The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is gearing up to deal with an increase in the number of complaints from consumers during the monsoon. If the number of complaints received in the past two days is any indication, the onset of monsoon will result in the number increasing exponentially.
In the past two days, around 12,000 complaints have been recorded by the Bescom helpline (1912). As compared to this, the average number of complaints recorded per day just one week ago was around 3,700.
The spike in complaints on Wednesday and Thursday was mostly due to rains, which lashed the city over the past two days, and the ensuing power cuts.
Around 74% of the complaints came from the South and East zones. These are the worst affected during rains, officials say.
In order to deal with the expected increase in power outages once the monsoon arrives in earnest, Bescom is gearing up to improve its response mechanism and complaint recording infrastructure.
Additional staff deployed
“We are seeing a spike in the number of complaints. In order to be able to restore power supply as fast as possible, we have deputed additional staff. Vehicles have been provided to them along with spares, which they will need to restore power,” said a senior official.
Besides this, the company is also planning to introduce an IVRS based system for callers who are not able to get through to the staff manning the helpline.
“A lot of calls are abandoned once the number exceeds the capacity of the helpline. For these consumers, we are working on a system which will allow them to register their complaint without having to speak to a customer service representative,” an official said.
Complaints on May 17-18
North: 1,959
South: 4,709
East: 4,216
West: 1,205
Total: 12,089
74% of complaints in two days came from east and south zones
