Canadians attempting to contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may face frustrating wait times of up to four hours before speaking to an agent, according to internal government research. Blacklock's Reporter says this revelation comes as part of a broader examination of the CRA's responsiveness, highlighting growing dissatisfaction among taxpayers.The research, conducted by Sage Research Corporation of Burlington, Ontario, involved nine focus groups and cost the CRA $87,976. The report, titled Contact Centre Focus Groups, aimed to understand Canadians' experiences when contacting the CRA. One key finding was the prolonged wait times, which were a major source of frustration for those seeking assistance."Lengthy times waiting on hold were a major driver of dissatisfaction when calling the Agency," the report noted, adding that "it was common for participants to mention wait times of one to four hours."The long wait times often exacerbated frustration, particularly when subsequent interactions with CRA agents did not meet expectations. "Not only is the wait time itself annoying, but it can also amplify dissatisfaction if a subsequent part of the call does not go well, e.g., the front-line agent does not handle the call well or the call is dropped and one must call back," the report added.Taxpayers suggested that a reasonable wait time would be between 20 and 30 minutes. However, even those who managed to reach an agent were often left unsatisfied, with some participants reporting that they received inaccurate or incomplete information.These findings echo concerns raised in a 2017 Auditor General's report, Call Centres, which criticized the CRA for providing slow and inaccurate service. The audit, which involved auditors posing as taxpayers, found that CRA agents provided incorrect information nearly 30% of the time.In addition to phone delays, taxpayers who contact the CRA via email are also facing significant wait times. According to a response to an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons on May 13, the average wait time for an email response has ballooned to 57 days, double the 28-day average in 2019. The CRA did not provide a reason for the increase."Eighty percent of the Agency’s responses are customized to individual taxpayers and therefore require a careful and thorough investigation and analysis before being written," the CRA stated in its response.The figures were disclosed at the request of Conservative MP Adam Chambers (Simcoe North, Ont.), who inquired about the average response times for written and electronic correspondence with the CRA.
