Sarawak Energy’s operation and retail arm Syarikat Sesco Bhd (Sesco) introduced payment kiosks to members of public on Wednesday.
According to a press release, the latest initiative from the state utility company is part of its continuous innovation and to further enhance customer services for the better.
The introduction of payment kiosk machines will be an additional payment channel, allowing for real-time payment updates and it will be available at Sesco counters for added customer convenience.
Through the kiosks, customers can make single or multiple payments (up to five bills) per transaction and also pay for collateral deposits. Payments can be made either by cash, cheque or any credit card issued by banks in Malaysia. Customers can also perform bill enquiries and print e-bills.
This will provide an additional option for customers who can also choose from channels such as the “SEBCares” mobile app where customers can view and pay their electricity bills via online banking, credit or debit card or auto pay.
Sarawak Energy Group chief executive officer (CEO) Sharbini Suhaili who officiated at theevent at Wisma Sesco here on Wednesday congratulated the Retail team for applying technological advancement and innovation to enhance customer experience.
“Please continue to innovate to improve on customers’ touch points especially through new technology,” he said.
“This is an example of how we can simplify processes to deliver with speed and precision. Sometimes the simplest idea can bring meaningful change. Let us walk the extra mile to delight the customers and surpass expectations.”
Adding on, Sesco chief executive officer Lau Kim Swee explained that the kiosk was part of the Retail team’s long-term vision for counter-less transactions.
“Our customer service principle has evolved from merely providing services to delivering a truly outstanding customer experience. In doing so, we are always finding ways to implement initiatives that make it easier for our customer to do business with us. We constantly seek customers’ feedback and this payment kiosk is one of the requests made by our customers,” he said.
In a briefing before the launch, vice-president for retail Yusri Safri gave an update on the company’s various customer service initiatives.
“By introducing the kiosk, we will be able to reduce customers’ queuing time at the counters and enable the front-liners to focus more on handling other complex transactions and enquiries. We hope to extend this facility to the smaller counters in rural areas so customers can enjoy similar convenience as experienced in urban areas.
“We are also looking into the idea of having the kiosks placed at strategic locations such as shopping malls for better customer convenience,” Yusri said, adding that this would extend the time customers could use the kiosks past traditional office hours.
Also in attendance were Sarawak Energy Group chief operating officer Lu Yew Hung, executive vice-president for corporate services Aisah Eden and other members of the executive committee, senior management and staff.
So far, four kiosks have been installed at Wisma Sesco and Pending in Kuching and another two at the Sibu office. Ten more kiosks will be installed in stages at Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu Civic Centre, Bintulu, and Miri counters as well as at UTC Kuching, UTC Sibu and UTC Miri.
Apart from the services mentioned, the company is also looking at accepting payment through the kiosk for non-energy bills, electricity bill instalments, arrears bills and arrears instalments as well as payments for third-party bills in the next phase.
