Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, has awarded Accenture (NYSE:ACN) a contract to analyze the optimal time for reminder phone calls from the Yokosuka City Tax Payment Promotion Center to increase response and collection rates. The work, which will use analytics to forecast the optimal time for contacting initial stage delinquents about payments, will be conducted from August through March 2015.

Accenture has developed an analysis and processing platform and will construct a model, based on taxpayer historical response data to calculate the best day time to contact taxpayers, improving response rates operational efficiency and, ultimately, municipal and prefectural tax collection rates.

The Accenture Center for Innovation in Fukushima

The analytics for this project will be conducted at the Accenture Center for Innovation in Fukushima, in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima. Aizuwakamatsu City was selected by the Cabinet Secretariat in May 2014, as a model case for the Analytic Center Concentration Project for the Strategic Use of Big Data, based on a joint plan by: Accenture, Aizuwakamatsu City and the University of Aizu. Accenture will continue to support industrial promotion and job creation aimed at the recovery of Aizuwakamatsu City and Fukushima Prefecture by gathering data and using analytics to discover insights that will help the city better service its citizens.

Yuto Yoshida, Mayor of Yokosuka City, said, “In order to provide fine-tuned administrative services in response to the diversifying needs of citizens, it is necessary to focus on operations that will lead to further improvements in services provided by limited personnel. These initiatives to analyze big data and develop more advanced municipal and prefectural tax collection services, will significantly improve the operational efficiency of our personnel. Furthermore, by conducting the actual analysis work in Aizuwakamatsu City, which has a sister friendship-city relationship with Yokosuka City, we can expect the opportunity to play a supporting role in the recovery and growth of the Tohoku Region.”

Identity Protection

The data analyzed by Accenture will be “masked,” so no personally identifiable information will be included about any individual. Accenture will return the borrowed data to Yokosuka City immediately following completion of the analysis.

“The optimization of the decision-making process, based on scientific evidence from analytics, can be highly effective not only for private-sector companies, but also for government agencies,” said Masaki Yoshitake, a managing director for Accenture’s Health & Public Service business in Japan. “The incorporation of the analytics function in municipal tax collection services by Yokosuka City is a pioneering step for a government agency in Japan, and it is my great pleasure that Accenture has been awarded this work. We will do our utmost so that these initiatives can be further expanded nationwide.”

The work will be completed using capabilities provided through Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital.

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About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 293,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital, delivers insight-driven outcomes at scale to help organizations improve their performance. With deep industry, functional, business process and technical experience, Accenture Analytics develops innovative consulting and outsourcing services for clients to help ensure they receive returns on their analytics investments. For more information follow us @ISpeakAnalytics and visit www.accenture.com/analytics.