Guidelines and Procedures in the Establishment of eLounge Facilities in Revenue District Offices (RDOs)

July 20, 2012 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 018-12 SUBJECT : Guidelines and Procedures in the Establishment of eLounge Facilities in Revenue District Offices (RDOs) TO : All Revenue Officials, Employees and Others Concerned I. Background In line with the Bureau's thrust to provide efficient service to taxpayers, eLounges were successfully established in Regional Offices (ROs) nationwide. However, despite the success of the said eLounges, maximum utilization thereof has not been achieved due to their inaccessibility to taxpayers who are registered, or transact business at Revenue District Offices (RDOs) that are not located near the ROs where such eLounges were established. II. Objectives This Order is issued to: 1. Improve the efficiency of taxpayer service through the utilization of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) system available in the eLounge facility; 2. Encourage taxpayers to avail/appreciate the eServices being offered by the Bureau; and 3. Provide guidelines and procedures in the establishment and operation of eLounge facilities in the RDOs. III. Policies and Procedures The following shall be observed in the establishment and operation of eLounge facilities in the RDOs: A. Establishment of eLounge 1. The eLounge facility in the RDO shall be created to provide taxpayers with free electronic or online medium to access the BIR's web services, including but not limited to the following: eFPS; DcAaSI eSubmission; eAccreditation; eSales; eReg; Relief Data Entry and Validation Module; Alphalist Data Entry and Validation Module; Taxpayer Compliance Guide; and Interactive Forms. 2. eLounge facility shall be established in the following Bureau Offices: The Tax Information and Education Division (TIED), at the National Office; The Metro Manila RDOs; and, Selected RDOs outside Metro Manila, in accordance with a set of basic criteria regarding the number of taxpayers mandated to perform on-line transactions with the BIR, taking into consideration the ICT readiness/availability of the locality of the Bureau office where an eLounge facility will be established. 3. The following are the mandatory requirements for the creation of an eLounge facility: The eLounge shall be set up at or near the Taxpayer Service Area at the Taxpayer Service Section (TSS). The following resources shall be provided prior to implementation: modular partition enclosures with table top computer chairs movable printer tables lounge sofas lounge tables television set that will showcase the info media production computers with internet connection For the sustainability of eLounge operations, the RDO shall allocate sufficient funds for the Internet Service Provider (ISP), office supplies and materials. HCEcAa 4. The eLounge shall be manned by personnel under TSS. The Chief, TSS shall ensure the continuous operation of the eLounge in case of absence of the designated personnel. 5. An established set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (Annex E) shall be used as a basis for the monitoring of the eLounge facility, and in the evaluation of whether a particular eLounge facility shall be retained or transferred to another RDO. 6. A queuing system shall be installed in the eLounge, to support the mandate of the RDO to provide fast and accurate frontline service to BIR clients. 7. An electronic logbook (e-logbook) shall be maintained to monitor the number of taxpayers who avail of the eLounge facility. B. Operation of eLounge 1. The eLounge shall be open from 8am to 5pm or beyond office hours depending on the needs of taxpayers, taking into consideration the requirements of the BIR Citizen's Charter and the provisions of Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. 2. The Revenue District Officer shall ensure that only official transactions are being performed in the eLounge. Appropriate sanctions as prescribed in Revenue Memorandum Order Number 53-2010 (Promulgation and Implementation of the Revised Code of Conduct for BIR officials and employees) shall be imposed on any revenue official or employee who violates the rules and regulations governing the use of the eLounge and its facilities. 3. The RDO shall ensure that eFPS filers who are not actively using the eFPS system shall be encouraged to utilized the eLounge facility in filing and paying their tax obligation. The degree of utilization of the eLounge facility in an RDO shall be one of the factors to be considered in determining whether the facility should be transferred to another RDO. 4. The TSS personnel shall: a. Power up the eLounge facility at the start of the day and shutdown the said facility at the end of business hours. b. Ensure that all devices such as computers, modem, router and internet connection are working/functioning properly for smooth flow of work. c. Ask the taxpayer to register in the e-logbook. d. Assist the taxpayer in the use of eServices. e. Ensure the USB flash drive or any similar device is properly scanned to ensure PC integrity. f. Ensure that no BIR personnel stores/maintains official or personal files in the eLounge PCs. TAcSCH g. Generate the following reports for submission to the Head of Office and the corresponding Revenue Data Center (RDC) Head: Summary Report of eLounge Transactions (Annex A) Comparative Matrix of eFPS Filers (Annex B) h. Elevate issue/s to concerned offices following the procedures below: h.1 For technical issue/s: With Regional eLounge i. Elevate the issue/s to Regional eLounge ii. If the issue/s cannot be resolved by Regional eLounge, log the issue/s to concerned RDC for resolution. No Regional eLounge i. Log the issue/s to concerned RDC for resolution. h.2 For non-technical issue/s: TSS personnel assigned at the eLounge shall report issue/s to the TSS Chief for resolution. If the issue warrants elevation, the TSS Chief shall raise the issue/s to the Head of Office for resolution. Issues and concerns which are simple in nature shall be resolved by each office within a day upon its receipt, while complex issues shall be resolved within two to three days. 5. The Regional eLounge, when applicable and/or concerned RDC shall provide technical support relative to IT related issues/incidents, to ensure continuous operations and availability of eLounge facility, including the maintenance of e-logbook. C. Monitoring of Usage of eLounge 1. The RDC shall: a. Receive the Summary Report of eLounge Transactions and Comparative Matrix of eFPS filers from TSS (Annexes A and B respectively). b. Prepare the Consolidated Summary Report of eLounge Transactions (Annex C) and the Consolidated Summary of Comparative Matrix of eFPS Filers (Annex D) based on the report submitted by TSS. c. Submit said consolidated reports to Taxpayer Assistance Service (TAS) to monitor the usage of eLounge facility. SCIacA 2. The TAS shall: a. Receive the Consolidated Summary Report of eLounge Transactions and the Consolidated Summary of Comparative Matrix of eFPS Filers from the concerned RDC. b. Monitor/evaluate the usage of eLounge facility based, on the established Key Performance Indicator (KPI) (Annex E). c. Recommend the transfer of eLounge facility to other RDOs if KPI's are not met. IV. Transitory Provision The establishment of eLounge facilities in the RDOs shall be on a by phase roll-out. V. Effectivity This Order shall take effect immediately. (SGD.) KIM S. JACINTO-HENARES Commissioner of Internal Revenue ANNEX A Summary Report of e-Lounge Transactions ANNEX B Comparative Matrix of eFPS Filers ANNEX C Consolidated Summary Report of e-Lounge Transactions ANNEX D Consolidated Summary of Comparative Matrix of eFPS Filers ANNEX E Key Performance Indicator eLounge Facility Program KPI Details Inactive eFPS Filers Encourage inactive eFPS 90% of inactive filers filers to activate/transact activated/transacted by December 2012 Mandated eFPS Filers Monitor/require mandated 90% of mandated eFPS filers eFPS filers to activated/transacted by activate/transact December 2012