MSEDCL’s call centre to ensure ‘power to people’

MSEDCL’s centralised call centre service is currently operational at Bhandup. A second one is expected to start functioning from Pune.

“Forty lines will function at a time and consumers can call in 24X7. The project is being tested on an experimental basis for now and will be launched soon,” S P Nagtilak,Chief Engineer of the Pune division of MSEDCL,said.

Consumers can call on toll free numbers 18002333435 or 18002003435 either from a landline or any mobile number and lodge complaints regarding billing,metering and breakdowns,Public Relations Officer of MSEDCL Nishikant Raut said.

Once the complaint is filed,it will be directed to the sub-divisional officer concerned. Consumers can from there on track the status of their complaints. “We will also get back to the consumer to find out whether their grievances have been addressed or not,” Raut added.

This project also helps MSEDCL in preparing a database of consumers. “When you call up the centre you have to state your name,consumer number and billing unit number. This data is stored in MSEDCL’s server. Next time you only need to mention your name,” an MSEDCL official explained.

“Our call centre will work on an interactive voice response system (IVRS). It will be available in three languages — Marathi,Hindi and English. The consumer won’t directly talk to the call centre staff. There are 40 people to manage the system,” an official said. At presemt,the number of seats in the call centre in Mumbai (Bhandup) is 60.

Tech savvy consumers

Consumers of the Pune zone of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) have made the maximum use of the technology-based initiatives taken up by the power utility company to make their energy bill payments during the last financial year. According to data released by the company,around 33.94 lakh consumers of the zone have made their payments through the internet or Any Time Payment (ATP) machines installed by MSEDCL or even through Short Message Service (SMS) during the last fiscal. Of this,about 22.80 lakh consumers made use of the 20 ATPs installed in the Pune zone to make payments and nearly 11.14 lakh paid online. MSEDCL officials said that about 1.23 crore consumers across the state have made use of their consumer friendly services for paying energy bills of around Rs 1,900 crore during the last fiscal.