By Izunna Okafor | Head of Communications
The Management and staff of FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited have commenced the company’s maiden Customer Service Week, with a renewed commitment to putting customers at the centre of its operations and going “The Extra Mile” in delivering quality service.
The week-long celebration, held under the global theme “The Extra Mile,” was officially opened on Monday at the beautifully decorated FirstPower Corporate Headquarters in Awka, Anambra State, where Management and staff gathered to mark the occasion and reflect on the company’s responsibility to the customers and communities it serves.
Declaring the Week open, the Managing Director/CEO of FirstPower, Engr. Okechukwu Okafor, described the maiden celebration as a significant milestone for the company and an opportunity for staff to look beyond operational figures and reconnect with the deeper responsibility and ethical value of their work.
According to him, electricity remains the lifeblood of modern society, with hospitals, businesses, schools, industries and homes depending on the service provided by electricity distribution companies. He therefore challenged staff to approach their duties with honesty, transparency, dedication and a strong sense of responsibility.
Okafor said that when employees choose to do their work honestly and diligently, service goes beyond being a mere job and becomes a calling, urging staff to do the right thing even when nobody is watching and to treat every customer with respect.
He equally reminded employees that the true reward for righteous service extends beyond salaries and corporate recognition, stressing that the peace, fulfilment and other rewards that come from honest labour carry a value beyond what any organisation can offer.
While addressing customers as part of the celebration, the MD/CEO described them as the heartbeat of FirstPower’s business, and called for a stronger partnership between the company and its customers in building a more stable and efficient electricity network in Anambra State.
He urged customers to cooperate with FirstPower personnel, protect electricity infrastructure within their communities and desist from offering bribes or other forms of financial inducement to company personnel.
Okafor reiterated FirstPower’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and encouraged customers to report extortion or other unethical conduct by anyone claiming to represent the company through the official channels, including the company’s whistleblowing line 08161652465, assuring that reports would be treated with appropriate confidentiality.
He also urged customers to actively participate in the company’s metering initiatives and use the established communication channels to report not only service complaints but also illegal activities such as energy theft, meter tampering and vandalism.
In her welcome address, the Head of Customer Service, Mrs. Uju Okafor, said the celebration was an opportunity for the company to pause, reflect, appreciate its customers and staff, and renew its commitment to service that makes a meaningful difference.
She challenged staff to constantly ask themselves a simple but important question: “What more can I do?” — to make a customer feel heard, resolve a complaint, provide accurate information, improve a customer’s experience or help even when circumstances are difficult.
According to her, going the extra mile means moving beyond merely asking whether a task has been completed to asking whether everything reasonably possible has been done to help the customer.
While emphasizing that customer service is not the responsibility of the Customer Service Department alone, but that of every employee, Mrs. Okafor therefore urged staff to replace the attitude of saying “That is not my department” with “Let me see how I can help.” She stressed that taking ownership rather than transferring responsibility could significantly improve the customer experience.
She further urged staff to show empathy and respect, particularly to frustrated customers, even as she described customer complaints as opportunities to identify communication gaps, recurring problems and processes that need improvement.
She, however, cautioned that going the extra mile does not mean breaking company policies, procedures or safety requirements, making unrealistic promises or giving preferential treatment. Rather, she said, it means finding legitimate solutions, escalating issues appropriately, communicating honestly and following through on commitments. She also harped on the need for teamwork.
“When we collaborate, the customer wins. And when the customer wins, the organisation wins,” she said.
The event featured a lively playlet by staff, which added a touch of entertainment and also reinforced the importance of customer relations and service delivery. This was followed by goodwill messages and remarks from members of the management team.
In their separate remarks, the Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Dr. Emeka Egbujor; Chief Commercial Officer, Dr. Mrs. Nnenna Obi; and Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Joy Ezeh, highlighted the importance of placing customers at the heart of the company’s operations and the need for staff across different functions to contribute to improved customer experience.
The event also featured remarks from Heads of Departments, including Head, Legal, Barr. Linda Onyishi; Head, Regulatory, Mrs. Ngozi Jessica Mba; Head of Human Resources, Mrs. Oge Morah; Head, Audit, Mr. Ogbonnaya Ezekiel; Head of Health, Safety and Environment, Engr. Tosin Caleb Fadairo; and Head, Fleets and Facilities, Mrs. Ifeoma Ikemefuna, among others.
The opening ceremony was also attended by several other members of the FirstPower management and leadership team, including Head of Security, Mr. Sam Uduak; Head of Operations, Engr. Ifeoma Uba; Head of the Connection Management Group (CMG), Mrs. Maureen Chinwe Okoye; Head, Business Intelligence/STA to the MD, Olabisi Odumosu; Ag. Head, Procurement, Bob Agomoh; Regional Commercial Head, Region 1, Engr. Onyebuchi Christian Nwokafor; and District Business Manager, Awka District, Engr. Sam Orjiakor, among others.
The celebration was climaxed with the official cutting of the Customer Service Week cake, refreshments, and the collective recitation of the Customer Service Week Pledge, in which staff pledged to work on behalf of customers to provide unsurpassed levels of service during the week-long celebration and throughout the year.
The week-long programme is expected to feature a range of activities designed to deepen engagement with customers and staff, including a customer appreciation initiative, visits to selected MD customers, a safety drill, safety talks in selected schools and a company outing, among others.
With this inaugural and historic celebration, FirstPower seeks to make “The Extra Mile” more than a weeklong slogan, but a working principle that shapes how its employees communicate, respond to complaints and collaborate across departments to ultimately attain higher quality of service delivery and greater level of customer satisfaction.
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More photos from the event:
