New TurboTax SmartLook™ provides Canadians live, on-demand access to TurboTax Specialists and Experts

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Jan. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - A recent TurboTax Canada study found that nearly half of all Canadians are not comfortable filing their own taxes, and of those who aren't comfortable, 48 per cent feel that way for fear they will miss something a professional wouldn't. TurboTax, Canada's # 1 tax software introduces Canadian taxpayers to TurboTax Smartlook™, a feature specifically designed to facilitate customer confidence through live assistance.

SmartLook™ is an online, on-demand service that enables Canadian taxpayers to get live, one-on-one tax support from TurboTax Experts who have an average of 17 years of tax preparation experience, and product support from TurboTax Specialists. Launching the service is simple, with access from 'Help' within TurboTax Online. For added convenience, customers can schedule a time when they would like to speak with the TurboTax team.

"Technology is playing a major role in the tax filing process today, and at TurboTax, we're proud to be ahead of the curve providing busy Canadians with tools that empower them to file with confidence," says Jeff Cates, President of Intuit Canada. "We understand that consumers often want the chance to get trusted advice during their tax filing process. With SmartLook™ our customers receive on-demand access to product and tax experts to answer any questions and review their return to ensure it's complete, accurate, and they get their maximum refund."

Canadians still approach doing their taxes with a level of apprehension, and nearly half of those surveyed who are uncertain say they feel that way because they don't want to miss out on a potential to increase their refund. With Smartlook™, customers receive personalized answers to their questions, and are able to see both the support agent as well as where in their return changes and/or data input are needed. To ensure security and privacy TurboTax SmartLook™ uses one-way video technology so customers can see the TurboTax agent, but they cannot see the customer, only their screen in their TurboTax application.

Two levels of support are available with SmartLook™:

• TurboTax Specialists can provide general customer help and support using the TurboTax product. Access to TurboTax Specialists is included with TurboTax Standard, TurboTax Premier, and TurboTax Self-Employed.
• TurboTax Experts can provide personalized tax advice to customers as they complete their tax return, then review it to ensure accuracy and that the customer has claimed all the credits to which they are entitled so they can be confident in receiving their maximum refund. Access to TurboTax Experts is included with TurboTax Live products.

For more information on SmartLook, visit https://turbotax.intuit.ca/tips/introducing-smartlook-turbotax-new-exciting-live-tax-assistant-technology-8218. SmartLook is included in all paid TurboTax Online versions.

About Intuit

Intuit's mission is to Power Prosperity Around the World. Its global products and platforms, including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Turbo, are designed to empower consumers, self-employed, and small businesses to improve their financial lives, finding them more money with the least amount of work, while giving them complete confidence in their actions and decisions. Intuit's innovative ecosystem of financial management solutions serves partners and 46 million customers worldwide, unleashing the power of many for the prosperity of one. For the latest news and in-depth information about Intuit and its brands, visit Intuit.com and follow on Facebook.

Survey Methodology
From December 5 to 11, 2017 an online survey was conducted among 1,206 randomly selected Canadian adults, 506 of whom are Millennials (age 18-34), 200 of whom are self-employed, and 500 of whom became new parents in the past year. Respondents are members of the Angus Reid Forum or LegerWeb panel. The sample was balanced on gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.82%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

SOURCE Intuit TurboTax