One of the strategic directions of activities of JSC IDGC of the North-West is the improvement of quality of services provided. Focusing on customer support is nowadays a key feature of a company's effective management system.

The issue of integrated provision of services to the Company's consumers and maintenance of uniform standards of service and interaction is resolved by customer service centers (CSC) of JSC IDGC of the North-West. Today 24 customer service centers, employing 59 people, successfully operate in all seven branches of the Company. In addition, 229 professionals perform functions of a customer service center in production departments.

The main functions performed by these structural subdivisions are the following:

• organization of registration, processing and tracking of consumers' applications for conclusion of technological connection agreements and provision of additional paid services;
• organization of work to create the most comfortable conditions for consumers, implementation of a system for continuous interaction with customers to improve the quality of service provision;
• organization of receipt, recording, analysis of complaints and customer requests, settlement of disputes.

Due to the peculiarity of the territory serviced by the JSC IDGC of the North-West (the major part is characterized by considerable length and low density of population, making it very difficult to effectively resolve issues in the form of on-site customer service) the development of remote channels of communication with clients allows to resolve any issues related to the Company within the periods specified in regulations.

In order to improve the quality of customer service and analyze customers' opinions on the services provided by Customer Service Centers, production departments and REG of the Company's branches constantly conduct consumers' on-site survey.

Visitors who use any of the CSCs or address to an employee of a production branch (REG), functioning as a CSC, are proposed to fill out a questionnaire allowing to assess the speed and quality of service, friendliness and professionalism of the company's staff, completeness and availability of information provided on its website and in CSCs, convenience of the location and operating hours of the CSC. Moreover, visitors are provided with the opportunity to express their wishes and claims and specify the most convenient channel of communication with the company. Customers may give a filled questionnaire to an employee of the CSC, put it in the client's box or send via email.

Information obtained from questionnaires is consolidated on a quarterly basis in order to analyze and make proposals aimed at further improvement of the quality of customer service and elimination of identified concerns.

In 2012, 1,846 customers completed questionnaires, of which 70% were natural persons. The most "active respondents" reside in the territory of the Pskov Region (they filled out 36% of the total number of questionnaires) and of the Republic of Komi (they filled out 29% of the questionnaires). 76% of the respondents applied for technological connection, 18% — for additional paid services, 5% and 1%, respectively, were interested in commercial metering and energy saving. There has been an increase in the number of customers whose requests were related to commercial metering.

Most of the company's customers highly appreciated the professionalism and friendliness of the staff, overall estimates of the company were 4.71 and 4.57 points (on a five-point scale), respectively. The largest number of acknowledgements and wishes to the Company's employees was received in Komienergo and Pskovenergo branches. "Thanks for an excellent consultation!", "Satisfied with everything, continue working like that!" — such wishes stimulate more efficient work.

The main concerns of consumers are associated with the duration of the procedure for execution of documents and its difficulty for non-professionals. Customers' wishes were as follows: to place the CSCs in less remote areas, set up direction signs, establish a schedule which would be more convenient for most customers, install air conditioning, increase the number of parking spaces, etc.

Wishes expressed by consumers (financial, technical, etc.) are, where possible, taken into account by the branches in their further work with clients. For example, in 2012, at request of customers who indicated in their questionnaires cramped conditions when visiting the customer service center opened on the basis of production department "Southern Electric Networks" of Komienergo branch, the customer service area of this CSC was increased in order to create comfortable environment. In the production department "Central Electric Networks" of Komienergo branch customers from Troitsko-Pechorsk town-type village had been received on the basis of the Troitsko-Pechorsk Region of electric grids, located at a considerable distance from the village, so, at request of customers, who indicated the inconvenient location in their questionnaires, in November 2012 a customer receiving center was opened in Troitsko-Pechorsk which met the requirements of SFAS 01.B1.03-2011.

Pursuant to Order of JSC IDGC of the North-West No. 52 of February 7, 2011 the Company has established a hotline for consumers "Turn the light on" since 2011. Hotline telephone number 8-800-333-02-52 is available 24 hours a day. All branches established additional phone hotlines for consumers.

Hot line telephones are included in all regional reference books, as well as a book of contact information on the "hot lines" and duty services in the regions of the Russian Federation. There is a bright banner "Turn the light on" on the main page of the JSC IDGC of the North-West corporate website.

Order No. 435 of August 22, 2012 "On Increasing the Level of Transparency and Efficiency of Interaction with Customers" defines requirements for hot lines. The main requirement is "to eliminate interaction between operative control personnel and consumers". Hotline operators are employees of customer service centers (CSC).

The operators have been trained and the regulations on interaction between "hot lines" operators and operative control personnel were developed.

Via the "help line" we receive messages with information on damages to electric grid facilities, theft of electrical equipment, facts of illegal power consumption or power consumption in violation of the established procedures. Such messages are immediately forwarded to the security department of the branch by a specialist who received them.

The Board of Directors of JSC IDGC of the North-West approved on December 28, 2011 Standard "System of Centralized Customer Service" STO 01.B1.03-2011 (hereinafter the "Standard"). The Standard specifies key requirements to in-presence (CSC), remote (сall-center) and interactive servicing (website, Internet reception, client's personal account).

The Board of Directors of JSC IDGC of the North-West (Minutes No. 94/15) approved on March 7, 2012 the Plan of Action for Bringing the Customer Service System of JSC IDGC of the North-West into Compliance with the Requirements of the Standard, in accordance with which the Company shall establish a unified corporate call-center in 2013-2014.

In addition to telephone lines, a remote customer service is realized through the Company's website. The Company's Internet websites are among the most important channels of informing consumers on the Company's activities, rules and procedures for provision of services and providing feedback with customers.

Sections "For customers" on the official websites of the executive office (http://www.mrsksevzap.ru) and branches of the Company (http://www.arhen.ru, http://www.vologdaenergo.ru, http://www.karelenergo.ru, http://www.kolenergo.ru, http://www.komienergo.ru, http://www.novgorodenergo.ru, http://www.pskovenergo.ru) contain information on:

• service area,
• network and tariffs services,
• power transmission (regulatory base, standard document forms, information to be disclosed),
• technological connection (regulatory base, standard document forms, information to be disclosed),
• commercial metering (regulations, requirements for metering devices),
• additional paid services and pricing for services rendered,
• energy saving: advice on energy-saving is presented in an amusing interactive manner,
• customer service centers, including contact information for consumers, in particular, "hot line" telephone numbers,
• information for energy consumers on how to act in case of emergency shutdowns in the form of a "Checklist for consumers".

In accordance with the Plan of Action for Bringing the Customer Service System of JSC IDGC of the North-West into Compliance with the Requirements of Standard "System of Centralized Customer Service" SRT 01.B1.03-2011 the following measures were implemented in 2012 with regard to filling section "For clients":

• information which is in the public domain in the subsection "Regulatory Documents" has been systematized, processed, prepared and/or edited;
• Standard "System of Centralized Customer Service" SRT 01.B1.03-2011was published;
• contact information of the Customer Service Centers (CSC) was supplemented with an interactive map of CSCs of JSC IDGC of the North-West;
• information on the additional form of remote customer feedback service, hot-line "Turn the light on", was placed;
• a service for placing applications of intent was introduced in a feedback mode:
  • application of intent for technological connection of power receiving devices (5 types of applications);
  • application of intent for temporary (not more than 6 months) technological connection of power receiving advices for mobile facilities with a maximum capacity of up to 100 kW inclusive (including previously authorized capacity);
  • application of intent for technological connection of power generating facilities;
  • application of intent for restoration of previously issued or new technical conditions;
  • application of intent for renewal of capacity;
  • application of intent for provision of services to install, replace, and/or operate electric power metering devices.

An application of intent is not legally binding. An application of intent is reviewed by experts of JSC IDGC of the North-West to verify that it has been correctly and completely filled in. Upon review the applicant is provided with response in accordance with the method identified by him/her. Upon receipt of a confirmation from a specialist of JSC IDGC of the North-West the applicant may contact the CSC, where he/she will conclude an agreement for provision of services based on the confirmed request.

All application forms are available on the page: http://clients.mrsksevzap.ru/zayavka_namerenie.

On the corporate website and websites of the branches there is a link to ASPP (Automated Customer Counting System) "Display of Power Facilities in the GOOGLE system": http://map.kolenergo.ru, where on an interactive map of operational responsibility of JSC IDGC of the North-West all main substations with the capacity load are indicated specifying the location of all customer service centers.

Since early 2013 we plan to put into commercial operation another online service "Customer's Personal Account". The service is designed on the basis of requirements of Standard "System of Centralized Customer Service" of JSC IDGC of the North-West and is aimed to provide consumers with information on the progress of activities on applications for technological connection to the distribution network.

In order to improve the quality of customer service and analyze customers' opinions on the services provided by the Company through its customer service centers, production departments and REG of the Company, we constantly conduct an on-site survey of customers' opinions.

Information obtained from questionnaires is consolidated on a quarterly basis in order to analyze and make proposals aimed at further improvement of the quality of customer service and elimination of identified concerns.

In 2012 1,846 questionnaires were completed by the Company's customers, among which 69.96% were natural persons.

In addition, in accordance with the Standard of Analysis and Assessment of Customers' Satisfaction on websites of branches of JSC IDGC of the North-West we conduct an interactive survey "EVALUATE OUR WORK" in order to monitor consumers' opinions and proposals on improvement of the service quality.

Consumers visiting the Company's websites or websites of its branches are suggested to determine the degree of importance of certain services provided by the Company by principal activities (electricity transmission and technological connection) and the level of their satisfaction with them. In addition, we suggest evaluating the completeness and availability of the information contained on the website for various matters and provide customers with the opportunity to express their wishes or comments, make a complaint or a request.

This information is consolidated on a daily basis by the staff in order to prepare immediate responses to requests or complaints of consumers of JSC IDGC of the North-West, to analyze and elaborate proposals aimed at further improvement of the quality of customer service and elimination of identified deficiencies.

Analysis of questionnaires allows to determine the "weak points" in working with customers in Company's branches, which is necessarily taken into account when drawing up plans for on-site inspections of activities of the services of a branch involved in provision of services to customers.

Traditionally, the largest gap between the expectations and the importance for the respondents and the estimates of the current state is observed in categories "reliability of power" (satisfaction score was 5.33 points, the importance is estimated at 7.56 points) and "the cost of technological connection" (satisfaction — 5.79 points, importance — 7.37 points).

Based on the results of 2012 the aggregated rate of customer satisfaction with electric energy transmission service was 6.15 points (on a 10-point scale), in 2011 this rate was 6.39 points, with technological connection — 5.74 points (in 2011 — 5.89). Thus, a minor decline in the level of satisfaction of consumers with core activities can be noted.

Request Handling

In 2012 employees of CSCs took 222,577 requests, of which 114,030 (51% of the total number of requests) were information requests. Compared to 2011, there was an increase in the total number of requests from consumers by 37%.

The main subject of requests to CSCs is traditionally a technological connection procedure: 46% of the total number of requests were requests relating to "technological connection". In 2012 employees of the CSCs received 44,610 requests for services, including 28,083 for technological connection to the grids of JSC IDGC of the North-West. The growth rate of the number of requests for technological connection compared to 2011 was 116%.

In 2012 we received and referred for review 946 complaints, of which 564 complaints were found to be justified upon the results of review, which accounts for 60% of the total number of complaints received. Compared to 2011, there was a decrease in the total number of complaints from consumers by 14%.

The opportunity to ask any question or request a service in the customer service centers greatly simplifies the procedure for interaction between consumers and the Company.