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Business Reporter
DIVERSIFIED telecommunications firm, TelOne, has launched a client experience improvement campaign through which it is rallying staff members to deliver top drawer services to clients.

The move is aimed at complementing the new network capabilities that have come about as a result of the network modernisation project.

TelOne communications and client experience head Mrs Melody Harry said through the experience improvement campaign, the parastatal has defined specific parameters which have been made cardinal rules in the service and fault management cycle by the company.

“Key focus areas include working with stakeholders to tackle the scourge of network theft and vandalism which has this year alone seen 39 arrests being made since January with 16 convictions. The convictions have attracted a collective sentencing of 160 years.

“Another area is fault management and turnaround times which have been delayed in the past for a range of reasons.

“Through the campaign, the business is also empowering frontline staff to conclusively resolve customer issues and they will be equipped with latitude to take the necessary action to provide exceptional service and resolve any issues should a customer become disgruntled.

“Key to offering efficient client experience and developing relevant products is the availability of up to date client data,” said Mrs Harry.

TelOne believes adopting the “know your client” drive through which clients are being called upon to update their details, is central to the success of the client experience improvement campaign.

Government has identified client service delivery as a key priority area if the economy is to turnaround Mrs Harry say TelOne has embraced the drive by activating an updated ‘client service charter’, which outlines the key parameters that ensure clients get the best value for money.

As efforts to transform service gather pace, TelOne has increased distribution and online outlets to 23 from 10 as at December last year while client service centres have also been increased to 39 across the country.

The parastatal has also set up a 24 hour multi-lingual contact centre, live chat and social media platforms to interact with clients while staff training on client experience management has been increased.

TelOne has also introduced a “back to the floor” concept where senior management visit shops to serve clients and also going out with the technical team in the field.

Meanwhile, in tandem with network modernisation, TelOne has introduced new area codes and telephone numbers.

While the numbers will mostly run concurrently with the old numbers for the convenience of clients, at least five areas are already running fully under the new area codes and numbers.

TelOne says the development comes with many capabilities that include pre-paid voice, toll free service and faster internet speeds, among others, for the improvement of clients’ experience.

The Banket new area code is 067 while the prefix is 214; Beatrice’s code is 024 and the prefix is 2127; the Harare CBD, Kuwadzana and Dzivarasekwa code is now 024 and the prefix is 2; Chimanimani’s code is 027 while the prefix is 205, and for Bulawayo suburbs and Hillside, the code is 029 with the new prefix being 2.