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 Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Use of Technology in Customer Service - All Other Industries
 Nomination Title: Optima Tax Relief's Customer Service Innovations
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
Attached you will find:
- Video highlighting our CS team and culture.
- Screenshot of our Nectar rewards peer-to-peer recognition dashboard
- Core Values Wall
- PDF technology overview
- Call Simulator
- Auto Attendant
- Call Evaluation Tool
Additionally, you will find graphs supporting the data mentioned in the submission:
- Average Case Age: The bar chart shows an improvement in our team's efficiency, with the Average Case Age decreasing by 115 days between 2023 and 2024. This means cases are resolved 115 days faster, demonstrating our team's enhanced ability to move clients through their program more quickly.
- Quarterly Answer Rate for 2024: The graph illustrates a positive trend in the CS Team's average weekly answer rate, with a consistent increase each quarter. This performance culminated in a 16% improvement when comparing Q4 of 2024 to Q1 of 2024.
- Queue Transfers (Failover Calls): The CS Team decreased their queue transfers by 71% from the beginning to the end of the year. This translates to a 71% increase in one-call resolutions, meaning our clients are getting the answers they need on the first call.
- Average Q4 Weekly Answer Rate for 2024: The CS team ended the year strongly, showing an average weekly answer rate of nearly 92% in Q4 of 2024.
Lastly, website links showcasing our awards and accreditations received from 2022-2024, along with attachments featuring various award badges for each year. Our team's commitment to innovation, ethics and excellence, which is essential to earning these accolades, truly sets us apart in the industry.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2022, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
Since July 2022, we've been transforming our strategies with cutting-edge technologies, always putting client and employee experiences front and center. We implemented a progressive dialing system to automate outbound calls, allowing our CS team to reach more clients efficiently. This led to re-engaging approximately 9,000 clients requesting payment assistance, conducting over 12,000 welcome calls and 2,500 present option calls. This led to approximately a 25% increase in touchpoints and services from the prior year.
We advanced AI usage with the launch of Call Simulator, an AI-driven tool that takes trainees through various call scenarios with a client avatar. This hands-on training shortened the learning curve, resulting in 93% of CS agents feeling more confident on calls.
Our team has also embraced the power of AI to automate call reviews. Our AI tool transcribes and analyzes every call, pinpointing areas for improvement and ensuring consistent quality. This proactive approach allows leaders to address potential issues before they impact the client experience. Additionally, the tool has provided insight into common call “themes”, helping us better cater our messaging to our clients needs.
In Q4 2024, we introduced an auto attendant to increase our service options. Since its introduction, about 60% of clients who elect to use the attendant were satisfied with this interaction before transferring to an agent. This has decreased the number of inbound calls requiring a live CS agent, allowing our CS agents to focus on helping clients during the more complex points in their service.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
Our Customer Service department plays a crucial role in making us the largest and most successful tax resolution company. From inception, we’ve successfully addressed the challenges of helping taxpayers navigate the complex tax system and its financial consequences.
In the high-stakes tax relief industry, delivering exceptional service is critical to fostering a high-trust relationship and reducing taxpayers’ anxiety. Our success stems from our team's ability to adapt and innovate. With a consistent focus on making the process as easy as possible for taxpayers, our team has adopted various technologies, including Optical Character Recognition, Interactive Voice Response, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. This commitment to innovation ensures that we can meet our customers' ever-changing tax needs.
Optima maintains that exceptional customer experience starts with upholding our core values: UNITED (Uplift, Nurture, Inclusive, Trailblazer, Ethical, Driven). These values have guided us toward earning local, regional, and national recognition for ethical business practices. Our dedication has been recognized with prestigious awards including the Better Business Bureau Pacific Southwest Torch Award in 2021, BBB International Torch Award in 2023, Civic 50 Award for community impact for the past seven years, Forbes Advisor Best of 2024, and Accounting Today’s top 100 firms in 2024.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Millions of taxpayers call the IRS each year with questions and concerns about their tax situation. Due to limited IRS resources, it is difficult for them to meet expectations. Which is why we are dedicated to utilizing advanced CS technologies to deliver exceptional customer service and address client concerns. From July 2022 through December 2024, our CS technology initiatives have led to over 3,000,000 service requests, ending the fourth quarter of 2024 with an average CS answer rate of 91.5% and increasing our service velocity by 115 days. This means we are providing clients with the answers they need when they need them, allowing them to graduate from our program faster.
While our internal KPIs have shown improvement, external metrics that measure customer experience truly reflect our progress. We’ve seen a 39% increase in positive reviews. Our A+ Better Business Bureau rating, 4.3 stars on Trustpilot, and a 4.6 out of 5 approval rating on Supermoney.com are clear indicators of our exceptional service. Additionally, the Business Consumer Alliance has awarded us an A rating, with 90% of customers rating us with 5 stars.
The praise also extends internally with our innovative rewards program. Since July 2022 a total of 32,342 peer-to-peer shoutouts from staff recognizing exceptional service through our Nectar platform. We understand that customer satisfaction is directly related to employee satisfaction and this program has been a cornerstone of us being recognized as a Top Workplace for 10 years in a row.
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