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The inhabitants of the Coast hope that with the departure of Electricaribe and the arrival of the companies Afinia and Aires, as new energy operators in the region, complaints and poor service will remain in the past.
In the case of Bolívar, Sucre, Córdoba, Cesar and 11 municipalities of Magdalena, the challenge corresponds to Afinia, a subsidiary of Grupo EPM that, as of today, October 1, began to operate energy. (It may interest you: “Today the change in the energy of the Coast begins”: Duque)
In an interview with The universal, Blanca Liliana Ruiz Arroyave, manager of Afinia, told what the Antioquia company brings to the region and what are the plans to achieve a quality energy service.
The directive indicated that although they found a very degraded, vulnerable system with a very large investment lag, Afinia wants to change history and break this vicious cycle of no investment, poor quality and no payment. For this they have very clear strategies and plans, some of them below.
Attention and trust to the user
Blanca Ruiz Arroyave said that the first step to improve the service is to offer good care and trust to the public.
He specified that this includes judiciously going to read the meters and that the user has the peace of mind that they read him correctly and that what was billed is what he consumed; that the user receives the invoice on time; that there are sufficient payment points; and improve service channels, good offices, a call center and virtual channels.
“What we want is that the user can access. Raise your hand, if you have any questions, complaints or requests, find someone who will respond in a friendly way and who will satisfy your concerns, “he said.
The manager of the EPM subsidiary added that in order to provide that confidence to the user, the actions, plans and projects that have an impact on the community and may generate rejection will be discussed and presented with the leaders of the different neighborhoods and the community.
Ruiz pointed out that they will work to achieve joint responsibility of the users. “We put the first grain of sand with investment and good service, but we seek that clients value us, commit themselves, pay for their services, consume efficiently and do not commit fraud”. (You may be interested: What will happen to the debts of the users to Electricaribe?)
Human resource, essential
Ruiz Arroyave said that human resources play a fundamental role in the process to improve the energy service in the region, therefore they will be cared for and provided with the best conditions.
“Without people we cannot work, EPM greatly considers its human resource, values it because it understands that if that human being is not well and is not in good condition, it will not do its job well, it will not be able to serve its users with a good disposition It is not going to correct the damage, to throw the net in a good or timely manner ”, he said.
He added: “We are interested in people being happy and committed, that they love the company, that Afinia, which is the brand, has it tattooed on their soul and blood.”
The manager explained that Afinia will receive 1,084 Electricaribe employees in all areas: 684 linked who pass with full employer replacement and 400 outsourced with whom they are already in the process of linking.
Investments
In addition to the two strategies outlined above, the Afinia board of directors stated that the investments will be essential to overcome the degraded system they received, therefore they contemplate investing around 10 times what has historically been done.
It will be $ 4 trillion the first five years and more or less the same in the next five. Of the initial resources, $ 3.7 trillion will be used in electrical infrastructure, while the rest in information technologies and operation technologies.
Blanca Ruiz specified that this electrical infrastructure includes investments in substations, high voltage lines, distribution networks, replacements, replacement of the current structure and expansion. There will be meter changes.
“It is a comprehensive investment plan to make the network less vulnerable and for people to connect properly,” he said.
When asked if these high investments would affect the rate, the manager of Afinia clarified that “fulfilling the promise of value that is to improve the provision of the service is not free. Now, it does not mean that users will suffer abrupt rate increases, there is a commitment and a condition of the Government, that rates were not going to be exploded when the new operators arrive. We will try to manage it in the most prudent way possible, differing, that they are gradual, in such a way that there is no shock in prices “
However, he noted that there are many facts in favor, situations that will later loosen the rate, such as the increase in collections and the entry of the Ituango hydroelectric plant, with which a decrease in the price of energy is expected. as of 2022.
Improve collection
Among the plans to improve collection, the manager of Afinia said that the payment points will be increased, so that no one has as an excuse that they cannot find where to cancel or the place is far away.
Different commercial strategies will also be implemented, one of them is the prepaid service, first you pay and then you consume. “It is an absolutely winning scheme and it has enormous benefits. You go and buy a pin and the user types it into the meter and consumption begins. What are the advantages? First, the system adjusts to the income profile of users, especially those from the lower strata, if you have 10,000, 15,000 pesos, you go and buy and that is enough to buy a certain kilowatt-hour. Second, when they enter that dynamic, they self-regulate in a wonderful way, because they become aware of how they consume, ”Ruiz explained. (You may be interested: “With Afinia people can buy energy prepaid”)
In addition, the postpaid plan that Electricaribe had been using, “Pay your measure”, will be strengthened.
The entry into operation of Afinia does not mean that the service will change immediately or that the power will no longer go out, Blanca Liliana Ruiz Arroyave, manager of Afinia, assured that it is a utopia to think that this happens.
“We can make the service improve, but not overnight, just because of the investment plan, it is absolutely impossible to advance it that quickly, also because to make certain interventions and arrangements, the service must be suspended for reasons of security, then it can backfire in some moments of time. We hope that it will be countered with the improvements that we are going to make so that it is not very traumatic, ”he agreed. (Read here: Power outages will continue as Afinia improves what Electricaribe left behind)
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