H&R Block agents took 'empathy training' to handle people upset by smaller tax refunds
H&R Block agents took ‘empathy training’ to handle people upset by smaller tax refunds or surprise tax bills
Published: Feb 16, 2019 9:31 a.m. ET
Accountants are investing in customer service as the average tax refund has dropped 8% and 4.6 million people are expected to owe money this year
Some tax return preparers are doubling as therapists this tax season, comforting clients who are dismayed to find that they will get smaller tax refunds — or worse, will get hit with unexpected tax bills.
H&R Block HRB, -0.41% puts its returning tax pros through 30 hours of training ahead of each filing season to make sure they are up-to-speed — and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in late 2017 already gave them plenty of homework to do by cutting many deductions and changing the withholding tables.
More: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/hr-block-agents-took-empathy-training-to-handle-people-upset-by-smaller-tax-refunds-or-surprise-tax-bills-2019-02-15