Power Dev Board to set up call centre for integrated customer service

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is set to launch a call centre and an integrated customer service management centre in January next with a view to providing better services to its consumers.

Any of its 36 lakh customers will be able to lodge complaints by dialing the hotline number 16131 number or through its mobile application.

Digicon Technologies Limited, a leading outsourcing organisation, will establish and manage the call centre for two years.

In this regard, a Tk3 crore contract was signed between the BPDB and Digicon Technologies Limited on Sunday at the Mukti Hall of Bidyut Bhaban in the capital. Wahidur Rahman Sharif, managing director of Digicon Technologies Ltd, and Rubina Haque, director (Purchase) of the BPDB, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

As per the contract, private firm Digicon Technologies Ltd will set up the call centre within next three months at the Biddut Bhaban in Dhaka, from which it will operate the call centre to provide services to BPDB consumers from January 1, 2023.

The 24/7 call centre will remain operational throughout the year and once it comes into operation. The call centre will instantly receive the complaint and put it forward to the respective responsible official to address the issue and also send the customer feedback about the status of the complaint.

Customers can also track the complaint status using the mobile app and can rate the service when the complaint is resolved.

State Minister of Power Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid attended the deal signing programme as chief guest, while BPDB Chairman Engineer Md Mahbubur Rahman chaired it.

Nasrul Hamid said customer services should be the main priority of power distribution companies.

"Customer services will improve through this complaint solution facility. It will also help the distribution companies ease the cumbersome job by reducing the cost," he said.

To make the call centre accessible to all customers, the state minister asked the concerned to make it user-friendly.

Speaking as a special guest, Power Division Secretary Md Habibur Rahman said a unique number for lodging complaints would have been better instead of using separate numbers for different organisations.

At present, the country has a total of 4.36 crore electricity users under six distribution companies.

Out of six power distribution companies, all but the Rural Electrification Board, have separate call centers and hotline numbers for providing customer service.

Besides electricity production and purchase from private and public companies, the BPDB also distributes electricity in four urban areas – Chattogram, Cumilla, Sylhet, and Mymensingh.

Director General of Power Cell Eng Mohammad Hossain, Digicon's Chief Business Officer Gourab Krishna Gupta and Chief Financial Officer Anwar Hossain FCMA, among others, were present at the signing ceremony.