ESCOM unveils digital mobile App, USSD, chatbot and a redesigned website for seamless submitting of power faults

* The digital mobile App can be accessed through Google PlayStore and search for ESCOM

* For those who are tight on phone storage, the WhatsApp chatbot can assist

* Those with limited data or smartphone access, the USSD channel — accessible on any basic phone — is the answer

* The redesigned website; www.escom.mw is for accessing information pertaining to ESCOM services

By Duncan Mlanjira

Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited has unveiled a digital mobile App, named 360 degrees Digital Experience; an USSD service; a chatbot and a redesigned website for seamless submitting of power faults.

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At the launch on Friday, ESCOM Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Kamkwamba Kumwenda said the digital mobile App can be accessed through Google PlayStore and search for ESCOM and for those who are tight on phone storage, the WhatsApp chatbot can assist.

Those with limited data or smartphone access, the USSD channel — accessible on any basic phone — is the answer while the redesigned website; www.escom.mw is for accessing information pertaining to ESCOM services.

“This is a comprehensive fault and outage management ecosystem,” said the CEO. “The world has gone digital and we feel that at ESCOM, we simply have to adapt, move with speed and keep pace with the latest technological developments for us to remain relevant — time for business as usual is long gone.

ESCOM CEO Kamkwamba Kumwenda

“In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, customer expectations are evolving rapidly, and we understand the importance of staying ahead of the curve — that’s why we’re excited to announce the series of groundbreaking technologies that will not only meet but exceed the expectations of our valued customers.”

He added that this is in line with the Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) 2023-27 which ESCOM launched in Lilongwe on October 27, 2023 that puts the customer at the core of the parastatal’s service delivery using, themed as ‘A New Customer Experience’.

“This new platform enables unprecedented flexibility and convenience in electricity fault reporting. Customers now have the power to notify ESCOM of issues with just a click across integrated channels — mobile app, USSD, chatbot and our website www.escom.mw which we have redesigned by enhancing its features to ensure convenience for navigation and making it user-friendly.

“These diverse access points cater for all customer needs. Our journey begins with a commitment to seamless connectivity and accessibility and with the introduction of our ESCOM Mobile App, we’ve empowered our customers to access our services anytime, anywhere.

“From reporting faults to tracking emergencies, the mobile App provides unparalleled convenience and efficiency, ensuring that help is always just a tap away.”

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Recognizing the diverse needs of ESCOM’s customer base, the company has expanded its digital offerings to include the WhatsApp Chatbot — “an intelligent assistant designed to streamline communication and provide instant support”.

“Whether you’re seeking information or reporting an issue, the Chatbot delivers assistance with ease, enhancing the overall customer experience.

At its core, this initiative transforms fault management through technology upgrades at both the customer experience and operational efficiency levels and we firmly believe reliable, sustainable electricity access starts with customer-centricity — meeting ratepayers on their channel of choice with flexibility.”

He added that this is only Phase 1 of a broader digital roadmap that’s coming over the next year, which is set to enrich functionality across all platforms — whose next phase of the digital evolution will be online applications for new connections, token purchases, intelligent alerts, and enhanced field team tracking will all integrate seamlessly into the digital ecosystem, setting new standards for customer service excellence.

“With these cutting-edge technologies at our disposal, we’re poised to improve the way we engage with our customers, delivering proactive solutions and personalized support like never before.

“I am thrilled to officially enable unparalleled freedom in fault reporting while kicking off the ESCOM 360 Digital Experience — and this is what we call a New Customer Experience.”

John Gift Mwakhwawa

Director John Gift Mwakhwawa, representing Secretary of Energy, Alfonso Chikuni, applauded ESCOM Limited for the innovation, which has been built internally, saying “it is the wish and aspiration of the Ministry of Energy to ensure that all government departments and agencies are operating effectively and efficiently”.

“The energy sector has the potential to contribute to the economic transformation of this country,” he said. “But for this to happen, there is a need for harnessing that potential and exploit it in an efficient manner.

“And in this day and age, it is impossible talking about efficiency without mentioning innovation and technology in the same breath because the world has gone digital. Every business transaction and literally everything is converging on the digital and online platform.

“It is, therefore, important that parastatals such as ESCOM adapt to the winds of change by embracing modern technologies that enhances service delivery.

“It is a fact that the commodity that ESCOM offers is very crucial to the livelihood of the people of Malawi — hence the concerns which arise when service delivery is not up to scratch.

He took cognizance that most times, “people wait for months and years on end to get a service such as new connections and faults clearing. Every single day we come across stories of people who are very frustrated with ESCOM due to its failure to attend to a fault — let alone being able to detect it in a timely manner.

“ESCOM Limited should not be waiting for outsiders to inform it that there is a fault on its system but rather there should be a technology of detecting such faults before a customer does and resolve them timely.

“One of the reasons for such delays could be that we are stuck in the old ways of doing things manually when the rest of the business world is now serving customers at the click of the button.”

He thus congratulated ESCOM for the timely development in rolling out the digital innovation “to aid its fault and outage management ecosystem: This should be the only way to go.”

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