Ian Rumanyika, Ag. Assistant Commissioner, Public and Corporate Affairs at URA.
In yet another move to further simplify tax compliance, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has made a major upgrade to its contact centre offering with the rollout of state-of-the-art Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology.
“With this service support enhancement, we have ensured that the process of reaching out to us through our toll-free service helplines (0800-117000/0800-217000) is not only much simpler but also more reliable and delightful,” says Ian Rumanyika, Ag. Assistant Commissioner, Public and Corporate Affairs at URA.
Additionally, he adds, URA has matched the technology upgrade with human capital additions to ensure that the tax body has the right people on the other end of the call to walk the clients through their tax compliance needs, tax education inquiries and so much more.
“The contact centre upgrade has started with the IVR solution with a WhatsApp number option to follow shortly,” Rumanyika says, adding: “This enhancement comes in handy at this time when taxpayers are filing their final tax returns and making their tax payments ahead of the 30th June 2021 deadline.”
Rumanyika adds that URA’s contact centre’s service hours have been extended to run from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm Monday to Friday and from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on weekends and public holidays.
“We encourage taxpayers to reach us through our improved contact centre instead of making physical visits to our service centers to mitigate exposure to COVID-19,” he says.
What are the new improvements that the clients can now enjoy; –
- Multiple language options with English and Luganda already available during the pilot phase with more languages lined up for addition.
- A service menu with 5 different options as listed below to ensure faster turnaround time for client’s inquiries.
a. Option 1: Self-service (Resetting TIN passwords and Unlocking accounts)
b. Option 2: Payments, TIN registration, Kakasa with EFRIS and other domestic tax-related issues
c. Option 3: Customs import and export enquiries.
d. Option 4: Staff misconduct or tax evasion (Whistleblowing).
e. Option 5: Other general inquiries
- The ability to Self-Serve where clients can initiate password resets and unlock accounts for their TINs.
- The functionality of routing clients’ calls to agents with the most appropriate skills and access to respond to their requests and offer appropriate service solutions.
