Veco inks partnership deal with SM

CEBU, Philippines - With its thrust to provide more payment options for the convenience of its customers and to decrease the number of consumers paying in its collection offices, Visayan Electric Company (VECO) formally signed an agreement with SM City as its newest third party collection (TPC) partner.

VECO billing and collection manager Sandro Aboitiz said that the company has been initiating alternative channels to make bill payments more convenient for its varied clientele and help them save transportation costs at the same time.

“Our promise to our customers is to provide them with the best service experience. Forming partnerships with collection partners gives our customers a diverse array of payment channels to choose from and enables convenient and hassle-free payments,“ he stated.

He cited that about 27% of the total number of VECO customers is currently being served by its authorized TPC partners which ensures them timely posting of payments at no additional cost.

“It is quite a big growth and we drive it even higher so we can decrease the number of customers paying in our collection offices in such a way that we provide them more space and time to do multitasking apart from paying bills,” he added.

VECO Customer Services Group and Administration vice president Ricardo Lacson Jr. acknowledged the nationwide footprint of SM as a long-time industry player to the life of Filipinos and Cebuanos in particular that is an opportunity for the electric company to take advantage of the mall’s wide coverage.

He added that the mall has been the venue for the public to do a lot of consumption, enjoy leisure time with family and friends and also pay their bills.

He also revealed that VECO is currently looking at establish payment channels to its “underserved”  market such as those residing in mountain barangays to help them save large costs for transportation in addition to their electric bills.

He said that they plan to open up more channel options which online, credit card and mobile payments aside from the traditional over-the-counter payments.

SM Consolacion Assistant Branch Manager Erich Lim, on the other hand, said that the mall shared the same goal with the electric company to provide convenience for its customers in terms of quick paying transactions.

He cited that SM Business Center is primarily designed to bring forth greater accessibility and ease for mallgoers to spend their time wisely paying their bills while going for shopping and entertainment in one setting.

He also said that SM had increased its total sales of branches at exponential growth with 46 chains nationwide and few international chains in Guam and China.

“SM business center serves as the solution to the public for more convenient lifestyle in a high traffic area. As the company grows and matures, we commit ourselves to increase quality service for our customers and make them feel that they are valued,” he stated.

SM department stores started collecting VECO payments in November last year through their department stores, Savemore and Hypermarkets.

Meanwhile, Aboitiz further encouraged customers to pay their bills on or before due date to avoid surcharges and disconnection. 

Once a notice of disconnection or a visit slip has been received, however, he reminded them that they have to pay at VECO collection offices to avoid the risk of being disconnected. 

They may also pay through authorized banks such as Unionbank, RCBC, Banco de Oro, Bank of Commerce, Metrobank and Citibank.

Other existing collection partners also include Stay Bayad, EC Pay, Cebuana Lhuillier and CIS Bayad Center.  (FREEMAN)