Monitoring employee telephone calls and providing feedback will be one of the most important aspects of an ACS managers job. Managers will be spending a significant amount of time in this activity.

All attempts to monitor a complete call should be made; however, it is acknowledged that this is not always possible. Do not interrupt a monitored conversation unless an error is being made that would adversely impact the accuracy or timely processing of the taxpayer's account. When this occurs, activate the barge in feature to alert the employee to put the call on hold while the issue is discussed privately.

Monitoring results should reflect the performance observed. Do not assume that promised processing actions will take place after the contact. A manager should ensure that all actions evaluated actually took place.

Select ACS Phones as the product line when inputting monitoring information to EQRS.

If it is determined that additional reviews are needed based on employee's performance or training needs, the manager may increase the number of reviews as necessary. The employee should be notified during counseling of the additional monitoring in advance.

If an employee is assigned paper document processing, ACS Activity (TEACH) reviews alone may be insufficient. This type of work is frequently found in ACS Support, and may include processing third party mail, taxpayer correspondence, and various listings. However, there may be occasions that warrant a paper document review in the call site.

For evaluation purposes the manager has the option to conduct either a TEACH and/or Paper Document review depending upon employee assignments for that month. Five cases per employee each month should be reviewed monthly. Each program an employee is assigned should be reviewed to cover all aspects of the employee performance.

ACS Support managers should select ACS Support as their product line when inputting to EQRS; call site managers should use ACS Case Processing.

Paper document reviews will enable the manager to determine whether the employee is following procedural guidelines, transcribing pertinent data, accurately performing locator research, and to assess the quality of the employee's work without limitation to cases routed for approval. They will also enable the manager to determine whether the employee is analyzing ACS data correctly; making correct decisions and recommendations; initiating effective follow-up actions; and encouraging call backs or correspondence unnecessarily.

TEACH reviews must be conducted monthly on Large Dollar Cases (Buffalo Call Site). Use Group Code when entering LG $ case reviews.

Buffalo Call Site: Managers will maintain a file on case dispositions and relevant Non-ACS or IDRS prints ( i.e., ChoicePoint) for HQ Analyst reviews. Monthly monitoring of credit report (EXPERIAN) research will be done by the local coordinator and manager.

For evaluative purposes, the manager is required to conduct paper reviews based on the employee's assignments. Required case load reviews vary based on locally determined criteria. Each program an employee is assigned should be reviewed to cover all aspects of the employee's performance.

CSCO should use "Collection Paper" as their product line when inputting into EQRS

Paper documented reviews will enable the manager to determine whether the employee is following procedural guidelines, transcribing pertinent data, and assessing the quality of the employee's work without limitation to cases routed for approval. Paper documented reviews will also enable the manager to determine whether the employee is analyzing data correctly; making correct decisions and recommendations; initiating effective follow-up actions; and minimizing unnecessary taxpayer call-backs.

For documentation and evaluation purposes, two (2) work reviews should be completed per employee per month. .

Obtain the employee's batch intact at the end of the day from the closed case bin. Employees should not be notified in advance when their batch is to be selected; this is an unannounced review.

At some time during the work week, obtain from the employee all documents processed (these are normally destroyed) from which to draw a review sample. It will not be necessary to arrange to obtain the I2 list pages from the employee since these are routinely returned to the manager after processing.

The review sample should be selected from the actual documents in the batch.

Review the information contained in the taxpayer's correspondence against the entries to determine whether the employee has exercised good collection judgment, followed procedural guidelines and whether pertinent data was entered. When reviewing locator processing, the manager should use applicable resources (i.e. computers, directories) to spot check the quality of the actual research.

Each review should be documented. No specific case data, such as the taxpayer's name and/or TIN may be recorded on this form nor may unsanitized case screen prints be retained. If further review is needed, refer to the employees Summary of Job Elements.

Upon completion of the review discuss the review results within 3 workdays (follow National Agreement) with the employee. Praise good work, explain problems identified, give guidance, and determine training needs. Obtain the employee's signed acknowledgment and retain the review in the employee's EPF.

Employee's are subject to non-evaluative reviews during the OJT phase of training. In addition to the evaluative monitoring and case reviews, managers must spend some time each week (except for the weeks in which evaluative reviews are done) monitoring or reviewing cases. In ACS a side-by-side, dual-jack approach should be utilized. This provides an opportunity for immediate feedback in a non-evaluative atmosphere that will foster employee receptivity.

Each contact or case can be discussed immediately upon its conclusion (or even during the contact) so that the employee can be provided with the benefit of the managers own experience and perspective on effective telephone techniques and case handling.

Results of monitoring conducted in this manner must not be documented.

Clerical functions may include list distribution, processing of various listings, mail receipt and distribution, typing, log controls, maintenance of files, locator research, and other various administrative tasks. The manager responsible for the clerical employee will conduct reviews on ten (10) actions taken by the employee to determine the accuracy of this work based on established campus direction.

Review the mail sorting when the mail has been placed in bins for delivery to other areas. The frequency of theses reviews will depend on the experience of the assigned employee, the results of prior reviews, and the feedback from other functions/teams.

Focus not only on the employee's ability to complete his/her assignments, but also on their ability to set priorities and complete assignments independently and expeditiously. Conduct monthly reviews to determine the accuracy and timeliness of employees' work.

Upon completion of the review discuss the review results within 3 workdays (follow National Agreement) with the employee. Praise good work, explain problems identified, give guidance, and determine training needs. Document review results in narrative format specifically addressing aspects of the employee's job elements.

The primary purpose of a non-evaluate review is to help the employee develop and enhance their job skills. Effective non-evaluate reviews foster open lines of communication between the employee, the manager, and the lead technical employee. This enables the manager and/or their lead to receive employee feedback and transfer operational goals informally.

Non-evaluative reviews do not contain a written rating. Share the results orally. Some documentation is appropriate to establish that it actually occurred. (EQRS may be used to track employee development for this purpose.) Have the employee initial and date any documentation. Provide one copy for the employee and retain the other copy in the employee's drop file.

IDRS adjustment reviews help prevent unpostables and ensure prompt correction of errors. Review a sample of IDRS adjustments with source documents, focusing on the following areas

IDRS adjustment reviews may be delegated to a work leader or peer, but employees may not conduct a review of their own cases. If this review is delegated, the employee conducting the review will brief the manager and the employee involved.

IDRS/IORS (IDRS Online Reporting System) security reviews may not be delegated.

Accounts transferred by employees for approval will appear in the C0, I0 and R0 inventories. They can be accessed by signing on in these functions and pressing the next case key or by inputting the taxpayer's TIN from a related document. A manager may input approval codes when signed on in other inventories.

The manager will review each case for compliance with the requirements of IRM 5.19 and other applicable IRM's for correct judgement in support of the action. If the requested action is acceptable, take the action. If the requested action on a Queue case is acceptable, annotate approval and route the document for processing.

If the requested action on an ACS case is not acceptable because additional actions are needed prior to managerial approval, or if the request is technically incorrect, the manager should:

If any requested action is not acceptable, return the request and an explanation to the originating employee. The manager should ensure that the responsible employee takes an appropriate action to resolve the taxpayer inquiry.

Large Dollar- Managerial Approval (Buffalo Call Site) : Managers will approve all case dispositions i.e., Installment Agreements (IA) , Currently Not Collectibles (CNC), Transfers to the Revenue Officer (TFRO), Transfer to the Queue and Non-filing Lien determinations (TFQU). No on-line (IDRS) inputs will be done (IAGRE,FRM77) without managerial approval first and case history must be fully documented.

The manager will review each case for compliance with the requirements of applicable IRM's for correct judgment in support of the employee's action. If the requested action is acceptable, take the action.

If the requested action on the case is not acceptable because additional actions are required prior to managerial approval, or if the request is technically incorrect, the manager should return the case to the responsible employee for correction.

If any requested action is not acceptable, return the request with an explanation to the originating employee. The manager should ensure that the responsible employee takes an appropriate action to resolved the taxpayer inquiry.

The manager and acting managers must approve all Installment Agreements equal to or greater than $25,000.00. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Floor supervision requires the presence of the managers in their work area. Managers must maximize the time they spend in the work area, observing and discussing procedures and problems. This principle is true for all levels of operation management.

Active floor supervision alerts managers to issues requiring their attention. Being in the work area also helps to motivate employees because a managers presence signals an interest in their well being and enthusiasm for the work.

The managers will hold meetings with their employees at a minimum of one per weekly to disseminate procedural changes, to provide guidance on problem trends found in work reviews, to report progress on objectives, and to provide informal training and to solicit questions.

Minutes of the meeting must be recorded, distributed and a copy filed for reference. Documentation should indicate date of meeting, employees in attendance, and topics discussed. This responsibility may be rotated among all employees in the team. Plan an agenda in advance and never hold a meeting simply for its own sake. If personnel practices or matters which affect general working conditions are to be discussed, NTEU notification is required before any formal meetings pursuant to the National Agreement.

ACS technician training consists of approximately ten weeks of structured formal classroom training, procedures and equipment training (self-paced), and on-the-job training periods . All new employees are required to attend the complete core training.

The core classroom training consists of 18 Lessons. The lessons are basically in an IMF or BMF format, with a further breakdown to return delinquency (RD) or balance due (BD). A lesson is a discussion of a specific subject, such as Lesson 2B, Automated Collection System Screen Displays. Each lesson provides a complete subject discussion and is a building block for subsequent lessons.

The core training was developed to give Operation management more flexibility, based on the needs of the call site in determining the subject order and time frames. It allows more emphasis on the type of cases that are worked in the call site and the BOD. For instance, if the call site does not work cases involving Form 943 (MFT 11) accounts, the instructors would present the form briefly as an awareness, and emphasize the other BMF returns.

Additionally, the suggested schedule was designed to give the students the opportunity to easily reinforce what was just covered in the classroom, with the use of interspersed periods of on-the-job training (OJT). It was designed to have the option for students to complete an OJT session after each significant lesson.

The ACS Interactive Training File is designed to introduce employees to equipment operations and to permit them to make simulated case decisions. They will learn how to operate the ACS equipment through the use of simulated cases and role-plays.

The ACS Core Module 4, Volume 9 Instructor Guide, and the Volume 9, Operator Training Workbook, Parts 1 and 2 are used for technician training. Part 1 of Volume 9 provides instruction in operating the various types of terminals that are found in the call site.

On-the-job training (OJT) is a very integral portion of the technician training. Effective OJT instructors (coaches) are vital to the success of the technicians training program. As Operation and first line managers, you must contribute to that success by carefully selecting the best OJT instructors and by periodically meeting with them to review progress and provide support.

All employees selected to participate as an OJT instructor should receive OJI training. Training Course 3514, Basic Training for Customer Service On-the -Job Instructors was developed for this purpose.

It is suggested that coaches/instructors, at a minimum, review the core lessons and take the test themselves. Additionally, they will find it beneficial to complete the Interactive File lessons to anticipate any problems their students may encounter.

All students should be counseled at various points throughout their OJT period. At a minimum, formal-counseling sessions should include an initial, midway and final progress discussion. Informal counseling can be used to keep the trainees informed of their progress and keep little problems from becoming big problems. It is vital that the coaches provide honest feedback, positive or negative, to the students.

Employees will receive annual training under the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program, also referred to as Refresher Training. Subjects will be designed to keep employees abreast of technical and procedural developments that relate to their jobs. In the event that Headquarters Office CPE training materials are not available, topics identified as mandatory must be developed locally. In addition to the mandatory topics, local training needs should always be identified and included as part of the CPE.

Difficulty in new procedures and trend analysis as identified through telephone monitoring, CQRS/EQRS results or other feedback should be a basis for determining local training needs.

Additional training options are available both in-Service and out-Service. Your local training coordinator can assist in identifying the proper course and obtaining approval for it, but it is your responsibility to identify the training need and initiate the action.

Manager must be aware and proactive in ensuring that team employees timely complete Mandatory Briefings, including 1203, UNAX, POSH, Computer Security, Safety and Health, No FEAR Act, and Ethics. Briefings can be found at, http://hco.web.irs.gov/mandatorybriefings/Index.asp .

Entry level managers should receive Tax Motivated Transaction(TMT) (Course 9012) training either prior to their first managerial assignment or within a few quarters of their initial assignment. New managers should also receive Core Leadership Training, Course No. 9670. All managers should attend the course between the second and sixth month after their selection but no later than the end of their probationary period (within one year).

New managers should receive appropriate portions of technicians' core and module training. This material should be selected from Course No. 9670 series and be tailored locally depending upon the background and position of the newly selected manager.

The new ACS manager should receive the pertinent procedures and equipment hands-on training and the ACS telephone operations training. Volume 9, Part 3 Manager's Training Workshop, is provided for this purpose. This training provides information on system reports and simulated case practice using manager history codes.

Additional Self-Study Leadership training materials are available as useful tools in improving your managerial skills. These can be accessed through Skillsoft

The following is a list of suggested Leadership classes. These courses will serve to enhance your ability as an IRS Manager and Team Leader to communicate with peers and subordinates, and will assist you in making decision that are in the best interest of your employees, the customer and the organization:

Employees with disabilities will be provided adaptive equipment and services on a case by case basis in accordance with the agency guidelines for reasonable accommodations are required to meet with any hearing-impaired employee and an interpreter to discuss the needs of the employee.

Adaptive equipment and services will be purchased through the Information Resources Accessibility Program (IRAP) Office. Employees with disabilities and their managers should contact the IRAP Office to schedule a needs assessment by calling (202) 283-0283 (voice), (202) 283-6566 (TTY), or sending an E-mail to IRAP. The needs assessment, which consists of a brief telephone interview, will enable the IRAP associate, the employee and the employee's manager to determine what adaptive solutions will best meet the needs of the employee.

Any initial bulk purchases of a new type of equipment, after successful testing, will be coordinated through the IRAP Office.

The IRAP Office is only responsible for the maintenance repair costs (after the expiration of initial warranty coverage) on equipment they purchased. Maintenance and repair costs on equipment not purchased by the IRAP Office is the responsibility of the purchasing organization.

Contact your local Modernization & Information Technology Services (MITS), Site Support Office to report equipment malfunctions. Known problems with adaptive equipment should be reported to the IRAP Office.

Readers must be provided as necessary for visually impaired employees needing access to the Internal Revenue Manual and Training material or other publications not available in hard copy braille or audio cassettes. A centrally funded process for obtaining sign language interpreting service for hearing impaired employees was implemented Servicewide by memorandum in June 2000. Your EEO contact will be able to provide you with a copy of these procedures if needed.

The Alternative Media Center (AMC) has been established to meet the needs of employees with disabilities for information in alternative media. Braille, large print, CD-ROM and other electronically accessible media forums such as Intranet and Internet sites will be provided by the AMC to meet the needs of its customers. A Braille Request form is available on the AMC website on the IRS Intranet.

Three systems are used in the quality review process. They utilize a common approach to quality, and provide a clear link between quality measures and employee performance. They use the same standards and consequently bring accountability for quality throughout all levels of the organization. These systems are:

The three systems are described below.

The Quality Review Database v2 is an on-line database accessed through the IRS Intranet. This data based is used to obtain FY 2002- 2004 reports only. Use the following URL to access and learn more about the QRDBv2 data base: http://noqrdbs2.nc.no.irs.gov/qrdbv2/

Employees Quality Review System (EQRS) - EQRS is an on-line database used by the managers/reviewers to review employee performance. All employees are evaluated on the same measures and are evaluated using a common evaluation tool and performance reports.

National Quality Review System (NQRS) is used by CQRS and local reviewers.

For additional information on these two systems research IRM 21.10.1.7 at URL: http://serp.enterprise.irs.gov/databases/irm.dr/current/21.dr/21.10.dr/21.10.1.dr/21.10.1.7.htm

A DCI is used in both EQRS and NQRS systems to input review results. The reviewer has the option of using a "smart D" that targets suggested attributes for their particular product line, or opening up the DCI to all available attributes.

CQRS uses the ASPECT telephone system to assist in their ACS telephone review. for the telephone program, the sample plan calls for 33 reviews per month per site. This will provide a report that is valid on a quarterly basis with a precision margin of 5%. For ACS cases processing reviews, CQRS uses a random sample of 22 cases pulled from weekly QMF reports to ACS closed cases. This provides a valid sampling at the enterprise level. Although there are not sampling plans for manager reviews, there are minimum review requirements.

EQRS users may also have access to the Contact Recording system to review monitored calls.

The Quality Review Data Base is an on line database which was used before transitioning to the EQRS and NQRS systems. The system is accessed through the IRS Intranet. Presently the QRDB system houses old reports prior to 2004.

The objective of the CQRS site is to collect data that will provide a basis for measuring and improving program effectiveness by:

Centralized Quality Review System (CQRS) measures the quality of:

Reports maybe retrieved through both QRDbv2 and NQRS and EQRS.

The QRDbv2 provides standard reports on Customer Accuracy, Timeliness, and Professionalism on a period of time specified by the requestor. Weighted and un-weighted reports are available. Attributes accuracy reports are also available, as well as top defect reports. These reports are available on site, BOD, and Enterprise levels for FY 2002- 2004 only.

EQRS provides standard employee level and organizational level reports. An Individual Review Feedback Report is shared and signed by the employee. an employee cumulative report is also available. Management has the ability to secure a cumulative organization report and a standardized top defect and ten best report for their call site, or, for any subgroup within their call site.

Ad hoc reports are an extremely helpful tool found in both systems. They allow for drill down analysis of data. They can provide a list of records or a count of records that meet the query criteria.

The role of your site's Quality Analyst is to measure and monitor quality data and recommend solutions to improve the site's performance. This is done in the following manner:

You should designate an acting manager during periods of absence. To maintain continuity, the acting manager should usually perform all managerial tasks (Refer to the National Agreement for certain restrictions on performance evaluations and evaluative telephone monitoring). Managerial tasks to be performed and those to be deferred may depend on the duration of the assignment. Assignments should be agreed on between you and acting manager in advance. Specific expectations should be given at the beginning of each assignment. This will form the basis for your feedback on performance of the acting assignment. Except for assignments of very short duration, you will provide the acting manager with documentation evaluating performance on the detail.

You may designate specific tasks even though you are not absent. This enables a managerial aspirant to gain useful experience while freeing some of your time. In this situation, no "acting" assignment exists. The person to whom the task is designated does not exercise managerial authority; therefore, tasks reserved to managers, i.e., telephone monitoring, manager callbacks requested by the taxpayer, cannot be delegated. You should document any designation of specific tasks on the employee's IDP as a developmental assignment

System's management begins with the establishment of the Security database for IDRS, ACS and the Resource Allocation Control File (RACF). Information input to the Security database authorizes employees to use the system and keeps track of employee information for reporting purposes.

For security purposes, perform the following tasks:

The ACS security system exists in the appropriate campus and is used to control access to the ACS host system. To add or remove users from the ACS system the following steps must take place:

This process is utilized to specify that a user is to be allowed access to the system again. The analyst would normally use RESUME to restore a users access to the system that has been revoked by:

You can assign a new entry password and RESUME the profile at any time. Always remember to do the following:

When an employees profile is "REVOKED" , this specifies that RACF is to prevent a user from accessing the system. The users profile and DATA SETS are not deleted. The user cannot access the system, and the employee will be denied access at their next log in attempt.

A user should always be "REVOKED" if detailed to another position for 30 days; or if they no longer need ACS/ICS access.

Telephone threats to the IRS may be directed at the agency or at an individual employee of the Service. Telephone threats, as with any other type of threatening or intimidating behavior or action should be taken very seriously. Managers can reference F12083, a desk reference for Bomb Threats as a guideline, regardless of whether or not the threat specifically mentions an explosive devise.

It is recommended that all employees under the managers span of control are aware of such guidelines and have ready access to them.

Some items you should be aware of in the event of a threatening call.

In the event of an emergency, ACS sites should contact JOC directly.

All managers must familiarize themselves, and their team, with the Occupational Emergency Plan (OEP) book. This plan describes procedures and responses relative to a variety of emergency situations and threats, both natural and man made. Adherence to these specific procedures is imperative. A copy of this plan must be kept in the managers office and will be available for reference by all employees.

In the event of an emergency, CSCO operation's should follow established contact directives to ensure notification of applicable stakeholders.

Managers should be familiar with all evacuation procedures and Accountability Stations as they pertain to their Team and Department employees.

Managers should ensure that their employees are aware of locally established Business Resumption Plan (BRP) protocols and contact numbers in the event of a site closure or other similar event.

In the event of a site closure, management should ensure that employee’s are aware of Business Resumption Plan (BRP) protocols, as locally established, and ensure that employee’s are aware of any and all contact numbers and reporting procedure requirements.

All managers should familiarize themselves with emergency security, medical phone numbers, CSCO contact campus reporting instructions hot-line or other site BRP directives and protocols specific to site locations.

All managers should maintain a Business Resumption Plan (BRP) listing, complete with employee contact information. Managers must also communicate with Team employee’s site closing contact information so employees can ascertain the re-opening of affected sites and plan accordingly.

Managers should familiarize themselves with local emergency personnel and should cooperate with directions provided by such persons.

Managers should be familiar with the various Organizational identification cards and badges to ensure access to prohibited areas is controlled.

Managers should be aware and alert to issues related to violence in the workplace and trigger signs that employees may display. Review campus direction and protocols with respects to handling individual employees who display such mannerism

Managers must complete relative incident reports to ensure accurate follow-up and actions.

In the event of an emergency, call sites should contact JOC directly. JOC will ensure the information is posted on the JOC web page. Emergency situations include:

Scheduled Site Closings: Sites should work with their respective JOC and Headquarter Operations for any pre-approved request outlined below:

Communications Plan: The following are methods of communications planned for disseminating information concerning emergency and scheduled site closings:

Telephone circuitry consists of long distance and local telephone lines, sometimes referred to as trunks or circuits, supplied by the commercial telephone service vendors, i.e. AT&T, PacBell etc. Both inbound and outbound telephone calls are managed in the Customer Service environment. These calls are routed through the Federal Telephone System (FTS) or the local telephone carrier.

Telephone circuitry consists of long distance and local telephone lines, sometimes referred to as trunks or circuits, supplied by the commercial telephone service vendors, i.e. AT&T, PacBell etc. Both inbound and outbound telephone calls are managed in the Customer Service environment. These calls are routed through the Federal Telephone System (FTS) or the local telephone carrier.

To project the needs for any increase or decrease in circuitry, follow the guidelines of the Standardization Review Board. Prepare and submit the appropriate requisition forms to the Headquarters through the Management Staff. In addition, the Systems Analyst and the Telecommunication Analyst coordinate the installation or removal of the telephone circuits and confirm that the vendors actually have completed the work.

Use the Trunk Group Report to analyze circuitry needs and performance. Identify the following from this report:

The ICR is linked to the ACS host system at the campus through a computerized data link known as the Aristicom. This link passes data between the two systems and allows screen synchronization, and initiating out calls from the ACS terminal screen.

ACS and the VRU exchange the employee number and the examiner is Automatically logged onto the ASPECT teleset.

When a CR moves the cursor on the ACS terminal to the telephone number and presses the out-call key on the keyboard, the ACS system at the campus sends that phone number through the Aristicom to the local call center where the out-call is initiated.

Similarly, when a caller to the ACS call site enters a Tax Identification Number (TIN), that number is passed from the local call center to the remote ACS host system. The ACS system then displays the ACS case on the terminal screen, when a tax examiner answers the call.