State Grid puts 5G-based intelligent customer service system to use

The State Grid Corp of China implemented recently an intelligent customer service system based on 5G networks in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, improving both the quality and efficiency of its services.

The system allows the company to release information about power supply issues and remind clients to pay electricity bills in batches via voice or video calls, said Yao Jian, deputy director of the Control Center at State Grid's power supply company in Kunshan, a county-level city of Suzhou.

Yao also said that the company's clients can now apply for power capacity expansion and check electricity bills and grid maintenance bulletins online at any time they want.

The company's staff can use the intelligent system to remotely guide clients in troubleshooting some basic power supply issues. Meanwhile, when there are not enough emergency crews on site, the system can help bring in additional crews from nearby areas, said Yao.

Thanks to the help of the system, the call volume that can be handled by a customer service agent has increased nearly a hundred times and the probability of issues being solved promptly has increased by 60 percent.

As the world's largest industrial city, Suzhou has 6,587,000 electricity consumers, which has brought a heavy workload, as well as high labor and time costs, to the local power supply company. The implementation of the intelligent customer service system has largely relieved the company's pressure.

Over the past few years, State Grid has been committed to promoting the digital transformation of the power grid, actively utilizing information, communication, and automation technologies in its daily operations.

"Accelerating the digital transformation of the power grid can greatly empower the construction of a new power system and power production... It can also improve the operational efficiency, safety, and reliability of the power system," said Jin Heping, chief information officer of China Three Gorges Corp.