Understanding Customer Behaviour in Payment of Utility Bills: A Case Study of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited

Abstract

Most utility organizations provide their clients with bundled services. For this reason, issues with billing, payment procedures, meter reading, tariff setting, and other relevant topics are vital to the maintenance and advancement of services provided by electricity utilities. The study examined the understanding customer behaviour in payment of utility bills in Ghana, using the case of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). Therefore, the study seeks to; establish how reliability and flexibility of payment of utility bills influence customer behavior at ECG; determine how convenience of payment of utility bills influence customer behavior at ECG; identify the challenges of the faced by customers of ECG in paying their utility bills, and how can these challenges be addressed to improve payment compliance. Data were gathered using a quantitative approach and cross-sectional research methodology. Data was collected from were some cross-section of customers who patronized products of the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Accra Metropolis, specifically Headquarters in the Accra Metropolis, Mokola, Accra-Central through a convenience sampling technique resulting in a sample size of one hundred (100) respondents. Descriptive statistics were conducted using SPSS software to analyze the data. The results indicate that the payment systems provided by ECG were reliable for consistent and timely transactions and that payment platforms were easily accessible at all times by the consumers. Results from the study found that mobile money services made it convenient to pay consumers ECG utility bills due to the online payment methods provided by ECG which were easy and convenient to use. It was found the cost of utility bills is a major challenge affecting consumers’ payment compliance. The study deduced that long queues at ECG payment centers were a significant challenge for consumers and as a result, providing incentives (e.g., discounts for early payments) would encourage them to pay on time. It is recommended that management of the ECG should invest in improving the reliability and usability of digital payment systems, such as mobile money, mobile apps, and online portals. Improving these systems to lower errors and downtime will increase customer trust and encourage wider use. Working with telecom providers is also essential to ensuring that payment systems integrate seamlessly.