MEET THE STAFF SERIES

Salisu Hamisu Danyaro,
Service Center Supervisor for 33KV Mafara

Tariff Reclassification key to Cash Collection

CCD: Salisu Hamisu Danyaro, you are the Service Center Supervisor for 33KV Mafara, give us an insight in to your background. 

SHM: I was born and brought up in Kaduna. My primary to tertiary education was here in Kaduna except for National Youth Service Corps that took me to Cross River state. I obtained my first degree In Kaduna State University where I got my B.Sc in Industrial Chemistry. Before joining Kaduna Electric, I worked with Stanbic IBTC, Skye Bank and Sanat Home Art.

CCD: What are your roles as a Service Center Supervisor?
SHM: My primary responsibility is to promote cash drive by way of increasing customer population, reducing outstanding debts and ensuring 100% collection of current charges.
Also, to maintain a cordial relationship with all the customers by solving their problems efficiently and effectively.

CCD: What are the obstacles to efficient cash collection?
SHM: The major challenge the company is having is energy theft. We have cases of meter tampering and illegal connections etc.
Illegal connections are connections done by customers without the consent of the company and mostly such customers are not captured in the company’s data base.
Another category of customers is those who pay below their current charges and some of them engage in looping: this simply means they allow their neighbors to tap energy. This practice is prevalent in the rural areas.

Estimated billing also hinders cash collection because most customers consume more than they pay for.

CCD: Reconnection fee is a source of revenue for the company. How do you ensure that reconnection fees are remitted into the company’s account?

SHM: For me, this is very simple. Once a customer is disconnected, the customer should be issued a disconnection order/notice. The Sales Rep is expected to ensure that the customer pays the current charge in full besides the reconnection fee which should be paid at the Area Office.

CCD: Are you exploring the customer enumeration aspect of revenue generation?
SHM: Yes, we are. But enumeration is not the only answer to revenue generation, especially in areas where you cannot find new customers; rather you can only separate them. By doing so, the customer population increases without a corresponding increase in revenue. This is where tariff reclassification comes in to ensure that customers are properly placed on their tariff class; only then will revenue increase.
It has not been easy for me given that I cover the rural areas, but despite that I have increased my population by about 32% which is gradually translating into increase in revenue.

CCD: Any appeal or suggestion to staff?

SHM: To my coworkers, please we should treat the business as ours, which is why I must emphasize on team.
Everyone must make cash collection their business. It is not a job only for Marketers or Supervisors and Service Centers.
Let the Service Centers who are not doing particularly very well share the strategies that are working for others.  Your performance is a collective thing at the Area Office level.