Tata Power-DDL enhances its customer service delivery processes after best practice sessions with Tata Unistore, Tata AIA, IHCL and Tata Play

Published on November 22, 2023

As part of its ‘Customer First’ initiative, Tata Power Delhi Distribution (Tata Power-DDL) aimed to re-evaluate its entire concept of customer service delivery. To achieve this, the company wanted to learn from the best practices of other group companies with the goal of redesigning and improving its existing processes. To support Tata Power-DDL in its endeavours, TBExG facilitated best practice sessions with the company’s customer experience team and Tata Unistore, Tata AIA, Tata Play and IHCL. The sessions involved benchmarking critical customer processes.

Tata Unistore

Ashish Himthani - Head, Customer Experience & Quality, Tata Unistore, conducted a session on March 29, 2023. Post this session, Tata Power-DDL could carry out a comprehensive comparative analysis of its call centre performance parameters such as call answer, service level, quality score, CSAT/net promoter score (NPS) and first-time resolution (FTR). Following this session, Tata Power-DDL could explore and implement the following learnings:

• Voice and accent certification for its call centre agents: Trainings organised on voice modulations and interviews before hiring, to gauge communication skills has helped the company in assessing and validating the speaking proficiency, pronunciation, voice modulation, intonation, and overall language skills of its call centre agents. Further, revision in vendor contracts is underway (mandatory requirement of aptitude test).
• Benchmark box: Single repository of best practices captured through various organisations during benchmarking visits. The benchmarking tab has gone live on November 2, 2023, on the Anubhav portal (central platform to capture and track customer voices).
• Mapping requests in the system directly as FTR and non FTR for enhanced monitoring and control: in process

Indian Hotels

Sireesha Chandana, VP, Learning and Development & Sustainability, The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) on December 29, 2022, shared the following insights:

• Appealing ambience to create positive vibes for customers
• Back-end teams to join front-end executives to partner in experience (strengthening integrated and appreciative approach)
• Quarterly customer first magazine
• Mandatory KRA on customer centricity

Based on these learnings, Tata Power-DDL revamped all of its 13 customer care centres and key customer lounges with themes around the Tata heritage wall, best out of waste, and digital branding. Cross-functional learning (interchanging of front-end and back-office staff members for half day) and integrated resolution platform (IRP), a ticket based in-built escalation mechanism for reduction in customer response time have been introduced.

Tata AIA

The session was held by Gayatri Nathan, SVP & Head, Customer Operations, on September 5, 2021.
From Tata AIA, the company could pick up learnings on Customer First concepts (top management driven customer culture, key customer metrics being measured). Post this, Tata Power-DDL could introduce the Customer First Framework - TIPPS (technology, infrastructure, people, process leading to satisfaction), formed Apex Customer Experience Council. Automated CX feedback mechanism is being launched in the first week of November.

Tata Play

Nipun Sharma, SVP & Head - Customer Operations, organised a session on October 4, 2023.

From Tata Play the key learnings comprised:

• Decision tree is a structured set of instructions in sequential flow to support front teams in responding to customers’ concerns. These flow charts or all key issues shall be available in the system with front teams (call centre and customer care centres). Tata Power-DDL is in the process of implementing the same in support with their internal IT team (as of November 2023).
• Customer discovery programme is where senior people meet customers on site. This learning is being implemented at Tata Power-DDL from the second week of November 2023. The company’s senior management will be joining customer care centres to capture direct feedback and sentiments.

Implementation of the above learnings has yielded the following benefits for Tata Power-DDL:

• First-time resolution (FTR) rate has improved from 69% in FY23 to a range of 70% to 72% between April and September 2023. For FY24, Tata Power-DDL is aiming for a score in the range of 80% to 85%.
• Month-on-month improvement in call quality observed in FY24 as follows: June 90.07%, July 90.12%, August 90.34% and September 90.52%.
• The customer satisfaction index (CSI) has increased from 81 in FY22 to 87 in FY23. Furthermore, the company is targeting a score of 91 (top box) for FY24.
• Average resolution time has decreased from 5 days in FY23 to 2.5 days in year-to-date FY24.
• Introduction of NPS with target band of 70% to 74% (for FY24).
   

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