Post-Installation Smart Meter and Billing Service Quality Assessments

Akwetey Henry Matey; Albert Akanlisikum Akanferi; Isaac Asampana; Solomon Kutiame; Godfred Yaw Koi Akrofi; Lawrence Kwami Aziale

doi:10.17485/IJST/v16i31.555

Article

Post-Installation Smart Meter and Billing Service Quality Assessments

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Indian Journal of Science and Technology

DOI: 10.17485/IJST/v16i31.555

Year: 2023, Volume: 16, Issue: 31, Pages: 2469-2479

Original Article

Post-Installation Smart Meter and Billing Service Quality Assessments

Akwetey Henry Matey^1*, Albert Akanlisikum Akanferi¹, Isaac Asampana¹, Solomon Kutiame², Godfred Yaw Koi-Akrofi¹, Lawrence Kwami Aziale¹

¹Department of IT Studies, University of Professional Studies (UPSA)
²University of Energy and Natural Resources, Accra 12356, Tarkwa, Ghana

*Corresponding Author
Email: [email protected]

Received Date:11 March 2023, Accepted Date:01 July 2023, Published Date:21 August 2023

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) introduced meters since its establishment. Although meters have undergone several technologically innovative phases, customers face challenges. The study examines the relationship between perceived quality and customer satisfaction concerning these meters. It also investigates the mediating role of meter brands between perceived quality and customer satisfaction. Methods: Four hundred and seventy (470) questionnaires were distributed to ECG Customers. Three hundred twenty-four (324) questionnaires were returned for analysis. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Findings: The results demonstrate a highly significant positive relationship (b = 0.701; p = 0.000) between Perceived Quality and Customer Satisfaction. In addition, the mediator, the meter brand, shows a positive and significant relationship between perceived quality and customer satisfaction (b = -0.150; p = 0.038). However, no significant relationship between meter brand and customer satisfaction was found (b = 050; p = 0.261). Novelty: This finding emphasizes the significance of a smart meter’s perceived quality in predicting customer satisfaction, which shows that the service provider is perceived to be credible and reliable among customers. The finding can assist ECG in improving their managerial and operational strategies and policies, thereby increasing profit. The findings also underscore that customers do not view brands as determinants of the perceived quality of the meters; hence, they should focus more on the issuance or installation quality of the meters.

Keywords: Perceived Quality; Customer Satisfaction; Smart Meter; Meter Brand And Challenges 1

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Copyright

© 2023 Matey et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Published By Indian Society for Education and Environment (iSee)