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When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, it forced SESB to re-evaluate many aspects of its daily operations.

Among the many challenges, ensuring the safety of customers and employees while maintaining essential services became top priority. It was during this time of uncertainty that SESB introduced the MySESB application.

Initially, MySESB was designed to facilitate online bill payments, thereby minimizing the need for physical interactions. This crucial innovation allowed consumers and employees to adhere to social distancing guidelines and significantly reduced the risk of Covid-19 transmission. 

This was extremely important since it guaranteed that our electricity-related services remained uninterrupted throughout the pandemic and lockdown by allowing for safe and efficient online transactions.

With the introduction of MySESB, the hassle of missed payments and late fees should have become a thing of the past. This is because the application provides a seamless billing system where customers can view their bills, set up automatic payments, and receive timely reminders about due dates.

During this past 18 months, a total of RM 75.1 mil bill payments were made using mySESB, averaging RM 4.2 mil/month.

As at 18 June 2024, only 16pc of the total 700,000 consumers have registered with mySESB yielding an average RM 4.2 mil per month in revenue collection. We have been working hard to promote mySESB as an apps and will continue to do so until all 700,000 consumers have registered. 

Consumers can find the apps by simply downloading it from play or apps stores. We need the services of all Sabahan to promote it by words of mouth. So please do your part to contribute towards a stable and dependable electricity supply in Sabah. 

We are appealing to all Sabahans to be with us as we are in this effort together to resolve the challenges of electricity supply in Sabah. Figures shows that the financial challenge for SESB originates from a significant number of consumers who do not pay their electricity bills on time. 

Revenue collected is reinvested to improve the various infrastructures needed to resolve sources of outages such as the need to upgrade the cable from ASC to ABC. Our financial capacity to this for now is only 130 KM per year and yet we still have 5,000 KM of cable in need of upgrading. 

Another significant challenge SESB faced before the introduction of MySESB was the overwhelming volume of calls to the hotline at 15,454, particularly during widespread blackouts or power shedding events. Imagine the challenges being faced by the 32 staff members who are working 24 hours in shifts of 7.

The MySESB apps will do wonders to resolve this once all our consumers are registered. 

Being a consumer as well, I very much understand the frustration many of us experienced when trying to reach the hotline, only to encounter busy signals or long wait times. 

When I visited the customer service call center here in SESB’s headquarters, I came to understand that the high volume of calls often overwhelmed our system, outpacing the manpower who work diligently in shifts to manage these inquiries. 

I have seen and received numerous suggestions to increase our personnel to handle the high volume of customer inquiries, especially during power shedding events. 

While increasing staff might seem like a straightforward solution, we must realize that merely adding more personnel does not address the underlying issue. The core challenge lies in the efficient management and recording of customer reports.

Without an effective system to streamline these processes, even a larger team would struggle to keep up with the demands. It is essential to implement a solution that not only alleviates the burden on our staff but also ensures that customer issues are logged accurately and addressed promptly. 

This is where MySESB offers a transformative solution. Each complaint or report submitted through the application is automatically recorded and directed to the relevant staff in the affected areas. 

This automated system ensures that issues are logged accurately and promptly, reducing the burden on our hotline and enabling our teams to respond more efficiently. 

By streamlining the reporting process, MySESB not only alleviates pressure on our customer service representatives but also enhances the speed and effectiveness of our response to power disruptions and other issues.

The app’s feature for reporting outages or technical issues has proven to be a game-changer. Customers can now report problems directly through the app, complete with photographs and precise location data. 

This immediate communication allows our technical teams to respond more quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime and enhancing our service reliability.

Despite these considerable benefits, there remains a significant portion of our registered customers who have yet to sign up for the MySESB application. 

It is concerning to note that less than half of our consumers have migrated to using the app, despite its clear advantages over traditional methods. I understand that adapting to new technology can be daunting, but I urge all customers to embrace this change.

By continuing to rely on outdated, tedious methods, customers miss out on the convenience and efficiency that MySESB provides. The traditional approach often involves time-consuming trips to our offices, dealing with paperwork, and potentially long wait times. 

In contrast, MySESB offers a streamlined and modern solution, allowing for easy management of your electricity account anytime, anywhere.

This collaborative approach ensures that MySESB evolves to meet the changing needs of our customers, delivering even greater value and satisfaction. We believe that listening to our customers and incorporating their suggestions is key to creating a truly impactful digital experience.

Our journey with MySESB is far from over. We are continually seeking feedback from our users to refine and enhance the application’s features. As we look to the future, our focus remains on expanding and improving the MySESB application.

The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express.

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