Our work with
HMRC
Imagine this. You’re 48 years old, you’re married with three kids and you run a medium sized manufacturing business. A few years ago, it was thriving. But recently you had to lay some people off to keep things afloat. Work is trickling in and cash flow is poor. You can just about afford to pay the wages this week. You should really be at home by now, but you’re still sat at your desk at the factory. In front of you is a brown envelope. This is all you need.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) carries out thousands of compliance checks on businesses each year, to make sure they’re paying the right amount of national insurance, VAT, duty and so on. They complete many checks by letter, without any face-to-face contact at all. No one wants to get one of these letters, but they’re vital pieces of communication. They carry important information: why the check’s happening, what it involves, and what’s expected of the business. But more than that, they shape how people feel about the check – which in turn affects how readily they cooperate.
HMRC asked Quietroom to rewrite 250 compliance check letters to make them simpler, friendlier and more customer focused. Our brief was to reduce the emotional, financial and administrative burdens the checks placed on businesses. We made sure each letter told a logical story, contained less jargon and legalese and answered the questions business owners had about the process.
The letter library we helped to create has now been visited more than a million times. Complaints about communication have reduced by half, while overall complaints are down by 20%. The letters have been well received by industry bodies like the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board. The project was even nominated for a National Business Award. But the biggest difference we’ve made is to business owners like the one we described. Now, he can read his letter once and understand it. Because of that, he’s less likely to assume the worst. He’s less likely to need his accountant. He’s more likely to cooperate and he’s more likely to get things right first time. That means the check’s over more quickly, which saves him – and the taxpayer – lots of time and money.
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