Friday 19 October 2018

KADUNA ELECTRIC NEWSLETTER OCTOBER EDITION

Kaduna Electric Canteen Wears New Look




By Halima Shuaibu 

The staff canteen at the ground floor, head office of Kaduna Electric is wearing a new look. The canteen, which was recently branded by two of the company’s e-payment vendor companies, buypower.com and irecharge.com, has an ambience befitting of a standard canteen.
The canteen, which hitherto was just an eating-place, now has a food vendor.
This development according to the Head, Administration and Security, Mr. Nuhu Sani is to create a befitting eatery for staff to have lunch and to reduce the waste of productive time expended by staff in search of where to eat. 
Sani explained that the move has taken the financial burden off management to renovate the place while offering our alternative-channel vendors an avenue for brand visibility.
Enumerating the advantages of newly branded cafeteria, he said: “the lunch time offers staff an opportunity to interact and relax. They need not worry about where to get food. The quality of the food is good and affordable.  We have also improved the aesthetics of the place, making it comfortable”.



Staff Undergo Safety Training  

 By Halima Shuaibu 

 Following the signing of the safety policy by the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer Engr. Garba Haruna, the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) has begun training of staff of Kaduna Electric, company wide. 

The safety policy, according to the Head, Health Safety and Environment, J.C. Adamu, is a written statement by an employer stating the company's commitment for the protection of the health and safety of employees and to the public.
The training therefore was designed for all staff to enable them to understand the implications of the safety policy and how its contents are binding on them.
Speaking on the significance of the training, Adamu said apart from sensitizing staff on the importance of the safety policy, the training is also a refresher course for all participants.
 “Safety training is a continuous one which staff members must always be reminded about. That is why we are using one stone to kill two birds. The rights and responsibility of staff, Avoiding hazards etc.”
Speaking on the implication of violating any of the safety rules, Adamu reiterated that the policy and its contents must be adhered to without any excuse of ignorance adding that violation will attract strict penalties.
Some of the benefits of the compliance according to him include: improved productivity, as there would be fewer incidences of staff absence, asset protection, greater investor confidence and positive returns.
He went further to state that the sensitization is not only for staff but also for the general public whom he said are equally protected on the newly signed policy. He said a large number of the public is still ignorant of some of their responsibilities and the dangers of building under high-tension lines.    
At the end of the training, participants were made to choose any topic from the areas covered for presentation on an agreed date. This, according to the facilitator, Engr. Garba Saleh was to ensure that members of staff are fully involved in the process of the policy implementation and for them to deeply imbibe it.





Nextier Power Partners Kaduna Electric On Customer Engagement

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By Abdulrahman El-jimeta 

Nextier Power Consultancy, in collaboration with Kaduna Electric, has organized a one-day workshop to sensitize customers on operations of the electricity industry.
In his presentation, Mr Chinedu Onyegbula from Nextier Power Solutions also educated the customers on their rights and responsibilities as stated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In addition, participants were enlightened about the electricity supply chain, how electricity reaches their homes right from the generation to the distribution network.
In his contribution, the Business Development and Relationship Officer, Doka Regional Office, Engr. Umar Farouq, urged the customers to pay their bills on time, adding that energy theft and vandalism constitute the major challenges affecting the distribution of electricity.
According to him, vandalization of power equipment occurs daily and the company has lost over one hundred transformers this year alone, worth millions of naira.  He called   on customers to be more vigilant and help to protect power equipment in their various communities. 
The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, who was represented by Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, urged the customers to shun vandalism and pay their bills as and when due.
The Emir also lauded Kaduna Electric for organizing such an event, which according to him offered him an opportunity to air his views and to understand his rights and privileges as a consumer.

 


Thursday 18 October 2018

MEET THE STAFF SERIES


Improved Revenue Generation Requires Holistic Approach- Ande Daniel, Service Centre Supervisor
CCD: Can you briefly share your profile with us?
AD: My name is Ande Daniel from Taraba state. I attended Mayfair Nursery and Primary school Kakuri. Thereafter, Elite Comprehensive High School. I studied sociology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. I currently hold the position of Service Center Supervisor at Gwari Service Centre, Makera Area Office. 

CCD: Tell us what it is like supervising a Service Centre.
AD: Managing a service center is a challenging task. This is because everything and everyone in the Service Centre is under your supervision and you are responsible for them all. For instance, if you have five sales representatives and each of them has five hundred customers, as a supervisor, it means you have a total of two thousand five hundred customers, not forgetting the engineering staff, cashiers, and security guards. Every responsibility and duty becomes your responsibility. You are responsible for everything that goes on, so one has to be on ones toes to make sure everything is done effectively and efficiently.

CCD: What do you consider as the most challenging part of supervising people and managing customers? 
AD: One thing I find most challenging in supervising people is their different behavioral patterns. Sometimes, when you give out an instruction the feedback may be positive and sometimes negative. The most important thing is to understand different behavioral patterns and manage them effectively in order to achieve your set goals.
In customer management, one of the most challenging aspects of it is that customers have individual behaviors and group behaviors. It is easier to manage individual behavior than group behavior. In managing groups, you must identify the leader of the group for the problem to be solved.  

CCD: What is your total customer population and also their classification tariff?
AD: Our total customer population is one thousand five hundred and two. In which 80% are under C1 and R2 tariff classifications and the other 20% are D1 and A1 tariff classifications. 

CCD:  One of the toughest challenges facing the company is poor collection; what is your strategy in addressing it?
AD: For the company to achieve improved collection, it requires a holistic approach which, involves proper tariff classification, reducing energy theft, proper billing of customers especially that which addresses under-billing.
Others include: working on the relationship between the company and its customers, effective handling of customer complaints, educating the customers in order to get their understanding on how their actions may affect the sustainability of the electricity industry. 

CCD: What are you doing in terms of relationship management with staff and customers?
AD: As a supervisor I always organize interactive sessions with my marketers twice a week to know their challenges and provide solutions. I also encourage them to strive to succeed whenever they are out doing their fieldwork.
I also join them on the field to provide support and let them know that we are all in this together. While in customer relationship management relationships, I make effort to understand them to enable me manage them effectively. 
I treat them as friends while bearing in mind the goal of the relationship is to persuade them in paying their bills and on time, to make them comfortable enough to table their complaints and build trust. The Customer is king and we need them to run the business together.

CCD: What do you think management should do to encourage staff career growth?
AD: The Company's growth is dependent on the quality of training its staff members receive. The company should channel its resources in developing the technical knowhow of staff members for improved productivity.  

CCD: What will you consider your major achievement since you assumed duty as a Supervisor?
AD: Before assumption of duty as the Service Center Supervisor, the collection used to be below five million naira monthly but I and my team have been able to raise collection above five million and are working towards raising it even higher to meet company's standard.

CCD: Any appeal or suggestion to staff or management?                           
AD: Staff members should maintain integrity; a good name is better than riches and anything worth doing is worth doing well. To the management, invest in your staff members, as Richard Branson says, "take care of your employees and they will take care of your business''.