94987 94987
This June, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s (TANGEDCO) dedicated helpline number ‘Minnagam’ will turn one. The hotline 94987 94987 replaces 1912, which was integrated with the new service number for consumers to register complaints including power failure, new electricity connections, billing issues and replacement of old electricity poles. Previously, consumers could make complaints only regarding power disruptions.
The automated call centre sends information to the local officials once a complaint gets registered through WhatsApp; and after the complaint is attended to, the consumer would be informed of it through SMS, says a note. The centralised customer care number receives more than 1000 calls a day with a majority being from the districts. Consumers who proactively flag issues say the department needs to get active on social media.
1913
This is a must-know number if you are a citizen of Chennai. One can dial the hotline 1913 of the Greater Chennai Corporation to give feedback on parks, roads, streetlights, stormwater drains and public health.
On an average, five people operate to take calls from this helpline; and this team is parked at Ripon Buildings. At the time of this article being published, the helpline was getting a lot of calls related to the local body elections. Generally, the number of calls peak during the monsoon when additional call agents are pressed into service. The call sheet is reviewed by the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner, and according to an article in The Hindu around 1% of the calls are classified as critical, with follow-ups done by agents every hour.
8925522069
The call centre staff of Urbaser Sumeet, the private waste management company handling zones IX to XV, return this reporter’s call after it dropped. That is around 9 p.m., and this is the Alandur office of the agency. The 24x7 call centre reportedly records all kinds of complaints ranging from garbage accumulation to streets not being swept. They apparently even take queries on openings in the company. If the call centre number is not very popular among residents, then the company officials would like to believe that it is because they are active on WhatsApp groups in the 92 wards where they work. Besides, their social media pages are prompt with updates.
9445030516
Metropolitan Transport Corporation can do more to promote its customer care number for it is the only platform for commuters to offer feedback in this digital age. The 80-100 calls that it gets on an average every day are varied — from a route number not keeping to its time to complaints about drivers and queries about free bus pass. In some of the cases, the complaint is addressed on the spot. Sometime ago, motorist TK Pandian dialled the customer care number to complaint about the driver of a bus route who was honking while waiting at the Music Academy junction for the signal to turn green. “Driver of route number 13 was behind my four-wheeler and was restless about the fact that I was obstructing his way at the traffic signal,” says Pandian, an activist. This time, the vehicle number, the place where the incident occurred and bus number were enough for the department to initiate action.
“I received a call after some days and was informed that the driver will be under ‘counselling’ for his conduct,” says Pandian, adding that even on many other occasions, the redressal has been equally quick.
He has been asking the department to display its helpline number on all buses. “The customer care number must be written in Tamil and English,” he says.
9444042322
If this number by the TN Food Safety and Drug Administration does not evoke a response, make sure to drop a message detailing the grievance. The department encourages WhatsApp messages and videos relating to the complaint. Of the 80-100 complaints received on an average every day, 50 per cent are only registered, says an official. That is because a majority are sent without proper evidence. If you have not seen this helpline number displayed at places that come under the department’s ambit, do inform them about it.
4567 4567
Browse through the Twitter timeline and Facebook pages of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board and you will notice that the department has become proactive in addressing customer concerns through these platforms. Currently, 30-40% of the feedback comes through social media but the good old landline number still remains the favourite for a majority of the consumers. An official notes that on an average, the helpline gets 200 to 250 calls a day and this number doubles during the monsoon. The grievances are redirected to the respective zones for the engineers to follow up on and a solution has to be arrived at within three days, says the official. Once a month, all the grievances are reviewed at a meeting.
