the people and I don't think there are a lot of people there willing to listen to individual
circumstance. Not a lot of compassion and flexibility. (Micro, Inbound phone)
They have to be more personable and understand people. Don't look at you as a tax file number and should analyse each
individual and their circumstances. (Individual, Inbound phone)
Better understanding of our business difficulties and circumstances beyond our control. Sometimes I found them to be
inflexible, for example, we were late for 5 days on something and it caused significant issues - despite asking in advance for
an extension for 5 days. (SME, Inbound phone)
IMPROVED EFFICIENCY
Answer phone promptly/not on hold too long
Be able to initially communicate with a human being rather than the prompts menu. Once I got through to someone it was
much better. (Micro, Inbound phone)
I think it’s just getting hold of the right person. Not having to go through all the automated systems, you are on hold too
long. (SME, Inbound phone)
They have to make the phone system easier. I've been on hold for a long time at times, I've been told by the recorded
message that they were busy and unable to take the call - and that was the case for two weeks. (Micro, Inbound phone)
There are time delays on the phone, transferring on hold between departments takes too long. (Individual, Inbound phone)
The automated responses weren’t working for me, they wanted a voice recording for identification. Took 5-10 minutes to
get through. The second time doing it, the recording was successful then the call disconnected. The third time, I had to go
through the whole process again. (Micro, Inbound phone)
When we call we have to wait for 40-45 minutes to get through. When we sent our request, we had to wait for months and
months to get response and we didn’t. I had to call them to follow up and they said the request was in the system but not
active. They prioritised it then, but we are still waiting. (SME, Inbound phone)
A faster timeline to deal with this. We had to constantly chase them and it took far longer than it should have. (Tax agent,
Inbound phone)
Be faster/more efficient
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 28
NUMBER OF CONTACTS TO RESOLVE MATTER Call resolution has worsened since 2014, with 43% of inbound phone customers needing more than one contact to resolve the
matter (an increase of six points since 2014). 55% needed just one contact in 2015.
Additional analysis shows that a slightly higher proportion of debt customers in the 2015 sample contributed to this (15%
compared to 12% in 2014). Debt customers are more likely than other customers to need more than one contact. Also, the
proportion of debt customers requiring more than one contact has increased since 2014 (40% in 2014 and 53% in 2015).
A2: Was the matter resolved in one contact with the ATO or did you have more than one contact regarding the same matter? By contact we mean by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way. A3a/b: Did you last have contact with the ATO about this matter by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way? And what type of contact did you have with the ATO about the same matter before that?
The number of contacts needed to resolve a matter varies by the reason for the contact (as illustrated in the next chart).
Audit/reviews, employer matters, debt, and superannuation matters are most likely to require more than one contact.
A1a: Which of the following best describes the main reason for your contact? (the list of options shown in the graph was read to respondents) A2: Was the matter resolved in one contact with the ATO or did you have more than one contact regarding the same matter? By contact we mean by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way.
68 59 61 60 58 63
45
54
3241 38 37 40 35
53
45
0
80
All in one contact
More than one contact%
Among those who had more than one contact, other channels used were:
68%
18%
9%
9%
2%
66%
23%
7%
7%
1%
Another phonecall
Letter/fax
Website
Shopfront
2014 2015
Number of contacts to resolve matter (inbound phone)
(265) (300) (269) (310) (303) (300) (293) (267)
Base: Inbound phone customers
Don’t know responses range from 0% to 3% and are not shown on the chart.
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter/year
61
37
55
43
2014 2015
(1,144) (1,163)
ANNUAL
Base: Those who had more than one contact (2014 n=424, 2015 n=502)
M J S D M J S D
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
2014 2015
= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
Number of contacts to resolve matter (inbound phone) by reason of contact
%
5571 67 61 59 58 56 46 47 39
2758
4326 30 37 41 40 43 51 53
50 7341
2 3 2 2 1 1 3 1 11 1
All in one contact More than one contact Don't know
Totalsample
FBT Administration ABN or ABR PAYG GST or
ExciseIncome
tax Superannuation Debt Employer matter
Audit or review Other reason
(1,163) (34) (92) (54) (111) (173) (290) (92) (180) (18*) (15*) (93)
*Caution: Small sample size
Base: Varies by reason for contact (see graph) Significant increase/decrease since last year
= Significantly different from total sample result
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 29
SHOPFRONT
OVERALL SATISFACTION The following two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the service they received from the shopfront
service. The first chart looks at satisfaction levels over time for all shopfront customers, and the second chart displays the 2015
nett satisfaction ratings by customer group.
Over eight in ten (85%) customers were satisfied with the quality of the service they received during their shopfront experience.
Shopfront customers were especially likely to be very satisfied (58% said they were very satisfied).
Whilst no significant variation is evident over time among the total group of shopfront customers, subgroup analysis reveals
individuals were significantly more satisfied than in 2014 (up 13 points to 89% in 2015).
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT The next two charts illustrate how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of the shopfront service, as well all the areas to
focus on to improve customers’ overall satisfaction. The first chart examines all customers (combined). The second chart looks
at the results for individuals and micro businesses separately.
The ATO performed especially well in terms of treating customers fairly, as well as respectfully and courteously, and informing
taxpayers of what they needed to do.
Top priorities for improving overall satisfaction with the shopfront experience relate to staff taking responsibility to solve issues,
followed by making it easy for taxpayers to meet their obligations, and taking individual circumstances into account (especially
for micro businesses). Keeping taxpayers informed is rated worst.
Knowledgeable staff and improved information are priorities for micro businesses.
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
%
68
8778
84 84 89 84 81
5463
43
6350
7361
4912 8 5 8 8
3 0 5
0
90
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied
M J S D M J S D
(41) (38) (40) (38) (38) (37) (38) (37)
2014
2015
2015
2014 2015
79 85
55 58
8 4
ANNUAL
Base: Shopfront customers
Overall satisfaction with shopfront service
(157) (150)
7683
89
78
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with shopfront service by customer group
Individuals Micro
(92) (90) (65) (60)Base: Shopfront customers
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 30
Drivers of overall satisfaction with shopfront – all customers
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
SHOPFRONT – ALL CUSTOMERS
70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligationsTreated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
All shopfront customers (150)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with shopfront – individuals and micro
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
INDIVIDUALS MICRO
60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstancestaken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meettax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Easy to deal withTime taken was acceptable
Shopfront customers – individuals (90) and micro (60)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 31
Changes over time in service attributes ratings
A number of improvements in service attributes ratings between 2014 and 2015 are evident. These largely relate to
improvements in individuals’ perceptions and are illustrated below.
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, shopfront customers who were less than ‘satisfied’ with the overall quality of
service were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. A sample of their verbatim
responses are provided below.
Individual circumstances taken into account
2014 2015
ANNUAL
All shopfront (2014 n=116; 2015 n=150)
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=69; 2015 n=90)
70 83
68 87
Informed me of what I needed to do
2014 2015
% agree (nett)
All shopfront (2014 n=157; 2015 n=150)
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90)
79 91
75 93
I was treated fairly
2014 2015
All shopfront (2014 n=116; 2015 n=150) 83 92
Significant increase/decrease since last year2014 2015
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90) 79 92
Info I could rely on
2014 2015
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90) 77 91
Info I could understand
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90) 74 88
Info sufficient to meet my needs
2014 2015
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90) 75 91
Knowledgeable staff
2014 2015
Shopfront individuals (2014 n=92; 2015 n=90) 77 90
Staff easy to deal with
2014 2015
ANNUAL
IMPROVE SYSTEMS, PROCESSES, CHANNELS
Staff to be more consistent
If the assessment of the tax refund have been done in a more conscious way, instead of just being put into the computer.
I’m a pensioner with superannuation and I didn’t put the right code in. I thought someone would've known or realised that,
given it was a very simple return. When I went the second time, I queried where the assessment was, I was told it had been
processed manually. When I went the second time the girl told me it was the coding. (Individual, Shopfront)
BETTER STAFF
Be more knowledgeable/qualified
The person I was speaking to had no idea. They need to have a bit more knowledge. I'm an individual tax payer and I
thought she should know more. (Individual, Shopfront)
None of the ladies I spoke to knew what the reason for my problem was. I had lodged my tax return but I hadn't received it.
When I went in, they said it was suspended but no one knew why and there was no reason why on the screen. So just
maybe if people had more knowledge in their dealings. (Individual, Shopfront)
RESOLVED THE ISSUE
Responsibility for solving problems - taking more responsibility. (Individual, Shopfront)
Been able to resolve the issue with CentreLink. (Individual, Shopfront)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 32
NUMBER OF CONTACTS TO RESOLVE MATTER Shopfront customers’ issues were resolved in fewer contacts in 2015 than in 2014. More than two thirds (68%) were resolved in
just one contact, an increase of 12 points since 2014.
More in-depth analysis indicates this improved contact resolution stems from:
fewer ABN or ABR queries among micro businesses in 2015 (this was the main reason for shopfront contact for 20% of
micro businesses in 2014, down to only 3% in 2015)
faster resolution of income tax queries (equally across micro and individuals) – 53% of income tax queries via shopfront
were resolved in one contact in 2014 vs 73% in 2015.
Of the 31% who needed more than one contact in 2015, most (60%) had phone contact with the ATO.
A2: Was the matter resolved in one contact with the ATO or did you have more than one contact regarding the same matter? By contact we mean by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way. A3a/b: Did you last have contact with the ATO about this matter by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way? And what type of contact did you have with the ATO about the same matter before that?
Among those who had more than one contact, other channels used were:
70%
25%
7%
4%
4%
60%
26%
4%
13%
4%
Telephone
Another shopfront visit
Website
Letter/fax
2014 2015
Number of contacts to resolve matter (shopfront)
Base: Shopfront customers Base: Those who had other contact (2014 n=69), 2015 (n=47)
56
68
44
31 1
2014
2015
One contact More than one contact Don't know
(157)
(150)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 33
CORRESPONDENCE
INBOUND CORRESPONDENCE Overall satisfaction
The following two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the service they received as a result of their
inbound correspondence. The first chart looks at satisfaction levels over time for all inbound correspondence customers, and
the second chart displays the 2015 nett satisfaction ratings by customer group.
2014 and 2015 satisfaction levels are consistent, with 69% indicating they were satisfied with the quality of the service they
received in response to their inbound correspondence. In 2015, individuals were more satisfied than businesses.
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received?
A5a: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the service you received?
Priorities for improvement
The next two charts illustrate how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of its inbound correspondence, as well as the
areas to focus on to improve customers’ overall satisfaction with this channel. The first chart examines all customers
(combined). The second chart looks at the results for individuals and businesses separately.
The ATO performs especially well in terms of treating customers respectfully and courteously, and treating customers fairly.
Top priorities for improving overall satisfaction with the inbound correspondence experience relate to providing sufficient
information to meet the taxpayer’s needs, providing reliable information, and staff taking responsibility to resolve issues. Follow
up is also key as it is the lowest rating attribute.
Knowledgeable staff and information that can be understood are also key priorities for businesses.
73
5664
77 7166 69 68
4632
2739
45
2841 41
17
2412 13 13 17 16 18
0
90
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied
Overall satisfaction with inbound correspondence
%
M J S D M J S D
(48) (41) (33) (62) (62) (53) (58) (56)
201569 69
37 39
16 16
Base: Inbound correspondence customers
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
2014 2015
2014 2015 ANNUAL
(184) (229)
70 6965
76
6371
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with inbound correspondence by customer group
Individuals Any business Tax practitioners
(80) (80) (78) (121) (26*) (28*)Base: Inbound correspondence customers
*Caution: small sample size
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 34
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound correspondence – all customers
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
INBOUND CORRESPONDENCE – ALL CUSTOMERS
55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.35
0.4
0.45
0.5
0.55
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
All Inbound correspondence customers (229)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with inbound correspondence – individuals and businesses
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
INDIVIDUALS BUSINESSES
60% 70% 80% 90%
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairlyTime taken was acceptable
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Individual circumstances taken into account
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Kept informed aboutstatus/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Inbound correspondence customers – individuals (80) and businesses (121)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 35
Changes in service attributes ratings over time
There were no significant changes in ratings of the service attributes over time.
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, inbound correspondence customers who were less than satisfied with the overall
quality of service were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. A sample of their
verbatim responses are provided below.
BETTER COMMUNICATION/ INFORMATION
They could have given me a little more information from their end just to make it a bit easier for me. Talking to them, I
found out they could have given more information and they didn't. It seems that the answers are cut and dry, but I think
there are more options. (Individual, Inbound correspondence)
They want me to lodge a tax return from 2001 but they can’t give me the information to do that so I'm stuck in a catch 22.
(Individual, Inbound correspondence)
Be more accurate with their written correspondence. All they had was a small debt with annual tax return. The first
correspondence I received didn’t have a timeline to pay and the amount owed or payable now was zero. I sat on it and
waited for an invoice and nothing arrived. Then the next letter I got said ‘pay up or we will take legal action’. I never had a
due date or anything. (Micro, Inbound correspondence)
Reply to my letter. (Individual, Inbound correspondence)
IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF TAXPAYER SITUATION
Actually replying to the issues which I raised in my letter - instead of sending just another computer standard letter. Taking
more account of my individual circumstances. (Micro, Inbound correspondence)
Actually look into the problem. (Micro, Inbound correspondence)
IMPROVE SYSTEMS, PROCESSES, CHANNELS
Not making me wait for a letter - resolving the issue as soon as possible. They should give me the information over the
phone instead of waiting for a letter. (Individual, Inbound correspondence)
I was requesting information on a previous tax return and I couldn’t request it over the phone. I had to fill out a form online
to request the documents and it took a long time for something that should’ve been very simple. (Individual, Inbound
correspondence)
They sent me a form and I filled it up sent it back. After a couple of weeks, they sent me a message to say they couldn't find
my super and that I should do it online. I'm a labourer and I don't use computers - I was also told I'd lose my super if I didn't
do it online. (Individual, Inbound correspondence)
FOLLOW THROUGH WITH MY REQUEST/WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL
Followed through with my request for my copy of my tax return in a couple of weeks and not a couple months. (Individual,
Inbound correspondence)
Returned my old tax returns to me. (Micro, Inbound correspondence)
They could have provided us with a full tax return from a few years ago that we needed for the bank to give us a loan.
There needs to be a system to get a full copy of tax returns when needed. (Micro, Inbound correspondence)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 36
NUMBER OF CONTACTS TO RESOLVE MATTER Just over half (55%) of inbound correspondence customers needed more than one contact to resolve the matter they contacted
the ATO about. Of these customers, 78% needed phone contact.
These results are similar to those in 2014.
A2: Was the matter resolved in one contact with the ATO or did you have more than one contact regarding the same matter? By contact we mean by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way. A3a/b: Did you last have contact with the ATO about this matter by phone, in person, letter, email, by visiting their website, or some other way? And what type of contact did you have with the ATO about the same matter before that?
IMPROVED EFFICIENCY
They could have done it more quickly. (Tax agent, Inbound correspondence)
I would like to have my request handled more efficiently. They didn't seem to know how to find what I was asking for.
(Micro, Inbound correspondence)
Answer the phone more promptly. (SME, Inbound correspondence)
We need contacts to be quicker, you wait on the phone a long time. (SME, Inbound correspondence)
BETTER STAFF
Getting trained on the particular areas of the matter, one person answering all the questions instead of multiple staff and
passing the phone around all the time. (SME, Inbound correspondence)
Among those who had more than one contact, other channels used were:
71%
21%
15%
11%
3%
78%
14%
12%
6%
4%
Phonecall
Another letter/fax
Website
Shopfront
2014 2015
Number of contacts to resolve matter (inbound correspondence)
Base: Inbound correspondence customers Base: Those who had other contact (2014 n=99, 2015 n=125)
46
42
54
55
1
3
2014
2015
One contact More than one contact Don't know
(184)
(229)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 37
OUTBOUND CORRESPONDENCE Overall satisfaction
The following two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the letter they received. The first chart looks at
satisfaction levels over time for all recipients of a letter and the second chart displays the 2015 nett satisfaction ratings by
customer group.
Satisfaction with the quality of the ATO’s letters has dropped since 2014 (down four points to 70% in 2015). Satisfaction levels in
the last two quarters of 2015 were lower than at the same time in 2014.
Analysis by customer group shows declines in satisfaction ratings since 2014 among individuals and the general public
community.
C6a: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the letter you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
C6a: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the letter you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
71 74 75 76 72 70 66 70
39 40 42 39 37 37 36 40
9 6 8 6 9 9 12 7
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied%
Overall satisfaction with outbound correspondence
(522) (634) (594) (570) (575) (532) (557) (514)
Base: Outbound correspondence customers
74
7
70
9
2014 2015
(2,320) (2,178)
ANNUAL
40 37
M J S D M J S D
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
2014 2015
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter/year = Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
7479
73 73 71 6975
87
6670 68 69 72 72 70
7569
652014
2015
Overall satisfaction with outbound correspondence by customer group
All customersfrom ATO
sample Individuals Micro SMELarge
business Tax agent BAS agentGeneral public
Business community
(1,971) (1,836) (583) (427) (555) (533) (380) (427) (92) (110) (241) (206) (120) (133) (96) (73) (253) (269)
Base: Outbound correspondence customers
Significant increase/decrease since last year
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 38
COMPLIANCE ACTIVITES
AUDITS AND REVIEWS Overall satisfaction
The next two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with how well the ATO handled an audit or review. The first chart
looks at satisfaction ratings over time for all audit/review customers and the second chart displays the 2015 nett satisfaction
ratings by customer group.
In 2015, 70% of customers were satisfied with the way the ATO handled their audit or review. Around one in ten (11%)
indicated they were dissatisfied. SMEs were the most satisfied group. Results have not changed significantly since 2014.
A5a: How satisfied were you overall with the way the ATO handled the review or audit? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
A5a: How satisfied were you overall with the way the ATO handled the review or audit? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
%
68 71 74 72 7669
58
75
36 3244
3546
36 3238
14 18 15 14 11 14 13 8
0
90
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied
Overall satisfaction with audits/reviews
M J S D M J S D
(28) (34) (27) (65) (37) (36) (38) (48)
201573 75
42
13
Base: Audit/review customers
71 70
36 38
15 11
2014 2015 ANNUAL
(154) (159)
2014 2015
Overall satisfaction with audits/reviews by customer group
*Note, small base sizes - results are indicative only.
52
7569
82
56
73
62
81
2014
2015
Individuals Any business Micro SME
(25*) (27*) (129) (132) (62) (60) (49) (57)Base: Audit/review customers
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 39
Priorities for improvement
The next four charts illustrate how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of audits/reviews, as well as the areas to focus on
to improve customers’ overall perception that the ATO handled the audit or review well. The first chart examines all customers
(combined). The subsequent three charts look at the results for individuals, businesses (micro businesses vs SMEs), and large
businesses. Both 2014 and 2015 data has been used for the results pertaining to individuals and large businesses to generate
sufficient sample sizes for this analysis.
Like the other channels we’ve examined, the ATO rated well in terms of treating customers respectfully, courteously, and fairly.
The ATO informing the taxpayer of the information they need to provide, and what they are required to do, was also viewed
favourably.
Key areas for improvement focus on ATO staff taking responsibility to resolve issues, keeping the customer informed about
issues, clearly explaining the process, helping the taxpayer meet their tax obligations, ensuring individual circumstances are
taken into account, providing sufficient and easily understood information, making it easy for taxpayers to understand their
rights and obligations, and the time taken being acceptable.
Further to the above:
Reliable information and knowledgeable staff are also a priority (a first priority for some customer groups and a
secondary priority for others)
Understanding complex tax issues is a key priority for large businesses
Being treated fairly, a full explanation of the reasons for the final review or assessment, and perceptions of the
workload being reasonable, are key priorities for individuals
Clear and easy to understand written communications are a key priority for micro businesses.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with audits/reviews – all customers
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
ALL CUSTOMERS (AUDITS/REVIEWS)
65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Info I could rely onInfo I could understand
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Extra workload was reasonable
Advised of review areas
Fully informed of info needed to provide
Greater understanding of tax obligations
Process clearly explained
Written communications clear and easy to understand
Adequate time to prepare
Full explanation of final review or assessment
Advised could request review of decisions
All audit/review customers (154)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 40
Drivers of overall satisfaction with audits/reviews – Individuals
0.1
0.2
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80%
0.4
0.5
0.6
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Extra workload was reasonable
Advised of review areas
Fully informed of info needed to provide
Greater understandingof tax obligations
Process clearly explained
Written communications clearand easy to understand
Adequate time to prepare
Full explanation of final review or assessment
Advised could request review of decisions
INDIVIDUALS
0.3
Audit/review customers – individuals (52)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2014 and 2015 annual data combined.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with audits/reviews – micro and SMEs
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfullyand courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Extra workload was reasonable
Advised of review areas
Fully informed of infoneeded to provide
Greater understanding of tax obligations
Process clearly explained
Written communications clearand easy to understand
Adequate time to prepare
Full explanation of final review or assessment
Advised could request review of
decisions
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Extra workload was reasonable
Advised of review areas
Fully informed of info needed to provide
Greater understanding of tax obligations
Process clearly explained
Written communications clear and easy to understand
Adequate time to prepare Full explanation of final review or assessmentAdvised could request review
of decisions
MICRO SME
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Audit/review customers – micro (60) and SME (57)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 41
Drivers of overall satisfaction with audits/reviews – large businesses
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Info I could rely on
Info I could understandInfo sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meettax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understandrights and obligations
Individual circumstancestaken into account
Treated respectfullyand courteously
Knowledgeable indealings with me
Informed me of whatI needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibilityto solve issues
Easy to deal withUnderstood complex tax issues
Able to resolveissues reasonably
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Extra workload was reasonable
Advised of review areas
Fully informed of infoneeded to provide
Greater understandingof tax obligations
Process clearly explained
Written communicationsclear and easy to understand
Adequate time to prepare
Full explanation of finalreview or assessment
Advised could request review of decisions
LARGE BUSINESSES
Audit/review customers – large businesses (33)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2014 and 2015 annual data combined.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 42
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, audit/review customers who were less than ‘satisfied’ with the way the ATO
handled the review or audit were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. A
sample of their verbatim responses are provided below.
PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION/ADVICE
They provided a number for me to call and the details were incorrect. Their information provision was inadequate. There
was no written communication until the final decision. The information communicated when I spoke to them seemed to
only be to shut me up rather than inform me. (Individual, Audit)
Be more self-explanatory and upfront. If they had given me the information prior and upfront, it wouldn't have taken three
months to resolve. (Micro, Audit)
I'm not aware that it was a formal review - I thought it was an informal call made to new businesses to check up on
registrations. (Micro, Audit)
BE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE/QUALIFIED
I don’t really understand why it was happening and it was hard to get in touch with them. I was put on hold for a long time.
The first person I spoke to didn’t know what I was talking about. (Micro, Audit)
The issue was they wanted to find a box to classify us. That was fine, but one of the people who came out kept asking us
‘do you fall into this category?’ over and over again. I basically had to find the category for him as he was unable to do it
himself. (SME, Audit)
BE MORE PERSONABLE/COMPASSIONATE/HELPFUL/PROFESSIONAL
Their communication was not professional nor was it satisfactory to meet the legal requirement if I wanted to take it
further. They didn’t consider my personal business circumstances and their actions and outcomes were completely
unnecessary. (Individual, Audit)
KEEP PEOPLE UPDATED
Just get back to me with their findings, we haven't had any correspondence as to what happened with it. (Micro, Audit)
More notice - or a letter stating that a review would be happening as I didn't know it was happening. (Micro, Audit)
BE FAIRER
To be fair - the lady that reviewed me knew that the things that were wrong were a mistake and not done on purpose. The
lady waited for the final audit to take place and then penalised me - I felt like I had been tricked. (Individual, Audit)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 43
OUTBOUND PHONE Overall satisfaction
The following two charts show customers’ overall satisfaction with the phone call they received from the ATO. The first chart
looks at satisfaction levels over time for all recipients of a call. Care should be taken in interpreting the quarterly results due to
small sample sizes. The second chart displays the 2015 nett satisfaction ratings by customer group.
Three quarters (75%) of outbound phone customers in 2015 were satisfied with the call (similar to the 2014 result). There are
no significant differences by customer group.
A5a: How satisfied were you overall with the way the ATO handled the contact? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
A5a: How satisfied were you overall with the way the ATO handled the contact? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
Priorities for improvement
The chart below illustrates how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of outbound phone calls, as well as the areas to
focus on to improve customers’ overall perception that the ATO handled the contact well.
The ATO were rated especially well in terms of treating customers respectfully, courteously, and fairly.
Top priorities for improvement focus on ATO staff taking responsibility to resolve issues, staff knowledge, and helping the
customer to meet their tax obligations. The ease of dealing with the ATO, and understanding the taxpayer’s rights and
obligations, are also strong drivers of the overall perception that the ATO handled the contact well and are, therefore, worthy of
attention.
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
%
7868 67
7869 74
79 77
52 52
4130
19
3845 46
7 10 33 7
25
8 10 10
0
90
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied
Overall satisfaction with outbound phone
M J S D M J S D
(27) (31) (27) (46) (32) (39) (29) (39)
2014
2015
2015
73 75
42 37
13 13
Base: Outbound phone customers (2014 n=131, 2015 n=139)
2014 2015 ANNUAL
(131) (139)
Overall satisfaction with outbound phone by customer group
*Note, small base sizes - results are indicative only.
7074
70
82
63
7782
73
2014
2015
Individuals Any business Micro SME
(27*) (24*) (104) (115) (66) (51) (34) (52)Base: Outbound phone customers
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 44
Drivers of overall satisfaction with outbound phone – all customers
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
OUTBOUND PHONE – ALL CUSTOMERS
65% 70% 75% 80% 85%
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfully and courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed about status/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
All outbound phone customers (139)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with outbound phone – micro and SMEs
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
MICRO SME
65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90%
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligations
Answered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstancestaken into account
Treated respectfully and courteouslyKnowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed aboutstatus/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Contact was in a way that I wanted
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access services and info
Info sufficient to meet needs
Helped me meet tax obligationsAnswered my questions
Easy to understand rights and obligations
Individual circumstances taken into account
Treated respectfullyand courteously
Knowledgeable in dealings with me
Informed me of what I needed to do
Kept informed aboutstatus/delays/issues
Took responsibility to solve issues
Easy to deal with
Treated fairly
Time taken was acceptable
Time taken was acceptable
Outbound phone customers – micro (51) and SME (52)Source: A4a, A4c, A4d, A4e, A5a. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 45
IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF TAXPAYER SITUATION
Look at my case as an individual case rather than a group - take my circumstances into account. Instruct me with more
information about what I needed to do. (Micro, Outbound phone)
They need to understand and tailor answers appropriately. (Individual, Outbound phone)
To have all the facts in front of them before calling me. I have tried to set this up 3 times and I am still not sure it is working.
I am not chasing them up any further - they obviously don't want the money. (Individual, Outbound phone)
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, outbound phone customers who were less than ‘satisfied’ with the overall way the
ATO handled the contact were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. A sample
of their verbatim responses are provided below.
BETTER STAFF
They weren't 100% sure of my situation in the tax matter. They were proven to be incorrect. (SME, Outbound phone)
BETTER COMMUNICATION/ INFORMATION
Better communication with the staff between themselves. (SME, Outbound phone)
IMPROVE SYSTEMS, PROCESSES, CHANNELS
The should have contacted my tax agent not me. (SME, Outbound phone)
AUSkey deputised but still not okayed - especially on the phone. (SME, Outbound phone)
Have someone I could speak with that knew why they sent me a letter in the first place. (Large business, Outbound phone)
Go via the tax agent. (Individual, Outbound phone)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 46
DIGITAL EXPERIENCE This section examines perceptions of the ATO’s digital channels: online services (portal visits), the ATO website (non-portal
visits), the ATO app, SMS/texts, and myGov.
ONLINE SERVICES (PORTAL VISITS) This set of results relates to the ATO’s portals. Respondents were sourced from the ATO’s administrative systems that identify
web interactions initiated by a customer to an ATO system such as the individual portal, business portal, BAS tax portal or
SuperSeeker. Further, results are based on those respondents who said that their last online experience required them to enter
a password to enter the area on the ATO website that they entered.
To provide context to the results, the following chart shows the most common reasons for using an online portal (in relation to
the respondent’s last experience). By far, the most common reason was to view or lodge an activity statement online (41%).
B1a: This first question is about your use of the ATO’s online services that are available through its website (www.ato.gov.au) or the (business portal/ tax agent portal/ BAS agent portal/ individual portal or SuperSeeker). In the last three months, which of these have you (done/done for business purposes)? B1b: Which did you use most recently?
OVERALL SATISFACTION The next two charts show portal users’ overall satisfaction with the quality of the online service they used. The first chart looks
at satisfaction levels over time for all portal users, while the second chart displays the 2015 nett satisfaction ratings by customer
group.
Satisfaction with online services (portals) has not changed significantly since 2014, with more than three quarters (77%) of portal
users satisfied in 2015.
Across the year, satisfaction was at a low in the June quarter (and significantly lower than in the same quarter of 2014). More
in-depth analysis suggests that this stemmed from a drop in tax professionals’ satisfaction (55% compared to 79% in the
previous quarter) – this reflected a portal outage at this time.
Dissatisfaction levels peaked in the last quarter of 2015 – this was driven by Micro businesses.
In both 2014 and 2015, BAS agents tended to be less satisfied than other customer groups. However, BAS agents were more
likely to be ‘very satisfied’ with their online service experience than in 2014.
Top online services used
Base: Portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952). Note, services used by less than 2% of portal users not shown.
41
14
10
3
2
3
6
2
2
3
2
2
41
10
8
5
4
5
3
3
3
3
2
2
2014
2015
%
Viewed or lodged activity statements online
Lodged a tax return online
Viewed or lodged activity statements for your clients
Viewed client account information
Viewed your statement of account or payment options
Tested, lodged or downloaded files
Visited the ATO's website to find out information
Viewed the progress of an income tax return
Kept track of your super by viewing your current account, or looking for lost super or super held by the ATO
Transferred your super into the super account you wanted
Viewed or updated your personal contact details
Registered for one or more AUSkeys
Among tax agents, annual increase from 20% to 36%
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 47
B3: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the online service you used? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
B3: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the online service you used? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
The next chart shows nett satisfaction ratings in 2015 by the type of service used. Variation in satisfaction ratings is evident and
to some extent reflects the customer group using the service, e.g. tax professionals’ services tended to be more poorly rated.
B3: How satisfied were you with the overall quality of the online service you used? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
Overall satisfaction with portal services
Base: Portal users are defined by the ATO online sample, i.e. ATO’s administrative systems that identify web interactions initiated by a customer to an ATO system such as a portal or SuperSeeker. To confirm whether their recent online experience was a portal, respondents were then asked if they needed to enter a password to enter a part of the site.
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter
81 77 78 8072
82 75
31 3024 26 26 31 27
5 7 5 6 7 4 9
0
100
Nett satisfied
Very satisfied
Nett dissatisfied
79
28
6
77
27
7
%
M J S D M J S D
(228) (223) (237) (208) (209) (220) (315)
2014 2015
2014 2015 ANNUAL
(688) (952)
85
7479
8377
65
79 77 7985
7367
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with portal services by customer group
Individuals Micro SME Large business Tax agent BAS agent
(197) (247) (148) (207) (155) (240) (60) (71) (79) (89) (49) (98)Base: Portal users
• Annual increase in BAS agents who were very satisfied (29% in 2015 vs 12% in 2014)• Micro dissatisfaction peaked in 2015 Dec qtr (23%) vs 4% in previous quarter and 7% in 2014 Dec qtr% nett satisfied
Overall satisfaction by portal service
Base: Varies – see bar descriptions. 2015 annual data
% satisfied (nett)
85
83
81
81
80
77
73
68
Viewed statement of account or payment options (34)
Kept track of Super by viewing current account, or looking for lost Super or Super held by the ATO (30)
Lodged a tax return (97)
Tested, lodged or downloaded files (43)
Viewed or lodged activity statements online (384)
Viewed progress of tax return (30)
Tax professionals viewed or lodged activity statements for their clients (80)
Viewed client account information (47)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 48
Priorities for improvement
The next four charts illustrate how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of its online services, as well as the areas to focus
on to improve customers’ overall satisfaction. The first chart presents the results for all portal users. The next three charts look
at the results by customer group.
Portal users viewed the online service most favourably for security and giving the customer confidence that the ATO had
received their information.
The strongest driver of overall satisfaction with online services is ease of access and the ATO perform well in this regard.
Key areas for improving portal users’ experiences focus on the site’s organisation and ease of navigation, the ability to find or do
what they needed to in one visit, providing information they could understand, and providing a tailored service (the latter two
apply more to businesses).
Although a somewhat weaker driver of overall satisfaction, ‘making it clear what to do if the customer encountered a problem
on the site’ is also worthy of attention as this aspect received the poorest rating.
Whilst the story is broadly similar across the customer groups, there are a few differences:
Being clear what to do if there is a problem on the site, and the time taken being acceptable, are priorities for tax
professionals.
Tax professionals view the information more favourably than businesses in regard to its reliability.
Individuals and tax agents rated the online service having a contemporary look and feel more favourably than
businesses.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 49
Drivers of overall satisfaction with online services – all portal users
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
ALL PORTAL USERSS
50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visit
Confident system is secureConfident ATO had received my info
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
All portal users (952)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with online services – individual portal users
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
INDIVIDUAL PORTAL USERS
55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85%
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visit
Confident system is secure
Confident ATO had received my info
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meet taxand super obligations
Portal users – individuals (242)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 50
Drivers of overall satisfaction with online services – business portal users
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
MICRO SME LARGE
40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I neededInfo sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visit
Confident system is secure
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meettax and super obligations
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I neededInfo sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visit
Individual circumstances catered for
Confident ATO had received my info
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what todo if problemon site
Easy to access info/do what I needed
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visitConfident system is secure
Individual circumstancescatered for
Available when neededContemporary look and feel
Confident system is secure
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Info sufficient to meet needs
Info sufficient to meet needs
Available when neededConfident ATO had received my info
Portal users – micro (207), SME (240), large businesses (71)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with online services – tax agent and BAS agent portal users
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
Confident ATO had received my info
50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to doif problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Able to find/do what I needed in one visit
Confident system is secure
Confident ATO had received my info
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to doif problem on site
Easy to access info/do what I neededInfo sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info I could rely on
Info I could understand
Easy to accesson preferred device
Time taken was acceptableAble to find/do what I needed in one visit
Confident system is secure
Confident ATO had received my info
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
ATO made it easy to meet tax and super obligations
TAX AGENT BAS AGENT
Portal users – tax agents (89) and BAS agents (98)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 51
Changes over time in service attributes
The following charts summarise the significant changes that occurred in perceptions of online service aspects over time. Of
note, since 2014 there have been worsening perceptions of the ease of accessing the online service on the user’s preferred
device, the online service being available when needed, and confidence in the ATO receiving the user’s information (the latter
was driven by individuals). Whilst still high, tax professionals’ confidence in the security of the ATO’s online systems dropped.
Annual base: All portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952), individuals (2014 n=197, 2015 n=247)
2015
Annual base: (2014 n=148, 2015 n=207)
Able to find / do what I needed in one visit Information I could rely on
Annual base: (2014 n=148, 2015 n=207) Annual base: All portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952)
Information I could understand Easy access on preferred device
71 696963
7570 70 69
58
7075
70 7164
58
48
71 68
30
100
All portal users (208-315)
Individuals (50-76)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
M J S D M J S D
2014
7974
8072
84
70
8880
61
30
100
Micro (44-57)
ANNUAL ANNUAL
2015
%
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
M J S D M J S D
2014
7772
7975 76
72 7179
67
30
100
All portal users (208-315)
ANNUAL ANNUAL
7066
7066
7268
7871
48
30
100
Micro (44-57)
2014 20152014 2015
2014 20152014 2015
% agree (nett)
% agree (nett)% agree (nett)
% agree (nett)
%
2015
%
92
81
9184
91 91 95 88
8379 76
8689
95
77
92 87
80
30
100
Any Tax professionals (35-62)
Micro (44-57)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
M J S D M J S D
2014
9590
93 96 95 94 91 9287
30
100
Portal users who sent info (101-191)
ANNUAL ANNUAL
%
2015
%
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
M J S D M J S D
2014
78 75
8278 75 73 72
85
71
30
100
All portal users (208-315)
ANNUAL ANNUAL
8176
78 81 8379
7378 75
30
100
All portal users (208-315)
Annual base: Tax professionals (2014 n=128, 2015 n=187), micro (2014 n=148, 2015 n=207) Annual base: Portal users who sent info (2014 n=413, 2015 n=554)
Confident system is secure Confident ATO had received my information
Annual base: All portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952) Annual base: All portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952), BAS agents (2014 n=49, 2015 n=98)
Available when needed Easy to meet obligations
2014 20152014 2015
2014 20152014 2015
Driven by decline among
individuals (98% to 87%)
Significant decline
among BAS agents (92% in 2014 to 71%
in 2015)
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter/year= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 52
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, portal users who were less than ‘satisfied’ with the overall quality of the portal
service were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give them a better rating. This question was asked
without prompting with answer options. Responses are summarised in the table below. Categories that are similar have been
grouped together and presented as a ‘nett score’ (see bolded descriptions and figures) – each nett score figure gives the
percentage of respondents that gave at least one of the more detailed reasons (which are listed below the nett score).
Portal users’ unprompted suggestions for improvement of portal service
Portal users who are less than
satisfied with portal service*
(n=79)
%
Improve functionality and navigation 56
Improve functionality of website/portal 27
Website not user-friendly/badly organised 25
Website difficult to navigate/goes round in circles 13
Improve login process 4
Improve reliability 49
Problems with Portal crashes/goes down too often and for too long/needs to be more stable 29
Problems with browsers - not compatible with some devices and operating systems e.g. Macs,
Chrome 14
Issues with AUSkey 9
Need to update Java too frequently/issues with Java 6
Contacted/rang helpdesk 4
Had to resubmit things due to problems with website 3
Improve information and communication 32
Poor communication/improve communication 10
Hard to get information/lack of information 6
Information needs to be clearer 6
Need to reply more promptly to emails (sent via portal) 5
Acknowledge receipt of uploaded documents/forms 5
Helpdesk gives conflicting or nonspecific information 4
Other 9 Source: B3i. *Note, these results are based on respondents interviewed in the December 2015 quarter, when the question was introduced to the survey. Note also that respondents may mention more than one of the suggested improvements above.
IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY AND NAVIGATION
The portal is not very user friendly. You can't save and come back, you have to do it all in one go. This is why I use an SBR
provider instead of the portal and pay for it, because it's more user friendly. I think it's a shame the ATO is encouraging us
not to ring them, it’s a bad thing too. (BAS agent, Online)
They need to make it more intuitive. More stable and accessible through all types of web browsers. Make it user friendly
from a printing perspective and being able to save drafts. (Large business, Online)
A complete revamp. Less nonsense with passwords etc. I feel like for years they've been unable to communicate with Apple
computers. I have no confidence in it, needs to be much simpler. I’m missing a notice for assessment and I’m totally
dissatisfied. (Micro, Online)
I think it's clunky and time consuming. I still can't change contact details on the website, very frustrating. We have 5 entities
we lodge a BAS for- there is no ability to link details e.g. an address across all entities. (SME, Online)
What annoys me is there is no actual ‘close’ on some screens or ‘back’, you go right out and have to log back in again. (SME,
Online)
Improve functionality of website/portal
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 53
IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY AND NAVIGATION
The navigation needs to be easier. The ATO site needs to be more useable for everyday people, instead of just computer
nerds. Trying to find out about tax file declaration forms for new employers - the loop that you get caught in on the website
is just ridiculous. The ATO website search option doesn't work well enough - doesn't take you where you need to go. (BAS
agent, Online)
The site is badly organised, it is hard to find something you don't use regularly, it can take some time to find. Deleting
clients from my list is a hassle, as you have to do it client by client. They need a mass delete button to delete many clients at
once. (Tax agent, Online)
The mail function is almost impossible to use. Assessments are sent to MyGov but no one knew and one client was fined.
People are not even told they have a MyGov account! It is very difficult to change the MyGov account situation. Portal is
great when it works, but often down with technical difficulties.(Tax agent, Online)
Improve functionality of website/portal (continued)
IMPROVE RELIABILITY
The portal goes down often and takes time to get up again. (Tax agent, Online)
Reliability and speed at which it works. I can waste an hour every day when it is not working. (Tax agent, Online)
On due dates the system needs to be able to cope with the extra traffic. On other dates the system works just fine. There
always seems to be problems accessing the system and run time errors depending on when you are doing it. (SME, Online)
A lot of the time the business portal seems to be having a meltdown, especially near the 21st of each month when our
deadline is. (SME, Online)
At peak times the website goes down. It seems to be not able to cope with a high amount of traffic on the portal. (BAS
agent, Online)
Most of my catch up work is on weekends. The portal is forever down on the weekends. That’s when I get to sit and relax
and take all the information and do general maintenance that I need. (BAS agent, Online)
Problems with portal crashes/goes down too often/needs to be more stable
IMPROVE INFORMATION/COMMUNICATION
The problem is they didn't send out a hard copy of an invoice - so I was unaware I owed them any money - it was only
periodically by chance that I go through and empty my junk mail, that I found an ATO email alert - and only then did I find
the invoice. They could contact my phone - the email system isn't the best method of getting important information from
the ATO. (Individual, Online)
I had a major issue with the linking of eTax to MyGov. Took a number of phone calls to resolve, very frustrating. As a result
the tax office eventually put a debt collecting agency on to me. Poor communication from the tax office through their
website, not sending automatic emails as it was meant to. (Individual, Online)
Poor communication/improve communication
Information needs to be clearer
Section on Medicare and private health insurance is in double negatives and other confusing terminology. (Micro, Online)
In my last year’s return I earned more and paid less tax, and this year I earned less, paid more tax and didn’t get it back.
Wasn’t able to change anything or find out the reasoning. (Individual, Online)
There needs to be more information and more explanations of the tax concepts when you are trying to lodge a return.
(Individual, Online)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 54
Use of other channels to resolve matter
In 2015, around one in six (16%) portal users needed to have some
other type of contact with the ATO about the same issue. This need
was higher among tax agents at 30% and reflects an increase since
2014 of five percentage points.
B6a: Did you also need to have contact with the ATO, either by phone, letter, in person, or some other way?
Telephone continued to be by far the most common (88%) other channel used to address the issue that was the subject of the
customer’s use of the online service. In 2015, customers most commonly needed to use other channels due to an error with the
online service (36%).
Perceptions of the consistency of advice received worsened, with 37% saying they were given the same advice as they got
through their online service (a drop of 12 points since 2014).
B6b: Was the contact by phone, letter, in person, or some other way?
B6c: Why did you contact the ATO? Was it because… B7: Using the scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree, how much do you agree or disagree that the staff at the ATO gave you the same advice as you got through their online service?
Problems or concerns with online service
On the whole, portal users’ problems or concerns with the online service in 2015 were similar to those experienced in 2014. The
site not working properly on their computer was the most common issue. Whilst broken links was still common, it was less of an
issue than in 2014. Around half (51%) said they had no problems.
% who required other contact
Base: Portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952)
18
16
2014
2015
%
Higher among tax agents (30% in 2014, 25% in 2015)
Other contact channels used
Base: Portal users who needed other contact (2014 n=124, 2015 n=155)
%
81
11
11
1
4
88
5
6
2
3
Telephone
Letter / fax
In person
Other
2014 2015
Reason for contact
25
26
11
47
36
27
16
30
2014 2015
%
Base: Portal users who needed other contact (2014 n=124, 2015 n=155)
Perception of consistency of advice
The ATO gave you the same advice as you got through their online service
Base: Portal users who had other contact with the ATO by phone, in person, letter or email (2014 n=121, 2015 n=156)
2
6
7
12
12
22
30
24
49
37
2014
2015
Didn't speak with ATO staff Unsure Disagree Neither Agree
%
Experienced errors with online service
Wanted to ask questions about the online service
Instructed that this was required
Something else
Significant change since 2014
Problems or concerns with online service
Base: Portal users (2014 n=688, 2015 n=952)
*Includes website/portal crashes (4%), browser problems (2%), slow site (2%), log-in troubles (1%), navigation issues (1%), difficult search engine (1%), AUS key trouble (1%), difficulties in finding information (1%), confusing or inconsistent information (1%)
19
21
9
6
14
47
20
17
9
7
13
51
2014
2015
Site would not work properly on computer
Broken links on website
Conflicting information from different ATO sources
Concerns about security
Another problem
No problem
%
Significant increase/decrease since last year
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 55
WEBSITE This set of results relates to the ATO website. Respondents were sourced from the wider business and general public
community samples, as well as all ATO sample groups (excluding the ATO online sample group), and are based on those who
visited the ATO website in the last three months. Results only include respondents who said that they were not required to
enter a password to enter the area on the ATO website that they entered. This was done to ensure respondents were not
answering the questions in relation to a portal visit.
Overall satisfaction
Just over half (55%) of visitors to the ATO website were satisfied with their website experience. The apparent improvement of
six percentage points since 2014 is statistically significant at the 90% confidence level. SMEs’ favourable ratings improved since
2014 (significant at the 95% confidence level). While tax agents’ perceptions also appear to have approved since 2014, care
should be taken in interpreting the magnitude of this increase due to the fairly small base size in 2014.
C2: Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience of visiting the ATO’s website? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
C2: Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience of visiting the ATO’s website? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
46 49 48
33
56
36
67
54 5254 57
4551
61 63 60 5954
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with website by customer group
All customersfrom ATO
sample Individuals Micro SMELarge
business Tax agent BAS agentGeneral Public
BusinessCommunity
(309) (520) (100) (144) (98) (115) (51) (130) (9*) (31) (33) (57) (18*) (43) (132) (185) (63) (108)
Base: Non-portal website visitors*Caution: small base size
Significant increase/decrease since last year
% nett satisfied
Significant increase/decrease since last quarter
= Significantly different from the same quarter, last year.
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
%
39
5850 50 53
60 56
15
26
16 13 16
20 2222
15
1925
18
17 130
90
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied
Overall satisfaction with website (non-portal)
201549 55
19 18
19 18
Base: Website visitors (non-portal)
M J S D M J S D
(147) (119) (138) (160) (169) (161) (179)
2014 2015
2014 2015 ANNUAL
(404) (669)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 56
Priorities for improvement
The next two charts illustrate how well the ATO performed on specific aspects of its website, as well as the areas to focus on to
improve customers’ overall satisfaction with the ATO website. The first chart displays the results for all website visitors,
whereas the second chart separates results for businesses and individuals.
The website was viewed most favourably for being available when needed and accessible on their preferred device, as well as
the customer knowing that they could contact the ATO for help.
Key areas for improvement focus on the website’s organisation and ease of navigation, ease of accessing the information
needed, providing information the customer can understand and is sufficient to meet their needs, individual circumstances
being catered for, and reducing the time taken to complete the task (the latter two apply especially businesses).
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 57
Drivers of overall satisfaction with the website – all website (non-portal) visitors
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
ALL WEBSITE (NON-PORTAL) VISITORS
50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80%
0.2
0.3
0.4Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info could rely on
Info could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when neededContemporary look and feel
All website (non-portal) visitors (669)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
Drivers of overall satisfaction with the website – individuals versus businesses
WEAKER DRIVER
STRONGERDRIVER
LOWER PERFORMANCE
HIGHER PERFORMANCE
BUSINESS NON-PORTAL VISITORS INDIVIDUAL NON-PORTAL VISITORS
50% 60% 70% 80%
0.2
0.3
0.4
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to doif problem on site
Easy to access info I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info could rely on
Info could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time taken was acceptable
Individual circumstances catered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
Well organised and easy to navigate site
Clear what to do if problem on site
Easy to access info I needed
Info sufficient to meet needs
Knew I could contact ATO for help
Info could rely onInfo could understand
Easy to access on preferred device
Time takenwas acceptable
Individual circumstancescatered for
Available when needed
Contemporary look and feel
Website (non-portal) visitors – businesses (384) and individuals (185)Source: B2, B3. 2015 annual data.
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 58
Changes over time in service attributes
The following charts summarise the significant changes that occurred in perceptions of specific aspects of the website over time.
Most notably, the website was viewed more favourably in 2015 for providing information sufficient to meet taxpayers’ needs
(up six points to 62%).
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, website visitors from the general public community or business community who
were less than ‘satisfied’ with the overall quality of service were asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give
them a better rating. A sample of their verbatim responses are provided below.
EASIER TO FIND THINGS/ INFORMATION
It needs to be not so confusing. When you try to do something, you click on links and sometimes end up at the first page
you started at. (Business community, Website visitor)
Make the information easier to find. (Business community, Website visitor)
I find it quite un-user friendly in finding the information you need or you’re looking for. (Business community, Website
visitor)
Make it easier to find things. (Business community, Website visitor)
Information should be much easier to find rather than clicking 10 times and getting to the form. (Business community,
Online)
6670
6268
6069 68
6370 67
805966
62 6065 66
80
30
100
All website visitors (119-179)
Website visitors - businesses (55-106)
42 4344 46
3644
38 43 48
0
100
All website visitors (119 - 179)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Website customers (2014 n=404; 2015 n=669)
5662
50
6456 58
64 62 65
30
100
All website visitors (119 - 179)% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Website customers (2014 n=404; 2015 n=669)
Information I could rely on
% agree (nett)
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
2014 2015
ANNUAL
Annual base: Website customers (2014 n=404; 2015 n=669), Website customers – businesses (2014 n=221; 2015 n=384)
Clear what to do if I encountered a problem on the site Information sufficient to meet my needs
Significant increase/decrease since last year
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 59
PROBLEMS OR CONCERNS WITH THE WEBSITE Fewer taxpayers stated they had a problem or concern with the website (60% in 2014 vs 47% in 2015). Broken links on the
website were the most common issue in 2015 (20%).
C4a: Which of these problems or concerns, if any, did you have while using the ATO’s website?
Problems or concerns with website (non-portal)19%
10%
19%
16%
22%
40%
20%
10%
11%
8%
12%
53%
Broken links on website
Site would not work properly on computer
Conflicting information from different ATO sources
Conflicting information from different web pages
Another problem*
No problem
2014
2015
Base: Website visitors (non-portal) (2014 n=404, 2015 n=669)*Includes website navigation issues (3%), difficult search engine (2%), difficulties in finding information (4%), had to phone for help (1%), lack of/old information (2%), confusing or inconsistent information (1%)
Significant increase/decrease since last year
BETTER SEARCH ENGINE
Make their links easier to use - when you go on the search engine and look for fuel tax credits, it's got a whole page of
results and right down the bottom is the calculator. (General public community, Website visitor)
Better search function. (Business community, Website visitor)
It needs to be more detailed in terms of what I search for - it requires a high level of understanding. More explanations are
needed for taxation agents to rely on. (Business community, Website visitor)
NEEDS TO BE MORE USER FRIENDLY
Should have made it more user friendly and put most of the forms online without downloading or printing. (Business
community, Website visitor)
If it was in a more accessible format. (General public community, Website visitor)
Just make things not so complicated - you lodge a tax file number and you have to enter the information, then you have to
print off a receipt email and then take all of that to the post office to send off to the ATO. All just to get a tax file. (Business
community, Website visitor)
F IX PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM
I had a lot of difficulty downloading the AUSkey. There needs to be a easier way to download AUSkey without any
problems. (Business community, Website visitor)
Get the system to work, there is too much down time. (Business community, Website visitor)
Have up to date information about troubles logging in. (Business community, Website visitor)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 60
MYGOV Around one in seven (15%) members of the general public, and over half (54%) of individuals who had recently had some kind of
contact with the ATO, had used myGov in the last three months. Around two thirds (67%) said they were satisfied with their
experience of using myGov. The proportion of users who were ‘very satisfied’ has declined between 2014 and 2015.
C10: myGov is an online service that lets you access a range of Australian Government services with one username and password, all in one place. In the last three months, have you used myGov to manage your tax or superannuation online?
C11: Overall, how satisfied were you with the experience of using myGov to manage your tax or super online? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
Additional analysis shows the following demographic subgroups of individuals/the general public community were significantly
more likely to use myGov:
Younger people (51% of 18-39 year olds in the combined ‘individuals/general public community group’ used myGov vs
40% of those aged 40-54, vs 27% of those aged 55+)
Those in paid work (46% vs 31% of those not in paid work)
Higher education groups (50% of those with a tertiary education vs 39% of those with a trade qualification or
certificate/diploma not requiring a degree vs 32% of those with a high school qualification or no qualification).
71 6575 70 67 66 65
43 35 40 3427
37 30
13 17 14 15 12 13 13
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied%
Overall satisfaction with myGov
M J S D M J S D
(138) (177) (127) (122) (132) (154) (173)
Base: myGov users
70
15
67
13
2014 2015
(442) (581)
ANNUAL
39 32
Significant increase/decrease since last year
Significantly different from this quarter last year
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter2014 2015
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 61
ATO APP Six percent of respondents in the survey said they had used the ATO app. Just over half (57%) of users who had used the ATO
app at some point said they were satisfied with their experience. Individuals are the primary target of the app. The app
features are unlikely to support groups who have portals. Individuals’ perceptions of the app appear to have decreased since
2014 (sitting at 51% in 2015).
C9. Overall, how satisfied were you with the experience of using the app? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
C9. Overall, how satisfied were you with the experience of using the app? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
Suggestions for improvement
In the 2015 December quarter of fieldwork, app users who were less than ‘satisfied’ with their experience of using the app were
asked what the ATO could have done for the respondent to give the app a better rating. A sample of their verbatim responses
are provided below.
73
455351 54 56 2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with the ATO app by customer group
General Public/Individuals Businesses Tax professionals
(71) (87) (87) (76) (49) (57)
Base: ATO app users
Significant increase/decrease since last year
% nett satisfied
4964 60
52 57 57 5447
31 3039
23 2028 29 2319
9 13 17 20 1914 16
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied%
Overall satisfaction with the ATO app
(39) (53) (54) (61) (59) (48) (49) (64)
Base: ATO app users
57
14
53
17
2014 2015
(207) (220)
ANNUAL
30 25
M J S D M J S D
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
2014 2015
MAKE IT EASIER TO ACCESS/TOO MUCH SECURITY
Make myGov registration a bit easier. Just trying to get it to log in, I couldn't get it to register properly on the app. (Tax
agent, ATO app user)
There were times where you just couldn't get on, just a bit like a broken link. You would load it and it wouldn't open.
(Individual, ATO app user)
Make it easier when you change your number - you have to create a whole new account if you don't have access to your old
number - it’s so annoying because I linked everything already. (Individual, ATO app user)
Make it more easily accessible. (Tax agent, ATO app user)
I just think it’s onerous with the level of security. (Individual, ATO app user)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 62
NEEDS TO BE MORE INFORMATIVE
Allow for more facilities on it - you only get really basic and general stuff, it needs more detail. (Individual, ATO app user)
I didn’t find it informative and there wasn’t much I could access from the app - I just gave up on it. (BAS agent, ATO app
user)
NEEDS TO BE EASIER TO NAVIGATE
Better links. Easier to navigate. (Individual, ATO app user)
I found that it is difficult to navigate. In general, it is difficult to use. (SME, ATO app user)
It’s hard to navigate through the app. (Individual, ATO app user)
Just the navigating is a bit hard sometimes. Navigating around to get to the right spot. (Micro, ATO app user)
OTHER SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE APP
They didn't have one for tax agents - the one they have now is more general. (BAS agent, ATO app user)
I tried to use the ABN lookup feature, but the information it gave me was different to the information that I got when I
looked it up on my laptop online. (BAS agent, ATO app user)
Stay within the application when using it, rather then having it take you online. What is the purpose of the app when it just
takes you to all the ATO webpages? (General public community, ATO app user)
I’m trying to link ATO to Centrelink and it is not doable. There is something wrong, I can link to all other services but those
two won’t link. (Individual, ATO app user)
The app was quite new when I was using it. It didn't allow you to do the same amount of stuff you could do on the website.
(Micro, ATO app user)
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 63
SMS Around three quarters (77%) of taxpayers who received an SMS message from the ATO were satisfied with this service
experience in 2015. Little variation is evident over time. Individuals viewed SMS messages more favourably than businesses in
2015.
C6b: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the SMS or txt message you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
C6b: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the SMS or txt message you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
76 74 74 77 72 77 80
5243 41 37 40 38
49
7 7 6 8 7 3 3
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNet dissatisfied%
Overall satisfaction with SMS/txts
(119) (161) (142) (173) (170) (170) (209)
74 77
2014 2015
(422) (722)
ANNUAL
45 42
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
Base: Annual SMS/txt users
M J S D M J S D
2014 2015
7 5
7873
7974 74 73
83
71 71 7179 78
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with SMS/txts by customer group
Individuals Micro SME Any business Tax agent BAS agent
(83) (229) (88) (178) (28*) (76) (119) (264) (96) (86) (103) (101)
Base: Recipients of SMS/txt*Caution: small base size
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 64
EMAIL Satisfaction with outbound email was similar to that in 2014, with more than three quarters of those who received an email in
the last three months saying they were satisfied with the quality of the email (77% in 2015). BAS agents and SMEs were
especially satisfied.
C6c: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the email you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
C6c: Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of the email you received? Please use a scale where 1 means ‘very dissatisfied’ and 5 means ‘very satisfied’.
75 77 81 77 78 78 77
41 44 41 44 44 41 42
3 4 3 4 3 3 3
Nett satisfiedVery satisfiedNett dissatisfied%
Overall satisfaction with the outbound email
(368) (319) (342) (352) (316) (362) (381)
Base: Recipients of outbound email
78
3
77
3
2014 2015
(1,029) (1,411)
ANNUAL
42 43
M J S D M J S D
M = March quarter, J = June quarter, S = September quarter, D = December quarter
2014 2015
8278 75
6876
8778
7480
75 7382
2014
2015
Overall satisfaction with outbound email by customer group
Individuals Micro SME Large business Tax agent BAS agent
(199) (310) (208) (262) (200) (289) (66) (84) (161) (177) (123) (154)
Base: Recipients of outbound email
% nett satisfied
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 65
APPENDIX A: SAMPLE PROFILES
Demographic profile of individuals and the general public community
Individuals
%
General public
community
%
Age (1,001) (451)
18-24 years 8 10
25-29 years 15 3
30-34 years 16 12
35-39 years 11 17
40-44 years 10 8
45-49 years 8 7
50-54 years 8 15
55-59 years 8 5
60-64 years 6 5
65-69 years 5 6
70-79 years 3 10
80 or over 1 2
Gender (1,001) (451)
Male 53 49
Female 47 51
Other - -
Refused to answer - -
Work status (1,000) (450)
Paid work full time (including own business) 51 42
Paid work part time (including own business) 23 21
Unemployed 8 8
Government assistance, retired from work, home duties 14 27
Other 4 3
Speak a language other than English at home (1,001) (451)
Yes 22 16
No 78 84
Identify yourself as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (1,001) (451)
Yes 3 1
No 97 99
Identify yourself as having a disability (1,001) (451)
Yes 6 9
No 94 91
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 66
Whether prefer to receive information in language other than
English (224)^ (47)^
Yes 7 2
No 93 98
Whether prefer products or information in accessible formats (60)^^ (55)^^
Yes 33 47
No 55 39
Unsure 12 14
Education (1,001) (451)
No qualification 3 3
High school qualification 26 31
Trade qualification 5 6
Certificate or diploma that does not require a degree 20 25
University degree 27 24
Postgraduate qualification, e.g. Honours, Masters, Doctorate,
Fellowship, Postgraduate Diploma 19 10
Other - -
Don’t know - -
Prefer not to say - -
*denotes % between 0.0% and 0.5%
^Base is respondents who speak a language other than English at home.
^^Base is respondents who identify as having a disability. Source: E1, E2, E4, E5, E6, E8, E10
General public community contact with the ATO in the last three months
General public community
%
(451)
Contact with the ATO by phone in last 3 months 11
Contact with the ATO by email in last 3 months 6
Contact with the ATO in person in last 3 months 1
*denotes % between 0.0% and 0.5%Source: C1i
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 67
Demographic profile of businesses
Micro
%
SME
%
Business community
%
Current position (834) (646) (451)
Owner 76 17 70
Accounts/Payroll Clerk 2 6 4
Accountant 2 28 3
Tax Manager 1 2 1
Financial Controller 3 32 3
HR manager - 1 -
Other 14 13 18
Refused 3 1 1
Number of employees (834) (646) (451)
No employees 6 3 60
1-4 employees 25 7 21
5-19 employees 6 29 14
20-199 employees 3 49 3
200+ employees 1 11 1
Don’t know 4 - 1
Age of business (834) (646) (451)
Less than 1 year 12 1 1
1-2 years 13 2 1
3-4 years 13 5 1
5-6 years 11 7 4
7-10 years 15 13 6
More than 10 years 36 72 86
Entity type (834) (646) (451)
Sole trader 62 3 43
Company 19 82 32
Partnership 7 3 13
Trust 6 8 5
Other 3 3 5
Don’t know 4 1 1
Business annual turnover (834) (646) (451)
Up to $100,000 57 4 44
$100,001 to $500,000 21 4 27
$500,001 to $1 million 4 4 5
More than $1 million up to $10 million 5 39 13
More than 10 million 1 43 2
Don’t know 7 3 4
Refused 5 3 5 *denotes % between 0.0% and 0.5%Source: F1, F2, F3, F4, F5
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 68
Business community contact with the ATO in the last three months
Business community
%
(451)
Contact with the ATO by phone in last 3 months 25
Contact with the ATO by email in last 3 months 9
Contact with the ATO in person in last 3 months 2
*= denotes % between 0.0% and 0.5% Source: C1i
Profile of large businesses
Large businesses
%
Current position (169)
Payroll Clerk or Human Relations (HR) 3
Taxation and compliance specialist (tax manager, tax accountant) 29
Accounting or Finance Manager/Director 40
Senior executive (e.g. CEO, CFO, Company Secretary) 13
Accounting or Finance Executive 15
Number of entities in economic group (169)
0-9 entities 66
10-19 entities 17
20-49 entities 11
50-99 entities 4
100+ entities 4
Don’t know 5
Whether entities are consolidated for tax purposes or grouped for GST purposes (169)
Consolidated for tax purposes 22
Grouped for GST purposes 4
Both 57
Other 10
Don’t know 7 Source: H1,H2, H3
ATO Corporate Perceptions Survey - 69
Profile of tax practitioners
Tax agent
%
BAS agent
%
Type of practice (228) (222)
Sole practitioner 51 66
Company 39 28
Partnership 8 4
Internationally affiliated practice - -
Don’t know 1 2
Whether a registered tax agent (228) (222)
Yes 67 39
No 33 61
Unsure - -
Number of clients (152)^ (86)^
1-25 clients 13 63
26-50 clients 6 16
51-100 clients 14 9
101-250 clients 15 6
251-500 clients 25 2
More than 500 clients 27 1
Don’t know 1 2 Source: G1,G2, G3
^Base is registered tax agents.