HM Revenue and Customs is reportedly making a big change from today (Thursday) in the way it deals with calls. According to the BBC, routine calls to HMRC will now be answered by text, instead of a human call handler.
It is being trialled as HMRC attempts to improve its customer service, with it having been criticised by MPs over the years for its poor record. It means that, from Thursday, people who get in touch will be sent a website link by text to some people who want to find out details like their reference number, or reset their password.
It comes days before this year's self-assessment deadline. According to the BBC, HMRC is expecting 170,000 calls this months as people scramble to submit their tax returns by January 31.
