Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued directives to service providers in India, in an effort to improve the customer services provided by them for the users in the country. According to the “Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations 2012” issued by TRAI, every telecom operator to establish Complaint Centers for customers within next 45 days for redressal of complaints and for addressing service requests of consumers. This new directive is applicable to basic telephone services, cellular mobile telephone service and Internet service providers.
This complaint center will have toll free customer care numbers which can will be accessible to the consumers between 0800 hrs and 2400 hrs on all days of the week. Also they have to ensure that the Complaint Center is also accessible through the network of other service providers by earmarking a specific number. TRAI has also issued certain guidelines for Interactive Voice Response System or IVRS, installed on the “Consumer Care Number. In addition to to this, telecom operators have to regulations, establish a ‘Web Based Complaint Monitoring System’ to enable the consumers to monitor the status of their complaints.
TRAI has also directed within forty-five days from the date of commencement of these regulations, telecom operators need to publicize the “Consumer Care Number” and the “General Information Number”, through, newspapers, websites, SMS, updation of SIMs of consumers by pre-configuration or over the air transfer, display in all Complaint Centres and sales outlets and the telephone bills issued by the service provider.
Earlier customers need to pay to call customer care for registering complaint’s and getting information about a specific service, but by this immediate TRAI directive within 45days telecom operators will have to provide toll free customer care numbers and also web based complaint monitoring system. This makes it clear that TRAI want calls to customer care units of any telecom service provider will be free. From now on when customer registers a complaint by calling the service providers Complaint Center, its allots a unique number called the docket number. This number will be send through SMS, with details like date and time of registration of the complaint and the time within which the complaint is likely to be resolved. Once the complaint get resolved the customer will be notified about it through SMS and told about the action taken to resolve it. Every service provider shall retain in the system, the details of complaints against each docket number for a minimum period of three months.
This guidelines from TRAI seems to be more welcomed from the general public, as they now get better customer support from the service provider and they can always keep track of it. Overall it will allow customers to call there customer care for free, as most of the operators where charging for it.
What do you think about this new guidelines from TRAI, Do comment?