The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced the review of its customer Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the resolution of consumer complaints and escalations to Service Providers.
This measure is designed to ensure faster and more effective resolution of consumer complaints in the telecoms industry and improve overall consumer experience on all telecoms networks.
The review will be carried out by a joint NCC-Industry Working Committee which the Commission has set up so as to ensure robust stakeholder participation in the exercise, and in furtherance of its consultative approach to rule-making.
Speaking during the inauguration of the NCC component of Working Committee, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management (ECSM) of NCC, Sunday Dare, re-emphasized the Commission’s uncompromising commitment to ensuring superior consumer experience on all telecoms platforms.
Dare noted that as a telecoms regulator, the NCC believes that effective and timely resolution of consumer complaints as fundamental elements of consumer protection, pointing out that these are also fundamental statutory obligations of the Commission as detailed in Sections 4 and 105 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003; the Quality of Service Regulations 2013, the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, 2007 and other similar instruments.
He therefore charged the Committee to ensure that reviewed SLAs entrench the Commission’s consumer-centric focus, whilst also taking due cognizance of the relevant ecosystem, technology and other factors affecting QoS.
It would be recalled that the NCC had met with service providers and ALTON, the umbrella industry organisation in Lagos on the 26th of September, 2018 to discuss ways of enhancing the speed and quality of complaints resolution. At that meeting, the Commission had expressed its strong displeasure about delays in complaints resolution, while operators pointed to the need to review some of the SLAs to reflect developments in technology and other factors impacting performance.
The meeting therefore resolved to establish a joint NCC-industry Working Committee to study the matter and make recommendations which the Commission will take into consideration in setting out new complaints resolution SLAs for the industry.
Dare noted that the NCC component of the Working Committee comprised of subject-matter experts drawn from the various departments of the Commission. He therefore charged them to bring their expertise to bear in developing to SLAs and KPIs which will deliver enhanced consumer experience and superior Quality of Service (QoS) for telecom consumers on all networks in Nigeria.
