1. “Automated” Tax Notice Best Practices
Through the use of
By: Rick Pinkerman

2. NOTICE ADMINISTRATION FUNDAMENTALS
Tax Notice Administration needs to be proactive not only reactive. To ensure your notice resolution expectations are met you need to make sure you define what is required to meet your service standards. To do this you need to define five criteria.
1. Resolution Guidelines and Goals
2. Structured Processes
3. Clear Communications
4. Closure Routines
5. Closure/Follow up

3. RESOLUTION GUIDELINES
This is where you as a SB define your Goals, the Data that you will track and time Frames for different notice types. This information is shared with all of the staff members so everyone knows what to expect on each notice.
EXAMPLES OF GOALS:
1. Notify clients that we have received their notice within 1 day.
2. Follow up with Clients no more than 10 days after receipt of a notice to update them.
3. Inform internal staff on new and changed notices.
4. Keep SB Note rates below 15%
You should have at least 5 or more measurable goals depending on the number of notices you receive per Month.

4. RESOLUTION GUIDELINES
Data that should be tracked**:
Notice Details: (Agency, Tax Period, Notice Type, All dates, etc)
Cause of Notice: (Who, What, When and Where)
Research information: (Reports, Conversations, Situation, etc)
Corrective Action information: (What, When, How, and Who)
Abatement: (Type, Reason, Amounts, and Dates)
Closure Information: (Type, Avoidable Actions, Follow Ups, Billing)
**(The data that the SB tracks defines what you will be able to do with all notices)

5. RESOLUTION GUIDELINES
TIME FRAMES:
Not all notices are the same. Setting time frames for different types of notices is critical to ensure your staff can communicate the correct time frame to your clients.
The time frames do not need to be exact but they should be set to what your company feels is acceptable. All internal dates should be used to ensure that your staff is able to handle the workload in the current time frames. This will help you know when added help may be needed.
Have a sheet that has basic time frames on it for your internal staff to use. This will give them a tool to refer to when clients call in and enquire about when their notice will be resolved.

6. TAX NOTICE GUIDE FOR WHOLE OFFICE USE

7. STRUCTURED PROCESSES
Processes are used to ensure that you can verify and report off of each step of the notice resolution. Make sure there is a way to put a notice into different statuses that help define what step a notice is currently in. When each step is the same for each notice type you have the ability to report off of your results. This will help review possible policy and procedure changes needed to reduce future notices.
The processes that you setup for your notice resolution should be the same no matter what type of notice it is. (Enter, Track, Research, Communicate, Resolve, Close and Follow Up.)
Some notices will have an extra step (Abatement), that further add to the processes needed.
Have a notice resolution outline to train new staff members and use for backup staff members.

8. COMMUNICATIONS
Communications are one of the most important items when dealing with Agency notices. You should setup a standard way to communicate to your Clients, Internal Staff members and the Agencies. Use what works, there is no need to get over fancy on your communications.
The best communication practice for CLIENT letters is to inform the client what the communications is for, outline what has or is going to happen and end with a basic timeline of when you will get back to them or when the notice will be resolved.
The best communication practice for INTERNAL STAFF is to inform them of; Who, What, When and Where. In this example the where is where the notice is in the resolution process. Internal staff members should be updated on each step of the process to ensure they can answer a clients basic questions.
The best communication practice for AGENCY letters is to ensure all data needed is on the letter. Be precise and to the point on your requests or on the information needed by the agency. Agencies review thousands of letters monthly.

9. CLOSURE INFORMATION
Closure is one of the most important parts of the notice resolution process where you can find ways to reduce future notices.
Look for ways to streamline future notices of the same type.
Make sure all avoidable actions are noted to be used for later follow up.
Follow ups are a good way to reduce future notices by the use of training Clients and Internal Staff members.
Always make sure every notice is closed by the Individual Agency.

10. HOW ANTS PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER FOR YOU
ANTS can handle all of your notice administration needs. With step by step work flows all data can be entered and tracked in a fraction of the time it takes by doing it manually.
Data retention and storage, historic client data as of time of each notice.
Template letters ensure you are sending out accurate and timely Client, Agency, and Internal Staff communications. Edit them on the individual notice level before sending them out.
Built in reports allow you to report off of all notices and client date. Even report off of the Agency information for Quarter and Year End preparation. Report off of notes and other data to see what works and what does not.
Active Notice List gives you a daily view of all notices that need to be resolved in order of PSB due date. Filter to manage the data how you need it.

11. ANTS MAIN SCREEN

12. FIND A COMPANY TO ENTER A NEW NOTICE ON Find Options: Enter Client ID, Name, DBA, FED ID, or State ID.

13. CONFIRM IT IS THE CORRECT COMPANY Gives basic Client Information.

14. ENTER THE CLIENT NOTICE INFORMATION System Filters the clients existing notices to ensure accurate notice entry.

15. NEW NOTICE DATA Existing Notice found, Duplicate or Sequential.

16. SEQUENTIAL AND DUPLICATE NEW NOTICE ENTRY

17. NEW NOTICE ENTRY SYSTEM FLOW CHART
New Notice Non Tax Svc
Duplicate Notice
Sequential Notice
Service Not Provided Notice

18. ADDING NEW NOTICE Only option is to add new notice.

19. VERIFYING THE ENTERED NOTICE DATA

20. AUTOMATIC LETTER Select a contact for letter.

21. THE LETTER THAT IS GENERATED WHEN A NEW NOITCE IS ENTERED You can make changes to it or leave it as is and send it out to the client through mail or .

22. E-MAIL LETTER TO CLIENT

23. NOTICE SCREEN Holds all of the details on an individual notice

24. ATTACHMENTS All Documents and Letters are stored here
ATTACHMENTS All Documents and Letters are stored here. Ability to report off attachment and letters. SB can create their own letters and add them into ANTS drop down list.

25. SELECT YOUR DOCUMENT TYPE OR LETTER AND THE RECIPIENT

26. DOCUMENT AND LETTER OPTIONS

27. UI RATE CHANGE LETTER

28. NEW DOCUMENT AND LETTER ADDED TO ATTACHMENTS

29. DETAILS TAB Where the research is done by the tax rep

30. RESEARCH SCREEN Dropdowns are editable by the SB, different Sections for note entry. Set the notice status.

31. ACTUALS Used to track actual amounts for Refunds and Penalty & Interest

32. ABATEMENT SCREEN Used to Request the abatement, five options available

33. ABATEMENT REQUEST LETTER Edit the details and save before printing

34. ABATEMENT RESPONSE

35. CLIENT ABATEMENT RESPONSE LETTER

36. CLOSURE TAB

37. CLOSURE DETAILS Used to ensure the notice is accurately closed, also to help reduce future notices

38. CLOSURE LETTER TO CLIENT

39. CLOSURE LETTER Edit if needed and send to the client

40. ACTIVE NOTICE LISITING (Shows all Active Notices (Status <> Closed)) Filter the screen for better manageability

41. FILTERS

42. FILTERED SCREEN

43. AGENCY SCREEN Holds Agent Contacts - Notes, Online Payment website - Notes, Agency – Notes, and Client Agency Notes

44. MANAGE THE CONTACTS AND ONLINE PAYMENT WEBSITES

45. CLIENT AGENCY NOTES TAB Client Agency Tab used for special notes on a clients Agency

46. REPORTS LIST Used to display all reports within ANTS
REPORTS LIST Used to display all reports within ANTS. Multiple Sort and Filter options available.

47. ACTIVE NOTICES LISTING BY AGENCY

48. ACTIVE NOTICES LISTING BY STATUS

49. ACTIVE NOTICES LISTING BY CSR

50. TOP 10 % NOTICES

51. WAITING STATUS

52. ABATEMENT STATUS

53. ANTS AUTOMATED CONCLUSION
ANTS will increase the Accuracy, Efficiencies, and Communication with clients and internal staff members for its users. The features in the application will allow the Payroll Service Bureau (PSB) to decrease the number of notices by identifying and correcting common internal and external procedural issues.
The PSB will be able to research the string of events per notice type off of all notices to see what the probabilities are of receiving the same type of notices in the future.
All documentation and Letters are held on each client notice for quick research.
Notifications are sent out to the CSR’s to keep them up to date on changes.
Reports can be run to show what is going on with all notices and to monitor the notice resolution results.

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