Customer-oriented Policy
To improve the consumer service quality, business processes of in-person and remote interaction with the customers, customer service quality assessment, IDGC of the South has approved the Company’s Consumer Service Quality Standards.
In 2018, the structure of in-person servicing departments at the Company’s branches included 12 Consumer Service Centres and 102 Consumer Relation Centres.
The existing infrastructure of in-person servicing fully ensures regional accessibility of the Company’s services. For the development of the in-person servicing infrastructure in 2018, IDGC of the South implemented the following activities:
- cooperation with multifunctional centres providing state and municipal services for receiving grid connection applications;
- meetings with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises regarding grid connection;
- cooperation with electricity sales companies in the Company’s operations areas to create conditions for a simplified grid connection of applicants;
- opening of a new Consumer Service Centre in Astrakhan.
Guiding Principles of Consumer Servicing:
- awareness of the consumers about the Company and its services;
- local accessibility and convenience of in-person service;
- availability and efficiency of remote and interactive services of the Company;
- transparency of consumer service business processes and fair complaint investigation.
Remote service via telephone
IDGC of the South free hotline with number 8 (800) 100-70-60 continued its operation in 2018. It was hosted at the Rostovenergo branch.
The operators receive and record incoming calls, consult the consumers on issues concerning power supply interruptions, grid connection, additional services and other matters of the Company operation meeting the requirements of the Consumer Service Quality Standards.
IDGC of the South’s branches use telephone numbers installed in Consumer Service Centres and Consumer Relation Centres for the reception of requests. The list of contact persons and telephone numbers is available on the website at http://mrsk–yuga.ru.
Remote interactive service via the Internet
IDGC of the South takes efforts to make its services accessible for all consumers and save their time. That is why, the Company expands the range of tools providing feedback and interaction with the customers, intensively develops interactive services on the Internet.
Interactive services of IDGC of the South are available on the Company’s official website and websites of its branches. These services offers the consumer a possibility to:
- submit an application for service (grid connection, fiscal metering);
- send a request;
- schedule a personal appointment;
- evaluate service quality;
- obtain reference data.
The consumer interactive servicing is offered at the following internet sites:
- To Consumers section on the page of each branch on the Company’s corporate website ;
- User Account for submitting applications for grid connection of up to 150 kW capacity here and here;
- consumers’ forum on the Company’s at official website ;
- booking for the Consumer Day here ;
- Light Country feedback portal here .
In September 2018, Light Country portal (ROSSETI project) was launched. It was designed to create an efficient online feedback mechanism for consumers at all ROSSETI subsidiaries, including IDGC of the South’s branches.
Using the Light Country portal, the consumers can send messages concerning such problems as:
- electricity outage;
- voltage fluctuation / low voltage;
- electric equipment defects.
The response time is eight working days from the moment of publication. During that time, the problem shall be eliminated, or a certain deadline for its solving shall be specified.
By the end of 2018, IDGC of the South received above 200 thous. requests from consumers, among them 76.5 thous. applications for service rendering and 33 thous. hotline calls. The operators provided 50 thous. consultations.
IDGC of the South objectives for customer management improvement for 2019:
- development and expansion of the Company’s share on the electrotechnical service market;
- improved quality and efficiency of consumer notification by telephone;
- development of interactive services on IDGC of the South website;
- upskilling of the employees interacting with the customers.
Requirements of the Unified Consumer Service Quality Standards approved by Order No.186 of the Russian Ministry of Energy, including the requirements for service offices and mandatory information disclosure on the official website, are fulfilled timely and in full.
Assessment of customer satisfaction with the service and servicing quality
Consumers’ polling is organised regularly to survey their opinion on the Company’s service quality. For that purpose, 1,424 responders were interviewed in 2018.
The statistic data obtained through polling prove that, in general, the consumers give a positive assessment of the customer service and are satisfied with the quality of services rendered in IDGC of the South’s branches.
| Branch of IDGC of the South | Method | Survey object | Execution period | Number of respondents | Survey purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astrakhanenergo | Written questionnaire | Branch consumers | 2018 | 514 | Quality assessment of the services rendered and servicing itself |
| Phone interview | Branch consumers | 2018 | 60 | ||
| Volgogradenergo | Phone interview | Branch consumers | 2018 | 443 | Assessment of customer satisfaction with the rendered services quality |
| Kalmenergo | Phone interview | Branch consumers | 2018 | 5 | Quality assessment of grid connection services |
| Rostovenergo | Phone interview | Branch consumers | 2018 | 345 | Determination of the service quality compliance with the consumer requirements and expectations; planning of activities for development and improvement of services and consumer relation system; meeting the requirements of ISO 9001 international standard |
| Phone interview | Branch consumers | 2018 | 57 |
In the reporting period, the quality and reliability indices of the services rendered were achieved in full.
Assessment of fulfilment of the approved quality indices of the services rendered for 2018
The consumers of power transmission services of IDGC of the South branches are participants of the wholesale and retail electricity markets. According to 2018 reports, in general, the Company operates under the previously signed power transmission contracts: six contracts with guaranteeing suppliers, 53 – with independent power sales companies, 65 – with territorial grid organisations, 925 – directly with consumers. Moreover, 93.73% of the total number of contracts concluded by IDGC of the South are income-producing.
Projects implemented in the reporting year
- On January 1, 2018, all Multifunctional Centres for state and municipal services in Kalmykia started to receive applications from the republican residents for connection to IDGC of the South’s power grids.
- During a seminar for the employees of the Housing, Utilities and Energy sector, IDGC of the South’s online specialists told the representatives of small and medium-sized entities of Kalmykia about interactive services and grid connection applications.
- A renovated Consumer Service Centre was opened in the Astrakhan branch of IDGC of the South. It can cover services for up to 50 customers a day.
- IDGC of the South launched an Internet forum on its official website, where the consumers can obtain the latest information from the Company’s specialists regarding electricity consumption and metering, and grid connection.
- On September 25, 2018, Light Country portal of ROSSETI started its test operation in IDGC of the South operations area (the Rostov, Astrakhan, Volgograd Regions, and the Republic of Kalmykia) at https://светлаястрана.рф/ .