One of our primary responsibilities is to our customers. We are proud that we carry customers from all walks of life. Very few companies across the globe could boast of a customer profile of the sort that SLT has. We know that this is a legacy of state control and state monopoly of telecommunications. But it is a legacy that we are proud to carry, a mantle we are proud to wear.

As a result we are committed to treating every customer with equal respect and concern. It is only through such a policy that we can further broaden our customer network and earn their loyalty and respect. We know that customer loyalty and respect has a direct bearing on the sustainability of the enterprise as a profitable entity and we will do all that we can to nourish this. We will continue with our transformation into a customer oriented enterprise that provides customers with a consistent and high quality service.

The New Call Centre: A Solution Oriented Initiative
In 2003 we laid the foundation for a modern customer centric call centre to respond to a myriad of queries that SLT’s wide range of customers have. SLT’s ‘Operator Service’ which originally formed the backbone of the telephone service and was established to assist the customer to make calls, has been transformed into a state-of-the-art customer focused problem solving centre. Previously, customers had to dial a variety of numbers to find answers to the different problems they had. Billing complaints, faults, alarm calls, assisted international and trunk calls, telegrams, all had different telephone numbers and prescribed staff to respond to these queries.

SLT has now consolidated this into a single call centre and trained staff to respond to a variety of queries or if they are unable to do so, to transfer the call to someone who can respond. Customers now need to dial any of the numbers and could get a response to a variety of queries through this single call. The focus of this change has been to provide a service that is truly customer centred and solution oriented. Waiting time is reduced and a variety of queries could be answered in a single call. Customers with queries and complaints need a quick, coherent and intelligent response. This is what the customer centric call centre aims to provide.

SLT’s call centre staff has been retrained to respond in this manner and will receive continuous training. The training has focused among other things on, managing customer relations, product thoroughness, courtesy, consistency in communication, language proficiency and projecting the SLT image. The emphasis has been to empower SLT staff to respond efficiently and courteously. Where previously there was a division between staff in relation to ‘voice' and ‘non-voice’ products, now this has changed. All staff can respond to the full range of products and it is only if specialised assistance is needed that the call is transferred to a special help desk.

Rainbow Pages: Creating a New Brand
For the second year in succession SLT delivered its telephone directory without outside assistance. We are in the process of creating a new brand: the Rainbow Pages.

Last year the entire consignment of more than 500,000 copies of the Greater Colombo Directory were printed within Sri Lanka. Fifty per cent of the provincial directory was printed locally while the balance was printed by NTT Quaris Corporation (a subsidiary of NTT Directory Services)

Our Teleshops continue to Grow
Our teleshops have revolutionised telecommunications marketing in this country. Our first four teleshops were opened in 1997 and another 21 have been established since then. With the islandwide distribution network in place the customers can enjoy the benefit it provides throughout the island.

These teleshops are one-stop centres and perform a variety of functions. Customers may pay their bills, lodge a complaint, register for a new telephone or invest in a range of new equipment, in a customer friendly environment. The goal has been to create a customer friendly environment at a single location and provide a wide range of services at one spot.

Weaving IT Systems into a Consolidated Arrangement
SLT is progressively improving its IT infrastructure through the enhanced use of computerised information systems. Currently finance functions, human resources administration, procurement and inventory management, billing, fault reporting and new connection management operate on separate systems. Our plan is have an integrated system for these functions which would ensure greater accuracy and more efficiency. Our new billing system is the first step in this process. The headquarters and all regional offices are linked by Intranet. Each division maintains a web page and dissemination of information among the different offices and departments has increased significantly.

Online Shopping
Online Assistance
SLT Homepage, www.slt.lk is designed to provide up-to-date information to customers on the products and services we offer. The benefits and the costs of each product are found on the website. The website will soon be upgraded to incorporate several new features. An Online eTeleshop caters to the needs of customers who wish to buy products through the web. Our user friendly Online Directory enables customers to find telephone numbers with ease. In the near future SLT will launch e Rainbow, the Classified Directory Section, online.