HMRC to recruit 1 000 extra staff

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has bowed to pressure to improve its levels of service to the public and is recruiting up to 1 000 additional call centre staff to tackle poor performance and huge delays, writes FT.com.

Lin Homer, chief executive at HMRC, says the extra staff should help the Revenue to achieve a target of answering 90% of all calls, two years earlier than planned.

According to ITV News, around £9 million of extra investment will be made this year, and up to £25 million in 2013-14 to reach the call centre industry standard by next spring.

Homer says money was being “reprioritised” to make the additional investment, without affecting other customer services.

HMRC has 17 contact centres across the UK, employing 8 500 staff, handling around 60 million calls a year, The Independent reports.

Performance has improved from 48% of calls handled in 2010/11 to 74% in 2011/12, but HMRC says more needed to be done to provide a better service.