Income Tax Filers Flock to Electronic Filing, According to MarketTools Study

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With tax day looming, MarketTools, Inc., the leader in software and services for enterprise feedback management (EFM) and market research, has issued a study revealing that 81 percent of adults who have already completed their 2010 federal income taxes filed their returns electronically, up from 76 percent who e-filed for 2009.  Those filers who paid an accountant or CPA to prepare their returns registered the highest satisfaction with their method of preparation, with 75 percent stating that they were "very satisfied" in working with the accountant/CPA.

Those who worked with an individual to prepare their taxes are more likely to report being "extremely satisfied" with the tax preparation process.  In addition to the high satisfaction rates of those who used a CPA or accountant to prepare their returns, 77 percent of the filers who used an unpaid individual preparer (friend or family member) reported being extremely satisfied with the experience.  Satisfaction was lowest for individuals who visited a tax preparation chain to prepare their taxes, with only 64 percent reporting that they were extremely satisfied with this method, followed by those who used an online tax service (66 percent "extremely satisfied") and those who used tax software (69 percent "extremely satisfied")

"Tax time can be an intense period for consumers, and it's critical for companies that offer tax preparation software and services to listen to their customers to improve the overall customer experience," said Justin Schuster, vice president of enterprise products at MarketTools, Inc.  "Leading companies turn to solutions such as MarketTools CustomerSat to capture customer feedback to better understand customer issues, respond quickly to problems when they arise, and gain the right insights to make the kind of improvements that foster satisfaction and loyalty."

The most popular means of preparing taxes is paying an individual such as an accountant or CPA to prepare the tax returns, or using a web-based (online) tax preparation service.  Each of these methods was used by 28 percent of the filers. Other methods of tax preparation were far less popular, including using tax software purchased in a store or downloaded (14 percent), visiting a branch office of a tax preparation chain (14 percent), completing IRS forms by hand (7 percent), and using a non-paid individual such as a friend or family member (5 percent).  

The study showed that the majority of tax payers surveyed – 68 percent – filed their 2010 federal income taxes by April 1.  81 percent of those who had filed their 2010 returns reported that they are due a refund on their taxes.

About the Study

MarketTools conducted the study between March 30 and April 1, 2011, using MarketTools ZoomPanel to survey American adults, age 21 and older, who are employed full-time. Completed surveys numbered 1870. The margin of error for this study is +/- 2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. For complete survey results, please contact Andy Kill of Airfoil Public Relations at [email protected] or (650) 691-7311.

About MarketTools® CustomerSat™ Software and Services

MarketTools CustomerSat is a Web-based enterprise feedback management (EFM) solution used by the world's leading businesses to capture, analyze, and act on feedback from customers, employees, and partners. MarketTools EFM consultants are available to help CustomerSat customers get the most out of their investment in EFM, from design of satisfaction programs to advanced analysis of survey results.

Through the use of comprehensive analytic tools, action management technology, and the expert knowledge of customer satisfaction consultants, MarketTools helps clients optimize satisfaction and loyalty programs that deliver high-value business impact.

About MarketTools, Inc.

MarketTools is the leading provider of software and services for enterprise feedback management (EFM) and market research. The company is focused on providing leading organizations the actionable customer insights they need to make better business decisions that lead to high-value business impact. As the first company to make online surveys widely available on the Web, MarketTools continues its market- leading position by providing the broadest range of powerful, accurate and integrated customer insight technologies that empower companies to become the most customer-centric organizations in their industries. The MarketTools premier portfolio of technology-based insight brands includes CustomerSat™, TrueSample®, Zoomerang®, ZoomPanel® and ZoomPanel Tech™. MarketTools is a privately held company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco and European headquarters in London. For more information, please visit www.markettools.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Andy Kill
Airfoil PR for MarketTools, Inc.
(650) 691-7311
[email protected]  

SOURCE MarketTools, Inc.

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