BMTC revamps helpline to let commuters report their grievances

The helpline—18004251663—now works 24X7 and incorporates a host of new features. Speaking with dna, BMTC's director (information technology), Kumar Pushkar, conceded that the helpline's previous format was found wanting on multiple fronts. He made no bones that the lack of follow-up was a major turn-off. He said the shortcomings they had identified have been set right. He said the task of maintaining the helpline has been outsourced and that the revamp would cost the BMTC an extra Rs5 lakh per month.

The supervisor of the call centre, Vivek CA, said they are receiving 200 calls on an average every day. He said the average number of calls on holidays stands at 100. He pointed out that the number of male complainants is more than that of women.

New features:

Emergency: In case of an emergency, callers can indicate this at the automated menu of the call centre. By choosing this option, they can skip the waiting time and get connected to a customer care executive instantly.

Call-back: If a call to the helpline goes unanswered, the caller's number gets saved in the system and he/she gets a call from the helpline.

Follow-up: The complaints are sent to the respective depot manager to take action. The complainant will get feedback about the status of the grievance-redressal.

Disabled-friendly: Even the differently abled can make use of the helpline as it has been designed keeping their requirements in mind.

24X7: The helpline will work throughout the day and have three shifts. Each shift will have 10 customer care executives on duty.