Power problems? SMS to 53030 from June 1

BANGALORE: BESCOM customers will have a new facility to register complaints from June 1. They will be able to send SMS to 53030 mentioning BESCOM in the message to register their complaints. This comes in addition to a recently launched 25 line helpline in order to address the complaints and will have the capacity to process over 1 lakh complaints. “The five digit number will be easier to remember and it is convenient to SMS their complaints instead of spending time on call,” said a senior official of BESCOM. According to the official, this will help the company cut down on reaction time to complaints as well. “Sometimes when customers call, they give a lot of unnecessary information. This increases the time that the operator takes to respond to the problem. With the SMS facility, we will be able to act on the problems quickly,” the official said.  The software that BESCOM uses for handling SMS complaints replies to the customer immediately with a reference number and also displays the complaint on BESCOM’s systems within 30 Seconds. In addition, the BESCOM will also be setting up seven control rooms which will be manned round-the-clock 21 persons in order to monitor complaints coming in by SMS. “The control rooms will be have cameras which will broadcast live in order to assure the public that their problems are being worked on,” the official said. What does a customer have to include in the message? “Customers have to type BESCOM in the message so that the SMS reaches us. Also we will recommend including the RR number of the customer so that we can pull out their details easily,” added a BESCOM official dealing with the project.Meanwhile, a facility to push complaints directly to the area engineer concerned who will receive them on his/her cellphone based on the identification of area through RR number is being planned, the official further gave details.