Aboitiz-led power firm to launch mobile app

CEBU, Philippines - In its bid to trail-blaze with the changing way of doing business, the Visayan Electric Company announced to launch its own mobile application.

Anton Mari Perdices, VECO senior vice president and chief operating announced that VECO will reach out to its close to 400,000 customers in Metro Cebu through a self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfill a particular purpose or widely known as "App," or application, which can be  especially downloaded by a user to a mobile device.

At this point, Perdices said VECO is still on beta testing, or acceptance testing for its "App" installation, which is targeted to be available for both Android and iOs platforms by next year.

This move will initially complete VECO's engagement with the high-tech savvy market, while it has already made its strong presence in the social media channels such as twitter, Facebook, among others.

In its social media presence alone, VECO noticed a bug shift of transaction engagement among customers, where customer interaction, services, inquiries are now largely done through real-time social media interaction.

The introduction of the VECO "App" next year is seen to boost VECO's entry to the "online world," where everything is to be transacted via the Internet.

This will not only give convenience to customers, Perdices said, but will also promote cost-cutting measures for the company.

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview VECO President Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz said that VECO's enrollment to ATM consortia, like Bancnet, Megalink, Expressnet, is to prepare the company and the market for the shift of payment culture in the Philippines in the next few years.

While VECO bills can already be paid online, through these networks, Aboitiz said Cebuano electric consumers can start practicing online transactions, like in developed countries.

Although the growing 380 thousand VECO customers are still largely paying their bills via physical transaction either in the VECO-owned payment outlet in SM City Cebu, Consolacion and Talisay or accredited TPAs (third-party collecting agents),  Aboitiz is confident that online payment highway will eventually be adapted by Cebuano electric consumers.

At present, VECO is servicing close to 380,000 customers in its franchise area in Metro Cebu, covering from Lilo-an to San Fernando.