Electronic Products and Services Support (EPSS) managers provide leadership and direction to employees responsible for inquiries received via telephone, correspondence (paper) and e-mail.

Electronic Products and Services Support (EPSS) is guided by the following legal and regulatory authorities.

Managers manage work programs and ensure EPSS work is completed according to procedural guidelines contained in applicable IRMs.

Managers refer to guidelines outlined in other IRMs such as:

Managers are knowledgeable in the use of various tools/resources used by EPSS employees. Examples of these tools/resources include:

The IRS uses access control measures to provide protection from unauthorized alteration, loss, unavailability or disclosure of information. Access control will follow the principle of least privilege and separation of duties. This IRM provides guidance for managing access to protected data and for reviewing adherence to data security and procedural guidelines.

Managers are required to review administrative, privacy, security and safety practices according to the responsibilities outlined in this IRM in conjunction with other applicable IRMs and IRS guidance.

Acronyms are identified in specific subsections of this IRM. Some of the most common or frequently used acronyms are listed below.

The EPSS websiteEPSS (irs.gov) is an excellent resource for EPSS managers.

The Human Capital Office (HCO) offers a wealth of managerial tools and information via a page on their website entitled, New Manager Orientation Support Center, which is found at:http://hco.web.irs.gov/apps/leads/nmo.html Examples of tools found on this resource page include:

Another excellent managerial tool is https://portal.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/iManage/SitePages/Home.aspx. Imanage is a virtual community for IRS managers. It contains targeted information, advice and interactive features to help you work more efficiently. The iManage site automatically grants access to employees coded as managers in HRConnect. You cannot access the site if you are not coded as a manager.

EPSS is staffed by employees with extensive knowledge of IRS electronic products. Some tasks performed in the position require a very specialized skill set.

EPSS escalation path for assistance is as follows:

EHSS is the primary tool for recording customer interaction and trouble-ticketing. With e-mail EPSS manages and tracks communication with customers, from arrival through resolution. The e-mail function provides for intelligent routing, service-level management and reporting, and allows for content analysis techniques and keyword searches to automate problem identification. EPSS is a full service support network skilled in providing technical assistance to external customers who encounter problems using IRS electronic products.

The work in EPSS is often fast-paced and intense. Managers must continually be cognizant of the conduct and performance of permanent and returning seasonal employees, as well as the progress of any new hires. At the same time, an acceptable level of service must be provided to customers and an acceptable level of inventories maintained.

A ready knowledge of administrative procedures is essential. Procedures must be implemented timely so resources can be best utilized. Thus, it is critical managers be alert to tasks that occur at regular intervals.

The following sections provide a breakdown of some of those tasks and the intervals at which they should be performed. Though not all inclusive, it serves as a quick reference guide of managerial duties. For detailed instructions, always refer to the National Agreement or other appropriate resource materials.

Managers must consider the enterprise workload and staffing needs by application prior to planning, scheduling, and approving annual leave.

Managers must balance the need to accomplish the work of the organization with accommodating employees who want to use leave. Annual leave must be granted or denied dependent on the workload of the unit. Sick leave must be used according to its intended purpose.

It is important to address leave issues early and consistently. A leave problem results whenever an employee fails to meet or follow the manager's expectations regarding leave.

Most employees report to work on time, adhere to office rules, and have a positive attitude. Sometimes, however, there are exceptions. On these occasions, managers must take steps to address the problems.

The three rules for effective conduct counseling and documentation are to be fair, consistent, and specific. Address conduct issues immediately and document your counseling sessions.

Always make sure you provide the necessary details: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Make your documentation clear and concise. Before scheduling your counseling session, contact your LR specialist to determine if the employee has a right to union representation at the counseling session. Your LR specialist also can provide guidance on how much advance notice is required to provide the employee with sufficient time to contact a steward if the employee has a right to representation, and the employee wants representation at the counseling session.

To plan for your counseling session, ask yourself the following questions:

The following steps may be helpful when counseling employees about their conduct:

Follow the direction of your DM or LR specialist regarding the issues below:

Forward employee counseling memos on conduct issues to your DM and LR specialist, when appropriate, for review prior to sharing them with employees.

As the leader of your workgroup, you are responsible for the development of your employees. Clear, fair, and consistent communication is essential. What you say, or do not say, impacts your employees' performance, which in turn impacts business results. Ensure you provide consistent communication to your employees on their performance. Employees want and need to know how they are doing so they can learn and grow.

Non-evaluative reviews are conducted for several reasons (e.g., identify training needs, improve performance, etc.).

Non-evaluative target reviews help focus on issues causing high error rates.

When implementing major procedural revisions, non-evaluative reviews can help managers determine if additional procedural reviews, discussion during team meetings, or additional training may be needed.

Non-evaluative reviews can assist the manager and employee determine progress from training and coaching.

When an employee is having difficulty dealing with a caller, non-evaluative monitoring allows the manager to assist the employee, if needed.

You can accomplish non-evaluative monitoring by utilizing periodic side-by-side reviews, when deemed appropriate, or requested by an employee. Apply this technique when circumstances merit an in-depth discussion for training purposes.

You may delegate this non-evaluative review to your technical lead or an On the Job Instructor (OJI). Periodically, delegate this non-evaluative review to an experienced assistor to foster an inclusive environment.

The intention of the certification plan is to provide EPSS Managers a process of documenting their employee's performance. Following the goals and objectives of the outlined plan below will provide consistency throughout the Enterprise. As stated in IRM 1.4.18.4 "Leadership involves coaching and mentoring your employees. As you identify opportunities for performance improvement, it is your role as a leader to assist employees in improving performance through coaching, mentoring, and providing timely feedback. As a leader at the IRS, you are to lead using balanced measures by considering customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and business results" .

After completion of Recruit Training, employees will receive an On-the-Job Instructor (OJI) Period which consists of the following:

During the OJI period the coach will complete the minimum of two OJI Phone Feedback Forms for each employee and provide to the manager, to identify training deficiencies and recognize opportunities for improvement. The OJI Phone Feedback Form will be shared with the employee to provide feedback on their progress.

At the completion of the OJI process, a review of 3 calls (3 calls = 1 attempt) will be performed for each assistor, the manager/lead should perform reviews on three different types of calls in Verint. The reviews will be entered into EQRS as Non-Evaluative with a comment in the Remarks/Feedback section as Certification Process.

A successful certification is based on the following guidelines, the assistor works independently and achieves Customer Accuracy (100%, no errors), Regulatory Accuracy (100%, no errors), and Procedural Accuracy (85%).

If the assistor is unsuccessful after 3 attempts (a total of 9 calls) the manager will develop a performance improvement plan (action plan) based on the managers assessment, training needs along with the employee’s feedback. If after 90 days the assistor is unsuccessful, the manager will contact their Department Manager to make them aware of the progress the assistor has made and provide any extenuating circumstances.

Future attempts to certify the assistor will now be evaluative in EQRS. Monitor the employees progress by observation, feedback and EQ reports. Frequent meetings and written documentation is critical at this point to provide the employee feedback on their performance.

After completion of Paper Training, employees will receive an OJI Period which will consist of:

During the OJI period, the coach will be available to help assistors while working cases. The number of cases will be contingent upon the program volumes. the cases worked during the OJI period will be 100% reviewed by coaches/leads.

At the completion of paper training and OJI, a review of paper cases will be performed for each assistor. The number of cases will be contingent upon the program volumes, however no less than a minimum of 10 reviews should be completed. The manager or lead will perform the review and complete the Email and Paper Review Template. Managers will meet with the assistor to review the Email and Paper Review Template and provide feedback.

A successful certification is based on these guidelines; the assistor works cases Independently and achieves an 85% overall accuracy rate.

Unsuccessful Certification - If the assistor is unsuccessful after three attempts to certify, the manager will develop a performance improvement plan (action plan) based on the manager’s assessment, training needs, along with the employees’ feedback. If after 90 days the assistor is unsuccessful, the manager will contact their Department Manager, make them aware of the progress the assistor has made and provide any extenuating circumstances.

Future attempts to certify the assistor will need to be Evaluative in EQRS. Monitor the employee’s progress by observation, feedback and EQ reports. Frequent face to face meetings and written documentation is critical at this point to provide the employee feedback on their performance.

Phone/Paper - contact LR for guidance on the proper procedures for corrective action concerning probationary and non-probationary employees. Managers should keep their Department Managers aware of the certification process and the progress of assistors.

Operations Support Staff (analyst) conducting reviews will:

The review will address:

Compare the above practices to the following:

Prepare a schedule of planned reviews at the beginning of each fiscal year and no later than November 1st. Provide the schedule to the operation manager, or director, as appropriate.

Request the information needed from the manager 30 days in advance, so all information is available at the start of the review. This may include the following items:

It is recommended when reviewing a Team Manager (TM) you review a minimum of six EPFs; a technical lead, one team clerk/management and program assistant and four assistors if applicable. Try to review EPFs of employees with different levels of experience.

It is recommended when reviewing a DM you review at least half of all EPFs of those who directly report to the DM, plus samples of employees' EPFs from teams within that department.

When completing technical portions of the review such as the closed case reviews, obtain assistance if needed. Operations managers may also obtain assistance from the Operation Support staff to assist with department reviews.

Allow enough time to perform the review, write the report, and share feedback from the final report to the manager or director as appropriate.

Promptly document the operation review in a memorandum to the appropriate manager or department head. Include the following in the memorandum:

Maintain a copy of the memorandum in the office files and one in the manager's EPF. Be sure to follow-up timely with the manager on action items. Document all follow-up actions.

The Operational Review will cover the following:

Review personnel management practices of maintaining Employee Personnel Files (EPF), Drop files and Personal/Training files for the following:

Review Workload Management Practices for the following:

Review Administrative, Privacy, Security, and Safety Practices, including the following:

Review Manager's organization effectiveness:

BEARS is an automated way to request access to Information Technology (IT) systems and applications. It provides faster access and automates the process of annual re-certification. To access BEARS, click on the BEARS link https://bears.iam.int.for.irs.gov/home/Index. View the Online User Guides. If you have questions, call the Help Desk at 866-743-5748.

Managers will ensure compliance with Federal Information Systems Management (FISMA) and IRS policy related to systems security and will ensure the timely removal of employees from IRS systems/applications when they no longer require access.

EPSS assistors use EHSS as a tool for customer interaction and ticketing. EHSS allows EPSS to develop a complete view of a customer’s contact history. EPSS policy requires each contact with the customer be captured in a new or existing Interaction/Incident. This policy is necessary for the following reasons:

Efficient customer service: Interactions/Incidents are as significant to contact management as audit trails are to tax case management. If resolutions are not successful, it would be inefficient to start over with the customer to resolve the issue. Attention must be given to the way we handle each contact (i.e., opening and documenting the Interaction/Incident with the caller on the line versus entering the data after the caller has hung up). We must work toward increased efficiency.

Growth of electronic products: The implementation of e-services was a primary driver for the design of the e-help Desk. As e-services and e-file continue to grow, issue tracking will become increasingly important. Because of the many products now available, duplicate issues/contacts can be made to the e-help Desk that, if tracked, can be resolved simultaneously. For example: One customer can make separate contacts to resolve both an e-file issue and an e-services issue. If follow-up with the customer is required, both issues can be resolved with the same contact.

Documented history for e-services and other new products: New products, specifically e-services, depend solely on information created from Interactions/Incidents. Documented history for e-services does not exist as it does for e-file. As customers call in with problems, the issues are captured in Interactions. The documented resolutions for the Interactions/Incidents are captured in the Knowledge Management database.

If there is an Interaction/Incident on your worklist, either work it or transfer it to a technical lead or an assistor.

Follow-up to ensure the Interaction/Incident has been worked.

Once a week, you will receive the Weekly Aged Report. This allows you to ensure open cases are being worked. In addition, this will help you identify employees needing assistance with their assigned cases. See IRM 3.42.7.12.1, "Reviewing the Worklist" , for assistor instructions.

E-mail is an additional channel for communicating with the e-help Desk and TSO. A mailbox has been created on EHSS and the e-mail address has been provided to the following external customers, among others:

Employees in Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) are internal users. They send e-mail inquiries on behalf of external customers.

TSO assistors utilize the e-mail function to resolve electronic filing questions and problems.

When customers send an e-mail, confirmation is sent advising them their e-mail has been received by EPSS. They are advised to look for an acknowledgement e-mail containing an Interaction/Incident number within 30 minutes. The customer is advised they will be contacted within 48 hours regarding their issue or question.

Appoint members of the workgroup to be responsible for reviewing the worklist and working e-mail cases. Review the e-mail worklist at least every hour to ensure cases are being worked in a timely manner. Cases resulting from e-mail will be worked within (2) hours of receipt.

See IRM 3.42.7.12.2, "E-mail Function" , for assistor instructions.

Records created within e-mail systems, which meet the criteria of a federal record, are subject to the same retention periods as the paper or hard-copy versions. Therefore, these records must be retained electronically according to the NARA-approved disposition authority or printed and associated with the appropriate record keeping system. Refer to IRM 1.15.6, "Managing Electronic Records" , for guidance on managing all e-mail records in an appropriate electronic system that supports records management and litigation requirements, including the capability to identify, retrieve, and retain the records for as long as they are needed.

The mission of the Change Control Board (CCB) is to review, plan, assess, prioritize, and disposition Change Requests (CRs) for the e-help Support System (EHSS). The CCB is a committee that reviews, approves, or rejects changes impacting policy, system, and processes initiated from EHSS stakeholders. The CCB includes representatives from the e-help Desk and Technical Services Operation (TSO).

CRs will be submitted to the CCB on Form 14507, EHSS Change Request, with adequate justification/documentation. The originator’s manager must review the request for accuracy, content, and completeness and complete the “Manager of Originator” section of the CR form. The manager will approve or disapprove the request. If the CR is not approved, the manager will document the reason and return to the originator. If the CR is approved, the manager will e-mail the completed CR to the CCB Coordinator and the Products and Services Support Manager.

The CCB will ascertain the benefits and the impact of proposed changes and the recommendation will be voted on and approved/disapproved by a quorum of CCB members. Approved requests will be signed by the CCB Chair Person and maintained by the CCB Coordinator. Closing activities may include issuing a directive, implementing actions to be completed or forwarding recommendations to appropriate functions.

EPSS is responsible for managing the content of the solutions database. Each product the e-help Desk and TSO supports has several associated solutions. Operations Support (OS) Analysts have ownership of solutions associated with their assigned programs. The OS analyst may coordinate new solution content with the Policy Owner.

Managers/leads must follow all guidance in IRM 3.42.7.10.1, "Contribute Knowledge" . It is critical that Contribute Knowledge Articles are to be reviewed and the request be returned to the assistor or submitted to the Solutions Lead (in EHSS) for consideration in a timely manner.

To maintain the solution database, EPSS has established Solutions Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). SMEs are provided by the TSO and E-help Operations Chiefs identified by specialized technical skill. SMEs can be solicited by analysts for assistance with solution updates that contain significant program changes.

The Solutions lead is an analyst from the Program Management (PM) staff. The Solutions lead coordinates with Policy Owners to ensure products supported by EPSS have accurate and valid solutions in EHSS.

The responsibilities of the Solutions SMEs include:

The responsibilities of the Solutions lead include:

New or revised solutions are necessary for various reasons:

EPSS analyst with solution responsibility determines when an EPSS Communication associated with solution update is necessary. The analyst follows procedures found at the SERP EPSS Research Portal.

The system administrator/telephone analyst (SA/TA) is a valuable resource person regarding the features of the IUP system.

Managers must coordinate with their SA/TA on any activity limiting the site's ability to deliver its commitment for scheduled Automated Call Distributor (ACD).

The SA/TA provides assistance on the following:

Supervisors use the Finesse/CTIOS/IPBlue Desktop TeleSet to perform the following tasks:

To monitor a call through Finesse/CTIOS/IPBlue Desktop application, sign on to your TeleSet and perform the following steps:

Manager monitoring, the manager must monitor available systems to see if an employee is scheduled on the phone but in an unavailable state (i.e., idle, long wrap, etc.) are on.

Side-by-side monitoring, also known as "double jacking," is used to review telephone calls for training purposes. It can be used to improve work processes or as coaching conducted as part of a performance improvement plan. It is an excellent introduction to the job for new assistors working with experienced employees.

Weekly call demand projections are developed by the WPTQ staff analysts for e-help and TSO at an Enterprise level during the Work Planning phase for the fiscal year. The telephone system analyst will use the following factors to segment work to the various sites. Required staffing for each site is determined by taking into consideration factors such as:

In generating staffing requirements for EPSS, the WPTQ analyst considers the requirements from an enterprise perspective. The adherence of each individual site to the schedule is important and impacts the performance of the e-help Desk Operation and TSO.

The system administrator/telephone analyst creates a projected forecast for each site. The projected site forecast is a half-hourly tool which is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet providing staffing requirements.

Management will use the half-hourly forecast to create individual phone schedules for their employees. Assign the appropriate number of assistors to the telephones.

Skill Groups are the skilled groups of assistors providing service to the customer. Applications are the services we provide. The JOC uses an Intelligent Call Router to distribute calls to appropriate skill groups (agent groups) to provide services (applications) to the customer.

The following reports are available in EHSS:

EHSS also provides a list of Dashboard Reports providing a real time look at the system. It allows the user to see an overview and the functionality to drill down to a particular Interaction or Incident. Below is a list of reports:

Managers will review each report to determine if organizational and/or team goals are being met. Determine reason aged cases are open for more than seven (7) days. If there is no valid reason for the open case, managers will discuss it with the assistor. Instruct employees not to use any products marked "Inactive" on the product report.

Finesse/CTIOS/IPBlue Desktop application activity reports are used by team managers to determine the status of telephone activity. The employee snapshot report is received weekly.

The EPSS telephone systems analysts (SA) runs these reports and automatically schedules them for delivery via e-mail or server. The analyst has the capability of running adhoc reports for various time-frames or for a specific type of data. If you need an additional report, contact the analyst to have the data pulled from the Finesse/CTIOS/IPBlue Desktop application system.

Reports are a tool managers can use to identify areas where the team members excel (e.g., adherence, efficient talk time, and minimal use of wrap time) and areas needing improvement (e.g., adherence and improper use of idle reason codes, etc.). Reports can be used as a diagnostic tool. They can be used to support your personal observations.

The reports are standardized for all sites. The employee snapshot report includes the following reports.

Organization, Function, and Program (OFP) codes are recorded by employees in SETR to identify work IRS employees perform daily.

OFP codes have various uses including the preparation of work plans and work schedules. For this reason, it is important information is reported consistently and accurately. Managers can verify correct reporting by accessing SETR reports. A complete list of all OFP codes can be found at http://ofp.ds.irsnet.gov/index.asp, "Organization Function Program (OFP) Code" .

Managers must ensure employees use the correct codes when working telephones, e-mail, paper, and call backs. These codes can be found in the TSO OFP Code Desk Guide, located on the EPSS SERP Portal, IRM 3.42.7-1, "Organization, Function, and Program (OFP) Codes (Phones and e-mail)" , and IRM 3.42.7-2, "e-help Organization, Function, and Program (OFP) Codes (Paper)" , and provide a breakdown of each codes' function, program, and title.

It is critical to communicate the importance of tracking and reporting time accurately. When making assignments, limit frequent program switching, whenever possible, to help employees record time accurately.

QuickAlerts is a free, online service disseminating mass "e-file" messages, within seconds, to all "subscribed" individual and business e-file software developers, transmitters, and authorized e-file providers.

Quick Alerts also provide e-file information to assist employees in their job performance and enhance the filing season.

There are four categories the assistor should subscribe to:

As a manager you will ensure all new employees subscribe to QuickAlerts and verify all returning seasonals still have a subscription.

EPSS Communications were developed to keep employees informed of the myriad of policy and procedural changes impacting IRS electronic products such as:

To request an EPSS Communication, send pertinent information to the designated EPSS, Operations Support analyst with a courtesy copy to the back-up analyst. For example, a communication related to software testing should be sent to the program analyst assigned to that program.

To maintain quality and readability of communications, all originators, reviewers and approvers of EPSS communications must follow the guidance in the "EPSS Communication Job Aid" located on the EPSS SERP PORTAL ttp://serp.enterprise.irs.gov/databases/portals.dr/epss/jobaids.dr/epss_jobaids_toc.htm.

Use the appropriate EPSS communication template (located within the EPSS Communication Request Job Aid) to ensure the following information is captured.

Designated personnel (as outlined in the EPSS Communication Request Job Aid) will issue the communication from the *EPSS mailbox.

Posted EPSS communications remain on the EPSS SERP Portal for 6 months.

As a manager you will ensure all new employees are added to the EPSS Communication distribution list and employees leaving EPSS are removed. E-mail requests to add or delete employees to the EPSS Operations Support management and program assistant.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that (1) can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information. See https://portal.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/vl003/lists/pii/landingview.aspx for a more detailed definition.

The protection of information is of vital concern to the Service; every effort must be made to protect it. Ensure you and your employees review your electronic files and paper holdings for this type of information. Verify you have only PII in your possession you have a "need to know" .

You and your employees must follow proper procedures for safeguarding PII you have in your immediate possession. PII stored on computer hard drives or transferred to CD-ROMs, jump drives, or other portable media must be encrypted. The IT4U Icon on every IRS computer has step-by-step guidance on methods of Encryption.

If a laptop or other electronic device is lost or stolen, it must be reported within one hour to:

Managers are responsible for following and ensuring employees adhere to the Clean Desk Policy, as outlined in IRM 10.5.1.5.1. Managers must be continually alert and proactive in protecting Sensitive But Unclassified data (including PII and tax information). Manager are required to secure all sensitive employee personnel taxpayer data and ensure it is locked in cabinets or drawers.

Additional information on how to protect PII can be found on the Disclosure and Privacy Knowledge Base Site https://portal.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/vl003/pages/default.aspx.

While EPSS supports external customers, it’s relationships with internal customers are also critical. Customer Engagement relates to how EPSS conducts business with these customers. Policy owners (i.e., organizations within the IRS and other government agencies) contact EPSS to support their products or programs. Form 13764, "EPSS Customer Engagement Request Form" , will be used to initiate this process. This document serves as the basis for an initial meeting with EPSS to discuss the project and tailor support to meet the needs of the business organization.

If remittances are found in the work area, they are to be immediately taken to the unit manager. The Manager/Coordinator will immediately record the remittance daily on Form 4287, "Record of Discovered Remittances" log.

See IRM 3.8.46, "Discovered Remittance" , for more information on handling Discovered Remittances.

A Job Aid/Desk Guide is a technical support tool designed to support a business need such as:

The originator of the job aid/desk guide must work with the analyst and program owner and complete the following actions:

Learning and Education (L and E) will incorporate approved job aids/desk guides into existing and new training material.