It seems HMRC really aren’t fans of answering the phone.
For a while now, they’ve been nudging everyone towards their online services. Last March, they announced plans to close their Self-Assessment helpline for six months a year…but had to backtrack after the backlash. And that’s after it was revealed that, in 2023, HMRC left customers on hold for over 800 years of collective time!
This week, a committee of MPs accused them of running a “deliberately poor” telephone service to put people off ringing them. To put that in perspective, nearly 44,000 people waited on hold for more than 70 minutes last year… only to be cut off before HMRC answered.
Now, we all have our communication preferences. As the father of teenage daughters, I know there’s no chance they’ll actually answer the phone if I ring them. Message – yes. Talk – no chance.
But as business owners, it’s on us to offer customers a variety of ways to get in touch. At JDA, we mix it up. When we need information from clients, we’ll email, call, text—and occasionally even send a letter. For meetings, we offer phone calls, Zoom, or good old-fashioned face-to-face.
That’s the key: giving your customers options.
So, what about your business? Are you making it easy for your customers to get in touch? Offering multiple options to communicate isn’t just convenient—it’s what keeps them coming back.
If you have any questions, please hit “reply” or give us a ring on 0151 380 8084.
Many thanks
Jon