DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ENHANCES CUSTOMER SERVICE 

During the pandemic, the digital revolution quickened and Manila Electric Company was at the forefront of using technology shift to improve its services. Meralco is among the business giants which took extra efforts to increase their online presence, moving to mobile and digitizing faster with an eye to better-serving electricity users. Recognizing this trend, Meralco embarked on a Customer-centric and Digital Transformation journey in 2020 with a solid data-driven strategy to govern, capture, understand, and leverage data to further level up operations and customer experience.

Meralco’s president and CEO Ray Espinosa had spelled out the strategic direction of the company to elevate the use of data and technology to advance its goals of delivering value to the business and providing excellent customer service.

Meralco said its data-driven strategy was designed to integrate governance, processes, and technology into an informative network across the organization.

In 2020, the governance structure was formally established which included a Data Governance Council, Data Management Working Group, and the Data Community representing different business domains across Meralco such as customer, network, and shared services.

The company allowed operating models and sustained enablement of data stewards and analysts.

Training and mentoring were key drivers in promoting awareness and how best to harness data assets.

In 2021, the company launched the Meralco Data Platform which improved customer experience, service delivery, and operational efficiency.

MDP, which is the technology enabler of the utility firm and the catalyst to its digital shift, serves as the unified business intelligence and analytics platform that leverages Meralco data to extract information and insights.

The platform addresses Meralco’s growing data requirements and provides the capability to manage data more efficiently by automating data processing activities that involve massive volumes of information from billing and payment platforms, Meralco online channels, electric distribution, and supply chain management systems, among others.

It also enables the creation of management and operational dashboards and insights crucial for a business decision that speeds up and enhances customer services.

The availability of in-depth analysis of customer inquiries and complaints also enables Meralco to continuously improve customer services.

Recently, Meralco launched a management dashboard called M-wing, which is a single-source, online, and interactive reporting of key performance indicators accessible via mobile anytime, anywhere, and on any device.