In a bid to make online payment of bills much easier and draw more of its customers to opt for the same, the Coimbatore division of Tamil Nadu generation and distribution corporation (Tangedco) is likely to launch a mobile application for online payment soon. It has sent a proposal in this regard to its headquarters in Chennai and is awaiting its approval.
Though it had launched the online payment option some eight years back, there wasn't much takers for it and only 18% of its consumers have opted for the online facility so far.
However, the online payment option was a moderate hit in other parts of the state, including Chennai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Tirupur and Madurai. Many employees, officials said, were against offering online payment facility to customers as they feared that they would lose their jobs if people opted for it.
Besides, they further said, the corporation did not have enough funds to promote the initiative. Yet, the officials had done their bit to promote the scheme. "We had stuck posters in our counters and booths to spread awareness on online payment gateway," said an official.
If more people opt for online transactions, officials pointed out that it would streamline the fund flow. "When people make payments at the counters, we need to send the amount to our headquarters in Chennai. There is the issue of safety and also extra expenses involved here," said another official.
The official further said that if the number of counters could be brought down, the officials incharge of them could be roped into provide better customer service. "Right now, we have over 4.43 lakh consumers in Coimbatore. Of these, only 18% of them chose to pay online," said yet another official. But in Tiruppur, where it has just 1.15 lakh constomers, nearly 28% of households make payments online. "We have added over 25 banks to the website and we hope to improve on this," said the official.
As per the data available with Tangedco, at 33% Chennai (South) has the hiegest number of customers making payments online, followed by Trichy, where 25% consumers chose to pay online, and Tirunelveli and Madurai, where 24% customers make payments online.
As of now, Coimbatore, Erode, Villupuram and Vellore regions fare poor in online payment. "Once the mobile app is approved and launched, we hope the situation would change for good," said sources.
"Paying online not only reduces cash handling risks but also saves time for consumers, who needn't stand in queues for hours together to pay bills. Also, we could use the funds spent on counters and staff on providing better service to consumers," officials said.
Though it had launched the online payment option some eight years back, there wasn't much takers for it and only 18% of its consumers have opted for the online facility so far.
However, the online payment option was a moderate hit in other parts of the state, including Chennai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Tirupur and Madurai. Many employees, officials said, were against offering online payment facility to customers as they feared that they would lose their jobs if people opted for it.
Besides, they further said, the corporation did not have enough funds to promote the initiative. Yet, the officials had done their bit to promote the scheme. "We had stuck posters in our counters and booths to spread awareness on online payment gateway," said an official.
If more people opt for online transactions, officials pointed out that it would streamline the fund flow. "When people make payments at the counters, we need to send the amount to our headquarters in Chennai. There is the issue of safety and also extra expenses involved here," said another official.
The official further said that if the number of counters could be brought down, the officials incharge of them could be roped into provide better customer service. "Right now, we have over 4.43 lakh consumers in Coimbatore. Of these, only 18% of them chose to pay online," said yet another official. But in Tiruppur, where it has just 1.15 lakh constomers, nearly 28% of households make payments online. "We have added over 25 banks to the website and we hope to improve on this," said the official.
As per the data available with Tangedco, at 33% Chennai (South) has the hiegest number of customers making payments online, followed by Trichy, where 25% consumers chose to pay online, and Tirunelveli and Madurai, where 24% customers make payments online.
As of now, Coimbatore, Erode, Villupuram and Vellore regions fare poor in online payment. "Once the mobile app is approved and launched, we hope the situation would change for good," said sources.
"Paying online not only reduces cash handling risks but also saves time for consumers, who needn't stand in queues for hours together to pay bills. Also, we could use the funds spent on counters and staff on providing better service to consumers," officials said.