Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to respond to queries and complaints of taxpayers and general public promptly and efficiently.

While inaugurating the CRM system on Friday at the FBR House, FBR Chairman Dr Muhammad Irshad said, “The FBR’s customer care and facilitation services are now venturing into a more response regime where all queries, complaints and concerns of our valued taxpayers will be responded to within three working days.”

He said that the installation of the CRM was a great leap forward, and a vast improvement on the previous arrangement, which lacked a proper mechanism for tracking, categorising, monitoring and archiving taxpayers’ complaints. “In a very short span of time, we focused on these problems and came up with solutions that have significantly improved taxpayers facilitation,” he said.

Earlier, explaining major features of the CRM, FBR Member (Information Technology) Nausheen Javed Amjad said, “With the installation of the CRM system, the number of agents in our calls centre and email teams had also been increased to meet the increased demand at peak hours. Similarly, training manuals in professionalism and courtesy, income tax, sales tax had also been prepared to improve quality for calls received and emails responded.” She added that the new system had introduced at field offices of FBR to digitally communicate with FBR Headquarters regarding software-related issues.

Meanwhile, FBR Chairman Dr Muhammad Irshad also launched and introduced various projects and initiatives, including inauguration of a daycare centre, newly-established conference rooms. The chairman also administrated oath to Dr Saleem Ahmad Ranjha on his appointment as the first CEO of FBR Foundation.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Senator Haroon Akhtar Khan inaugurated a ramp at the entrance of FBR House to facilitate entry of physically handicapped visitors. The chairman was also present on the occasion.

Both the chairman and the special assistant ant also planted saplings in the lawns of the FBR House. A newly-constructed driveway leading the gate at the back of FBR House to the main building was also inaugurated. Later, Senator Haroon Akhtar Khan and the chairman had a brief interaction with the media persons whose queries about revenue collection efforts of the FBR and other economic and fiscal policy issues were answered. Copies of recently updated and published tax law books and brochures of the
FBR as well as Annual Report for the year 2016 by the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue were also presented to media persons.