HELB Launches a Modern Contact Centre during the 2018 Customer Service Week

CS Education, Amb. [Dr.] Amina Mohamed recently held a press briefing and launched the Contact Centre at the Higher Education Loans Board Offices at Anniversary Towers. HELB has since inception disbursed Kshs. 84 Billion to 671,448 loanees out of which, 396,329 loan accounts worth Kshs. 47 Billion have matured for repayment, while 275,119 loanees holding Kshs. 37.1 Billion have not matured as these loans are held by Students in Colleges and Universities.

A total of 190,554 loanees valued at Kshs. 18.2Billion have completed their loan repayment. Currently 144,075 loan accounts of Kshs. 22.1 Billion are repaying their loans. In the 2018/19 financial year, HELB is estimated to disburse 13.752Billion to 296,604 students in both Universities and TVET Colleges.

The CS also reminded all Universities and TVET institutions to implement the smart card solution during this Financial Year 2018/19 so as to effectively and efficiently manage these funds that have been invested by the Government. As at 30th September, 2018, a total of 110,447 cards have been issued by the seven [7] prequalified banks out of which 95,525 card are active for use in disbursing funds.

Owing to the nature of its business where customers are studying, working and living in various parts of the Kenya and in the Diaspora; as well as changing dynamics in customer communication and the need to leverage on technology to make services more convenient, HELB is now introducing a modern Contact Centre, the first in the Education Sector for efficient and effective service delivery.

HELB has deployed best in practice Cisco Unified Communication Contact Centre and Microsoft CRM Dynamics 365 systems. These systems will enable HELB offer best in practice Customer Experience in line with their new Strategic Plan dubbed HELB Agenda 2019-2023 premised on Customer Centered Leadership.

In addition to the existing Contact Centre Number 0711 052 000, Facebook and Twitter Handles @HELBPage, Email contactcentre@helb.co.ke, HELB has also introduced a USSD code *642# to encourage self-service at the customers convenience. The HELB Contact Centre currently serves an average of 15,000 customers on email and 10,000 customers on calls per month whilst engaging with more than 170,000 students on Facebook and 84,000 followers on Twitter.

The HELB Contact Centre Launch is synchronized with the 2018 Annual National Customer Service Week [1st to 5th October, 2018] contextualized under the theme: Sustaining Customer Experience Excellence.  The CS wished everyone a Happy Customer Service Week 2018 even as she called upon all loanees holding accounts in default, to pay up their loans so that the HELB can continue Empowering Dreams of other deserving Kenyan Youth.