Govt launches call centre with hotline number '16999' for power sector customers

The government has launched a call centre with a hotline number '16999' through which customers of any power distribution company can lodge a complaint and receive a solution.

During an inauguration event at the Bangladesh Power Development Board today (24 August),  State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said efforts to continuously improve the quality of customer service in the power sector should be continued. 

"Distribution companies are service providers. Customer satisfaction should be the main goal. But the picture that emerges is not satisfactory," he added.

The state minister said more complaints come from the Palli Bidyut board areas, adding, "They should be more active. The '16999' hotline should be widely publicised with bills or on the website and through SMS."

He said an active customer service centre should be there in every distribution office, adding, "The future is technology. Without the help of technology, we will fall behind. Analysing customer complaints with the help of technology will give a clear idea about that particular area. 

"If you get any complaint from anywhere, you have to take initiative to solve it quickly. Customers should be informed immediately even if it cannot be resolved," said Nasrul.

On the occasion, the minister welcomed the initiative of providing customer service and service-related information through hotline number '16999', Android mobile app of the power division and a social media page 'Chat BOT'.

Among others, Chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board Md Mahbubur Rahman, Chairman of Palli Bidyut Board Md Selim Uddin and Managing Director of DESCO Kawsar Amir Ali spoke at the event.

Nasrul Hamid said the new call centre will be an easy way to provide the services to the power customers, reports the UNB.

"After a long effort since 2016, finally we have been successful in setting up such a coordinated call centre," he added.

According to the announcement at the event, all six power distribution companies – Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco), Northern Electricity Supply Company PLS (Nesco), and West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) – are integrated with the new call centre.

Any customer of the six companies can call the hotline centre anytime and lodge complaints, which would then be forwarded to the persons responsible for providing the solution.

Nasrul Hamid said each of the distribution companies currently has their own call centre and separate number for calls which are not customer-friendly.         

"But this coordinated call centre will be customer- friendly and will be operated by professional people," he said, adding that this would yield better results to address the customers' complaints.

He said '16999' is a unique number through which any customer from anywhere across the country at any time can place their complaints.