Optima Tax Relief - Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year

Company: Optima Tax Relief, LLC, Santa Ana, CA
Company Description: Optima Tax Relief is the leading nationwide tax resolution firm helping people solve their IRS tax problems and is the largest of its kind in America. We work to build relationships with our thousands of clients and the IRS alike so that we can offer representation to taxpayers with a variety of tax issues. We are committed to delivering an industry-leading experience to our employees and clients,
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Financial Services Industries

Nomination Title: Optima Tax Relief's Front-Line Customer Service Team

Optima Tax Relief’s Customer Service Department handles over 38,000 calls per month, servicing businesses and individuals struggling to pay back state and federal taxes. Each call presents a unique situation with new obstacles to overcome, and the customer service department becomes a lifeline to struggling taxpayers trying to get back on track.

Resolving past due tax debt is not a simple task. The process often takes many months or years to resolve, and clients can become anxious, confused, or discouraged if trust and genuine caring are not established from the beginning with our Customer Service Team.

In 2019, Optima continued to optimize its client portal. Optima’s unique client portal enables clients to securely upload documents at any time. Prior to this portal, clients needed to mail and/or fax many documents, which slowed down the resolution process. While mail and fax remain the industry standard, our clients easily upload more than 50,000 documents to OTR’s portal every week. This technology allowed OTR to provide consistent services to its clients through the pandemic when staffing was low due to furloughs.

In late 2019, we completely overhauled our client service business model where employees were incentivized for spending more time building relationships with clients and providing personal attention. This was a change from the more traditional KPI-focused model where employees were incentivized for the number of calls handled. This provided our clients with the additional support they needed in 2020 with the covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020 and 2021, we created a larger, 3-tiered customer service department handling over 38,000 calls per month, to assist clients in a faster, more succinct way. We also developed a department-wide policy of “first call resolution” to save our clients time and provide them with clarity on the very first call. This was supported by a new cloud-based phone system which provided improved call routing—connecting the client to the right department. Additionally, our escalation unit shifted its focus to client retention—assigning cases to the unit once they are escalated.

In 2021 when things began to stabilize with the pandemic, Optima began to increase its hiring efforts. With the new remote environment, Optima revamped its new hire orientation and onboarding process. The training program is centered around servicing the clients and emphasis is placed on building relationships with clients by providing care and empathy—all of which are important especially during these unprecedented times. This new and improved onboarding process has translated to an increase in employee retention and new hires are graduating from their training better equipped to service OTR clients in the COVID environment.

The results have been astounding. Due to our revised business model, our customer service team has helped our clients complete a total of 68,800 tax organizers, an increase of 13% from 2020. Also, we have seen an approximately 38% decrease in client refunds between 2020 and 2021. This emphasis on client services has led to an overall improvement of completed cases by 36% from 2020, resolving over 20,700 cases this year.

Even with the challenges faced during the pandemic, OTR continued to focus on its clients and the quality of services. In 2021, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) recognized Optima with the Torch Award for Ethics. This award honors businesses that go above and beyond to operate with integrity and raise awareness about marketplace trust. Businesses that are honored with a Torch Award conduct ethical practice, which fuels our customer care.

Additionally, Optima has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies 5 years in a row, with a 3-year growth rate of 57% and a record number of client accounts in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Ultimately, our clients tell the true story, and we are proud that our customer experience improved during this dramatic growth. Optima has maintained an A+ status with the BBB with a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5, with over 2,800 reviews, 4.5 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot.com, 4.7 stars out of 5 on Supermoney.com, and an A rating with Business Consumer Alliance.

Attached you will find a video that provides an overview of our journey as a company and customer service team since 2019 and through the Covid-19 pandemic. Some ofthe items shown on the video include:

Company Core Values
Company Culture Circles
Customer Service 3-tiered System
Customer Service Contributions
Example of Client Reviews
Overview of Client Portal
Overview of OTR Transcript Puller
Awards Received

Also, attached aredocuments that provide evidence of claims made in our Front Line-Customer Service Team of the Yearsubmission:

Optima Tax Relief – New Hire Orientation Outline
Optima Tax Relief – Universal Training

Word Documentwith Links to Supporting Material
Optima Tax Relief website
Optima Tax Relief – Better Business Bureau
Optima Tax Relief – Business Consumer Alliance
Optima Tax Relief – Trustpilot.com
Optima Tax Relief – Supermoney.com
Optima Tax Relief – BBB Torch Awards for Ethics
Optima Tax Relief – Inc 5000 and 3-year Growth Rate
Optima Tax Relief-Glass Door, Working at Optima
Optima Tax Relief – Glassdoor, Work Life Balance at Optima