MEET THE STAFF SERIES

To Improve Collection Is Collective Effort 

CCD: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

AM: My name is Alfred Monday Balami. I am the Analytics and Coordination Officer, Makera Regional Office.  I have held the position since April 2018.

CCD: What are your responsibilities, specifically?

AM: Basically, what I do is to analyze the data of Makera Regional Office.  Such data include: Sales Reps information, Collection Analysis and Customers' Information on issues relating to payment, DTs DSS code.

Others are: number of PPMs, number of Bills, customers who have paid, disconnected customers, Active Customer and Non-Active Tariff. 

I look at how much collection we have made for a given month and compare that to the previous month, and also take into consideration the projected target and what we need to do to meet our target. 

For instance, recently we started isolating transformers based on nonpayment, to identify the transformers that we have to collect the AR bill from.

We sift out their Current Charges and see if they have paid the current charge; if not, the BDRO may decide to disconnect them. This data will be sent to me to analyze based on request from my BDRO.

CCD: Challenges ...

AM: Of course in any business there are challenges but once we can reduce our losses, collection will improve. This is a task that must be done by everyone by ensuring that they carry out their duties diligently.

For instance, if I am given Ten Clusters, I should make sure all the customers on that cluster pay their bills and it should not be anything less than their current charge.

CCD: Appeal/suggestion to the Management or staff?

AM: My appeal to Management is to intensify staff training, because no matter how intelligent a staff maybe, if they are not adequately trained, they are not likely to perform optimally. Look at enumeration for instance, some staff are not trained well and therefore do not know how to start. Then there is the issue of computer literacy; staff not being conversant with the use of computer. Staff should be encouraged to check their emails, that is a good starting point. 

To staff, everybody should take ownership of the job and make sure you put in your best. Staff should cultivate the habit of acknowledging emails when they receive them.