The impact of outsourcing meter reading services on customer satisfaction and reduction of non technical losses.

In today's economy, outsourcing is no longer an option but a necessity. The driving force behind this decision is typically cost- reduction and organizational restructuring. Outsourcing can result in significant benefits for both the customer and vendor. The purpose of conducting this study was to evaluate the Impact of outsourcing meter reading services on customer satisfaction and reduction of non-technical losses. The study used survey method to obtain data. Questionnaires which were supplement with interviews were used. Views and opinions from electricity customers from both contracted and non-contracted meter readers were used to draw conclusion. The research investigated effectiveness of meter readers on contracted blocks and blocks that are still read by TANESCO employees. Results revealed that outsourcing meter reading was not a right decision since companies are advised to outsource non-core activities but keep core activities. For TANESCO it is vice versa. Meter reading service is a core function and it is very important in revenue generation for TANESCO. The company should consider using its own staff in providing meter reading services to its customers. Since apart from being the source of revenue, it is also important in building customer relationship through provision of quality services and removal of all bottlenecks that customers face when seeking for various services from TANESCO.