A consumer advocacy group in the Republic of Ghana, Chamber of Petroleum Consumer (COPEC) has charged Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) across the country to make improved investments into training their frontline staff as well as provide high-quality products on a consistent basis in order to remain competitive.
The remarks follow the completion of the second Consumer Satisfaction Survey for the month of October by COPEC, in some parts of the capital Accra.
The survey targeted eighteen (18) Oil Marketing Companies with retail outlets spread across the regions as well as a total of five hundred (500) respondents made up of commercial transport operators and private car owners.
According to the survey, over 50 percent of drivers within the catchment area of the survey, that is Amasaman and the Tema Metropolis, perceive GOIL to be the leader when it comes to the quality and quantity of fuel dispensed as well as the leader when it comes to the speed of service.
Based on the same parameters of speed of service, quality and quantity of fuel dispensed, Vivo Energy Ghana or Shell as well as Total came in second and third receiving approval from about 30 percent and about 19 percent of respondents surveyed respectively.
According to the Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah the OMC’s need to ensure sustained investments to improve the quality of their service and products to customers, to maintain or improve their markets share.
“If you relax, consumers will start making different choices which will impact your sales, profitability and overall sustainability of your brand. So this is to encourage the brands to improve their services. Those who are struggling per the survey, need to focus on training their pump attendants. They also need to look into improving the quality of their products to attract more customers and improve how they are perceived by drivers.”
Meanwhile, in the same survey conducted, OMCs like Goodness Oil, Allied Oil, and Benab Oil came as the most admired of the rest of the OMC’s outside of the top 3 when it came to pricing, speed of service, quality and quantity of fuel dispensed.