This initiative will allow PF subscribers to communicate directly on a personal level with the regional offices of EPFO following a one-to-one guidance principle. The WhatsApp helpline is now functional in all the 138 EPFO’s regional offices.
New Delhi: The Labor Ministry said on Tuesday that retirement fund body EPFO has launched a WhatsApp helpline service for the speedy redressal of complaints of its customers.
This feature is in addition to the different redressal means of EPFO, including the CPGRAMS, social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter), EPFiGMS portal, and a dedicated 24×7 call center.
The ministry stated in a statement, that ” During the COVID-19 pandemic to further enhance the life experience for its members, the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has now launched a WhatsApp-based helpline-cum-grievance redressal mechanism, as part of its bold initiatives which aims to ensure seamless and uninterrupted service delivery to customers. ”
In India, WhatsApp is emerging as a huge platform for communication, with EPFO seizing the extraordinary opportunity that the app offers to communicate and reach directly with all its stakeholders.
This initiative will permit PF customers to interact directly with the regional offices of EPFO at an individual level following the one-to-one guidance principle.
The WhatsApp helpline is now functional in all 138 regional offices of EPFO.
Any stakeholder can file a complaint or ask for guidance on any related question by putting a WhatsApp message on the helpline number of the Regional Office concerned, where the PF account is maintained by the EPFO. The dedicated WhatsApp helpline numbers of all the regional offices are available on the homepage of EPFO’s official website. The helpline aims to make EPFO’s digital initiative the last mile by making subscribers self-reliant, thereby reducing dependence on middlemen.
To quickly resolve and answer the questions raised on WhatsApp, each regional office is equipped with a dedicated team of experts.
To raise questions and complaints on WhatsApp will reduce the need for subscribers to physically visit the EPFO office. This in turn will help the EPFO to maintain social distance in the workplace during the pandemic.
Among stakeholders, the helpline has already gained considerable popularity.
So far, EPFO has redressed more than 1,64,040 queries and complaints through WhatsApp.
This has led to a decrease in the registration of complaints/queries on Facebook /Twitter by 30 percent and on EPFiGMS (EPFO’s online complaint resolution portal) by 16 percent.
The helpline is an effort to further strengthen the direct channel of communication between EPFO and its customers amidst the pandemic, thereby increasing EPFO’s accountability and facilitating the timely delivery of services to customers.
