MEET THE STAFF SERIES

Ensuring 100% Customers’ Response is the Panacea to Poor Collection - Habibullah Suleiman                                                   

CCD: Briefly tell us about yourself?

HS: My Name is Habibullah Suleiman, I am from Kaduna State, a graduate of Bayero University Kano. Before joining this company, I was a teacher at Umar Bn Khattab Model School,  I also worked as a Sales Representative with PZ Walimar Plc and Pinnacle pharmaceutical.

CCD: When did you join the Company and what is your primary assignment?

HS: I joined this Company in September 2015 as a Sales Rep. in Marketing and Revenue Assurance Department. My responsibilities are vast, some of which are revenue generation, sensitization of customers, tracking of customers, capturing of new and illegal customers.

CCD: Please tell us more about the aspects of your responsibility and how do you manage your subordinates on their daily activities?   

 HS: I was one of the privileged Sales Representative that my hard work was noticed by the Management here in Zamfara Area Office, and was elevated to the position of a Service Centre Manager, I managed 11KVTudun Wada Service Centre which saw an upward improvement of revenue from 4.5million to 5.6million, also 11kV Gada biyu improved under my watch from 4.5million to 9.7million. This earned the feeder automatic elevation from yellow to green feeder. I was recently transferred to 33kV Kaura Namoda, this is my first month and there are good signs because we have moved from 2.5million to 3.9million. I have a strategy of taking full responsibility by tracking down the revenue generated by all sales Representatives, identifying the problem, the losses, energy management, and all this is being achieved by the support we get form  Zamfara AO Management.

CCD: Although this is not your first assignment as a Service Centre Manager, the task could be a difficult one, how are you coping especially in managing subordinates?                                                                                                              

HS: Its really easy managing my colleagues at work. Because for everyone I worked with, I let them see the importance of working as a team; I take responsibility for all actions or inactions of my sales Representative; I ensure that I provides the needed leadership and direction. This makes them more agile to work more efficiently, we worked both weekdays and most weekends, I can remember in the month of July when Gusau was on total blackout for two weeks and the power supply situation was poor, we devised a strategy in my Service Centre just to cover for losses. We had a morning and evening shift of cash drive, and this really helped us a lot. We thank Allah at that month. And this makes the management to recognize our effort at that month; I think we bagged second best Service Centre and the second best Sales Representative came from the Service Centre.

CCD: What are the challenges you face as the Service Centre Supervisor and how do you intend to overcome those challenges?                                  

HS: Challenges here at 33kV Kaura Namoda are almost same challenges of other places I have been to, low payment is something we battle with in our first month. And the arrangement of my predecessor with the communities for customers to pay after salary was difficult task we had to change but we thank Allah we are getting that corrected. Our first month is positive, the customers felt the changes in the system and I believed they will adjust

CCD: Any appeal or suggestion to staff or management?

HS: My appeal to my colleagues is to know that this is our company; our pride and this job is our security. We should just help it grow and I believe we will achieve together. The Management should also look into the welfare of staff, there are also shortage of staff especially in technical aspect.