Tax authorities prepare themselves for a deluge of citizens’ enquiries

New tax law brings a greater demand for advice on electronic tax returns

Digital tax returns all the rage  
The wave of citizens’ enquiries that is inundating officialdom in Germany is getting steadily larger. With the imminent tax law changes and the trend towards submitting tax returns digitally on the Internet, the number of enquiries from the populace is also growing constantly. For the first time ever, this year will probably see more than five million German citizens submitting their tax returns online. By January at the latest, the resultant need for information will have reached a new high. In order to ease the burden from their staff, and to save money, more and more tax authorities are backing up their personal advisory service with a digital colleague. At the financial authorities’ service portal www.elster.de, virtual expert ELIAS answers questions about the electronic tax return. 
  
Virtual experts make for more satisfied customers  
Users can enter their questions in normal text in a box beneath the avatar, and they receive a definite reply straight away. Instead of waiting for what is normally several days for a response to queries by post, fax or e-mail, the system helps people immediately, which leads to greater satisfaction. Other authorities such as the German Federal Ministry of Health and the German Bundestag are also relying on the software behind ELIAS: novomind IQ™. The aim is a modern eGovernment that offers competent citizens’ services with personalised communication, and that makes administration noticeably more efficient. 
  
Modern eGovernment helps to save money  
With the harshening of budgetary conditions in government administrations, the struggle for efficiency has become more pressing. According to the 2006 Municipal Budget Report, personnel costs, in core municipal budgets have risen by 30 billion euros since 1992. Electronic systems offer an important means of reducing administrative costs and easing the strain on telephone hotline staff. And along with the potential savings, a considerable improvement in response quality has been seen in practice. This is because avatars like ELIAS can draw on a central knowledge database when answering citizens’ questions. This pool of knowledge contains all the latest facts. As many as 100 customer enquiries can be answered simultaneously by a digital consultant, which also helps users navigate and find content more quickly. The system is especially helpful in relieving the burden on call centres. 
  
novomind at the 11th MODERNER STAAT 2007 trade fair in Berlin  
On 27 and 28 November, novomind will be demonstrating its innovative solutions for digital citizens’ communication at the MODERNER STAAT 2007 exhibition in Berlin. novomind AG will be in Booth 46 in Hall 7.2b. 
  
novomind AG: innovative software for professional customer communications    
novomind is a software developer in Hamburg and the fastest-growing company in the field of electronic customer communications and mail management. As the leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communications, novomind AG provides software for service-oriented and personalised customer dealings. The software not only optimises efficiency in customer administration significantly, it also gives the user a faster return on investment. The portfolio of the Products division includes the novomind Self-Service Suite™. The software package contains all the communication modules necessary for a customer service centre on a central knowledge basis: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive, real-time communication. The novomind AG Services division implements complex e-business applications. More than 40 major companies have already decided in favour of novomind technology, among them Citibank, Otto, Yello Strom and the German pension institution Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund. Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx as well as public-sector users, such as the German Bundestag (parliament) and the German Department of Trade and Industry, have already successfully introduced novomind systems to optimise their customer communications, turnover and PR. 

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