MEET THE STAFF SERIES

To Deliver on the Company’s mandate: More Attention Should Be Given To Service Centres_  Atinuke Ogunrinde 

 

CCD: Can you briefly tell us a about yourself?

AO: my name is Atinuke Ogunrinde, I was born and brought up in Kaduna, I did my primary and secondary schools all in Kaduna. I attended Benue State University were I studied Mass Communication. I then worked briefly with a private firm before going for my master at Central University College, Accra- Ghana. I am the Customer Care Representative of Kakuri Service Centre, I joined the service of the Company in September 2015 where I started as a Sales Rep. for few months before joining the Customer Care Unit.

CCD: What are your primary responsibilities?

AO: I attend to all customers complaints, though the complaints varies- some are technical while some are commercial related such as billing and or payment. I make sure every complaint that comes to my desk is attended to by the relevant department  or unit promptly.

CCD:  Do you have any strategy you use in dealing with difficult customer?

AO: Yes, they always come in angry, at times abusive. I try as much I can to give them  listening ears; giving them my full attention helps calm them, I then explain to them if their grievance is due misconception or misunderstanding of the situation. For example, most often, customers come complaining of over-billing, I will explain to them that the billing is based on the  energy that goes into their transformer, I will then recommend if we should do a load assessment. I always encourage them to apply for Meter, because most of the times they complained that they are mostly not at home, they claim they don’t consume that particular energy. But with meter, customers will know how to conserve energy.

CCD: What are your major challenges?

AO: Most times at this Service Center, I spends a lot on getting or sending feedback. I have to call customers on daily basis; if they lay a complaint, I  have to call them and explain the status of the complaint, whether it has been responded to, resolved or it is receiving attention. Some customers can hold your call for up to five minutes, I bear the cost of calls and sending my monthly report. 

CCD: Do you prefer to work individually or as a team?

AO: I strongly believe in team work, because you share ideas, you will be more creative when you work as a team, and most problem will be resolved in time when you work as a team. I take all complaints, I have to assign it to Technical Manager to treat them while some are taken to the Commercial Manager or the billing Rep. Team work in the language in contemporary business environment.

CCD: How do you sensitize your customers?

AO: I enlighten them when they come to the office before reaching out to them. I understand and  listen to them, I always put myself in the customer’s shoes, with that you will know how to respond to the customer.

CCD: What are the major complaints you receive?

AO: Over billing, transformer faults, fuse out and high voltage but the main issue that get customer’s aggrieve is over billing.

CCD: Any appeal or suggestion the to Management?

AO: Yes! Customers that have huge outstanding, the Company should come up with a promo, clear half of your outstanding, the company will waive the rest, let’s say you have 400 Thousand Naira as your outstanding and you are able to pay 200 Thousand Naira, this will really go a long way. Then the issue of the new meters, customers are complaining, the cost is too much for them to buy, but if they can pay half and split the rest for them. Management should please put it into consideration. We the staff need welfare, motivation; we need increment, that will boost our performance; it will make us do better. We have been here for four years, I think we deserve an increment.