By AURANGZEB SOHARWARDI
IN today’s modern and fast paced corporate environment, terminologies like privatisation, corporatisation and globalisation are frequently being used in companies’ evolving and growing. One such company is Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) – a power distribution company covering five (5) districts of Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura and Nankana. All these regions get electric supply through a transmission network of 132 Kv from National Transmission and Dispatch Company. For effective management and better services, LESCO has subdivided its operations into ten circles, which are further subdivided into 33 divisions. LESCO has gigantic infrastructure consisting of about 20,334 employees, 26,176 Km HT Lines, 14586 Km LT lines, and 1258 11 Kv feeders. Total of 91,728 transformers has been installed in this infrastructure. LESCO is maintaining 80 grid stations for electricity distribution.To sustain huge paraphernalia, with such intricate and sensitive networks, is a hectic task.The LESCO has accepted this challenge and is making endeavours to meet all the requirements in modern hi-tech environment. Through the corporatisation, LESCO has learnt to function as a consumer-friendly professional organisation with towering and challenging objectives. There is a total paradigm shift towards employee efficiency and customer’s relationship management because as a service organisation it has to create physical evidence for its image building through customer facilitation programmes.
LESCO is thriving to ensure undisrupted power supply to its consumers. In the recent past, it has taken many steps to improve its infrastructure and also has initiated many projects to facilitate consumers. It has embarked upon a systematic programme in which total of 55,539 tubes-well connections have also been provided for the agriculture growth by the end of the current year, which has facilitate farmers.It has intensified its village electrification programme and huge number of villages have been earmarked for this project, costing Rs 200.30 million up till now 5181 villages have been electrified costing Rs.150 million.LESCO has also initiated its infrastructure development plan in which latest equipment will be installed and the existing one will be upgraded. Under this project, 2,619 new transformers, 0.3 million single phase meters, 70,000 three phase meters, 26,000 electric poles, 2000 km 11 Kv cable and 200 transformers trolleys will be used.Rupees 252 million have been allocated for this gigantic project, which will not only reduce the low voltage problem but also, ensure electrification of various un-electrified areas.LESCO has extended a mobile customer services facility for all areas of district Lahore, Kasur, Okara and Sheikhupura for correction of electricity bills, installments and extension of due date at the door steps.In order to save the value-able consumer’s from laborious task of depositing bills through long queues, LESCO has initiated a project of online payments and payment through credit cards.LESCO has geared up provision of new electricity connections. During the last fiscal year, total of 90,083 new connections have been provided out of which 80,537 were domestic, 6,763 commercial, 1,173 industrial, added 1,605 tubes-well connections.
LESCO has also installed 2,619 new transformers for up gradation of electricity system. The first phase of comprehensive system augmentation program is underway costing Rs.1,140 million on one hand, recovery process is also thriving successfully and the revenue collection of LESCO form July 2012 to Jan 2013 is over 99 percent.Along with all these technical advancements, developmental projects and infrastructure expansions, there is a dire need of creating a corporate culture to groom and train the employees for sustaining professional business environment.It is of utmost importance that an organization focuses on quality of service, customer relationship management and image building strategies through effective media management. LESCO Human Resource Department is organizing high standards trainings for its officials, in the country and abroad.LESCO has formulated policies for customer satisfaction through consumer friendly and professional culture in which all employees have been trained to work efficiently for attaining organizational objectives through better services.LESCO management has taken many steps like: All the process of new connections, billing disputes and fault eradication have been simplified and the staff has been instructed to reduce time taken to address these issues.The latest equipment for maintenance and fault eradication is being inducted.A special monitoring cell has been established in LESCO/HQ to ensure a systematic complaint management process.Management project are being planned and executed to facilitate consumers through infrastructure development before summer season. Planned shutdowns are properly communicated to the general public.“An effectual PR and media management policy for image building is being implemented, which is based on better services, Employee’s role as PR tool and intense communication with the consumers.
LESCO is utilizing all personal; and non personal channels to publicize its efforts and to build its consumer friendly image. It has also adopted a logo of “Consumers First” for the reflection of its professional culture and facilitating policies.“All the Assistant Managers and the Deputy Managers in operations have been instructed to address the problems of consumers in their respective areas and to Endeavor to establish goodwill among the consumers. A strong organizational culture is being evolved, which revolves around courtesy and professionalism and better these strategic fundamentals, LESCO has a vision to contribute in the collective development and prosperity of the country along with individual alacrity. LESCO has a vision based improvement plan and to undertake this whole process pragmatically, LESCO solicit the utmost co-operation of its consumers with appreciation, which acts as a catalyst in furnishing a professional outlook of this organisation.“The consumers are required to respond positively to contribute in this corporatisation process. They should play an active role against electricity theft which is a great national loss. LESCO campaign against electricity theft has brought astounding dividends. In just over two months about five thousand electricity thieves have been apprehended and about Rs80.5 million recovered from them.While applying for new connections, they must declare actual load factually to avoid the overloading and low voltage problems.No matter tempering or any illegal act should be encouraged being a punishable offense.“Without changing basic attitudes and daunting cultural norms of the organisation, this goal cannot be achieved. For meeting the challenges of forthcoming scenario of corporatisation, it is the need of the hour to corporatise the minds of ‘staff’ too.
Courtesy: https://nation.com.pk/18-Feb-2013/lesco-corporatisation-a-paradigm-shift
