Kenya Power is targeting to increase the number of postpaid customers reading their own meters in a bid to address billing complaints.
The energy utility firm intends to increase the number of customers from 145,000 to 200,000 in the current financial year.
Last year, the company introduced the self-reading service that is available on the USSD Code *977# where postpaid customers can register to read their meters at the end of their billing cycle and submit the readings for accurate billing.
“Self-reading of meters is targeted to enhance satisfaction among our customers through accurate and timely billing which will eliminate bill estimations and therefore reduce customer complaints arising from the same,” said Kenya Power Ag CEO Geoffrey Muli.
Currently, 2.1 million customers are on postpaid billing while 6.8 million customers are on prepaid billing (tokens). Apart from self-reading, the USSD Code also enables prepaid customers to retrieve the last three purchased tokens, which is helpful especially when customers want to make reference to their electricity consumption trends.
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Customers can also use the platform to report power outages for quick resolution, confirm the authenticity of persons presenting themselves to them as Kenya Power staff as well as track the progress of their connectivity application.
Kenya Power’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vivienne Yeda said that the Company will continue to pursue an environment that fosters innovation in order to provide the highest level of quality and reliability in customer service.
“We believe that if we can create an environment where we are all empowered to be innovative and accountable, then we will be able to contribute more than ever before. By creating this environment, we will be able to deliver better outcomes for our customers – a move that will ultimately drive electricity demand for the next generation,” she said.
During the last financial year, the monthly average customer transaction on the *977# platform stood at 1.6 million. The company is targeting to increase these transactions to an average of 2 million by the end of the current financial year.
SOURCE: Capital business
