JOIN USComplaint redress is all set to get easier and more prompt for BESCOM users, with the launch of the SMS-based complaint management system. This service, which will be available 24x7, is due to be launched soon.
“This is perhaps the first time in the country that an SMS service will be launched for complaint redress in the power sector. Consumers simply have to send us an SMS with their sub-division code.
It is streamlined 24x7 and hence, as soon as the SMS is received, the consumer gets an acknowledgment message along with a ticket number. The software forwards the complaint message to the concerned sub-divisional assistant executive engineers for necessary action,” says Jayanti, the general manager of customer relations at BESCOM.
Once the complaint has been launched, the consumer will be updated about its status from time to time. The message can be sent in this format: ‘BESCOM (space) sub-division code (space) nature of complaint’. For instance: ‘BESCOM N2 no power supply since 2pm’. This can be sent to 9243150000.
The complaints will be segregated into three categories and solved on that basis. “Category A has been classified as emergency complaints, which are related to power supply. These complaints are resolved in a matter of a few hours. Category B complaints are normal ones, which are related to billing and meter issues, disconnections as well as scheduled maintenance. We solve these complaints in a couple of days.
The third category (C) are long-term complaints, like providing new transformers and connections, shifting transformers and poles, as well as rectification of lines,” adds Jayanti.
City-dwellers find the idea quite useful, though the promptness of the service will be tested only once it is launched. As of now, BESCOM has not been prompt with complaint redress.
“It is a great initiative by BESCOM, there have been times when the complaint registered by us has been ignored. I hope the SMS service will help in speeding up things. There might be some problems initially after the system is launched but I am sure it will work out well for consumers who have emergencies,” says Kaustabh, a professional.
Some also feel that bringing corporate culture into the government sector is the need of the hour — and an SMS complaint redress forum is a step in this direction. “Today, all the service providers, including our mobile bills, have an SMS service, so it’s high time BESCOM adopts it as well. It is a relief to know that this will be launched soon. We will wait to see how it functions,” says Pawan, a student.
Jayanti also adds that currently, the customer service cell of the BESCOM has 30 executives, 12 team leaders, four team managers and shift assistant engineers, who take care of the shift.
“We have tried to incorporate the corporate culture into this sector and a Distribution Control Centre (DCC) has been set up for the first time,” she concludes.