Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A WhatsApp messaging solution, which offers real-time customers complaints resolution and 24-hour customer support service, has been introduced by Ikeja Electric.
A statement from the nation’s largest power distribution company explained that the IE WhatsApp Chatbot works like regular WhatsApp platform and enables seamless two-way communication between the customer and the DisCo through the chat interface.
Through the platform, customers can get their account details, check and pay bills, confirm payments, report faults, make complaints and request for a prepaid meter.
Ikeja Electric said its customers can add the dedicated WhatsApp Chatbot number, 09088951626, on their phone contacts to also check supply availability, report case of energy theft or vandalism, request for new connection and get answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), among other services.
Customers can also speak with Customer Care Representative via the IE WhatsApp Chatbot if required, it added.
According to the Head of Corporate Communications for Ikeja Electric, Mr Felix Ofulue, the decision to deploy the service is part of the firm’s major push to deliver an optimum quality customer experience through technology.
This commitment continues to elicit a passion for service excellence and new thinking on how to empower lives and businesses across the IE network, he noted.
“IE as a business is following through with our digital transformation initiative to deliver optimal quality customer service using technology.
“WhatsApp, on the other hand, is a platform that has millions of users and huge adoption for customer resolution.
“Our goal is to ensure that our customers are able to reach us on WhatsApp as an easy medium of communication and to ensure we meet our target of delivering excellent service,” Mr Ofulue said.
He pointed out that IE has over 800,000 customers within Lagos metropolis and as a business that understands consumer’s behaviour, motivations and needs, it has become imperative to introduce the WhatsApp channel to augment other existing customer touchpoints.
“Our vision is to be the provider of choice wherever energy is consumed, so we are focusing on a huge adoption of technology to achieve this. This is also in line with our mantra of ‘customer first, technology now’.
“At the same time, we realise that a lot of our customers use WhatsApp as a preferred means of communication, so it is an obvious choice to provide it as a channel for customers to reach us seamlessly and communicate with us whenever they choose,” he said.
“The WhatsApp Chatbot, which will augment its existing customer touchpoints, is available to receive multiple queries and promptly respond with relevant information to various customers at the same time. However, customers cannot call the number since it is only reachable through WhatsApp chat,” he added.
Mr Ofulue said the introduction of the service will further optimize the Call Centre resources and also enhance the customer experience as the solution is capable of personalizing conversations, this will, in turn, add to the value and quality of interaction.
The WhatsApp Chatbot is a product of a strategic relationship between IE and Infobip, a leading global cloud solutions provider.
It was provisioned on a scalable digital cloud contact centre solution that enables businesses to deliver Omni-channel support for customers through a single interface for agents.
Messaging services such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Live Chat, SMS and in-house Chabot can all be managed through the platform named Conversations.
