ZICTA calls on Airtel to consider Persons with Disabilities in customer service delivery

The Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has implored Airtel Zambia to consider providing quality customer services to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

ZICTA Director General, Mr Patrick Mutimushi made the call when he launched Airtel Network Zambia’s new Call Centre based at Lusaka’s Sunshare building.

“I wish to emphasize that ICTs can promote equal and maximum participation for all people, including the differently abled as well as the aged, in every aspect of human and economic development,” Mr Mutimushi said. “A fully functional call centre, should address issues of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in accordance with Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the Persons with Disabilities Act No. 6 of 2012 which aims to promote non-discrimination in the provision of products and services.”

ZICTA also commended Airtel for launching a Call Centre that was alive to the fact that Zambia had many different languages and thus would help more customers understand any products and services in their native language.

“I will fail in my duties if I do not recognise the commendable efforts you are putting in place such as the introduction of local languages in your call centre, a situation which has given our consumers latitude to express themselves in their dialects across the country. This is an effort worthy of commendation,” Mr Mutimushi said.

And speaking at the same event, Airtel Managing Director, Mr Apoorva Mehrotra said with the recent introduction of 4G, his company was happy to be launching a new call centre as Airtel’s aim was to provide globally admired technologies and services to give Zambia an easy and dependable way to connect to the world.

“In our own way, while we want to bring everything internet to everyone, everywhere, we recognize the fact that connected people are inspired people and in connecting Zambia’s people to each other, we are empowering them to create opportunities, dream big and live well,” Mr Mehrotra said. “We are proud to be able to operate a Multi Lingual Call Centre to take care of our customers from across the country. Being able to understand our customers and communicate to them clearly is of utmost importance to us.”

Source: Airtel Zambia