Challenges Affecting Delivery Of Quality Customer Service By General Insurance Companies In Kenya-

Abstract

This study concerns challenges affecting delivery of quality customer service by general insurance companies in Kenya. The main objectives of the study were to establish the challenges affecting delivery of quality customer service by general insurance companies in Kenya and suggest solutions to the challenges affecting delivery of quality customer service in General Insurance companies in Kenya. The need for the study arose because Over the years, there have been numerous complaints from customers on the level of services being offered by general insurance companies in Kenya. In an industry where there is little in terms of product differentiation, offering quality customer service to customers is key to ensure survival and profitability in these companies. The researcher employed a descriptive research design with a population size of 40 general insurance companies in Kenya and a sample size of 20 of these companies. systematic random sampling was used to determine the sample size. Data was collected using a questionnaire that had four parts which had had closed, and open-ended questions. In data analysis the open-ended questions were analyzed using the content analysis technique while the closed-ended questions were analyzed using statistical package (SPSS) version 22.0. The findings indicated that the general insurance companies do not understand the quality of service that their customers need, the companies do not also have clear policies and procedures in place across their branches or various divisions on how to deliver quality service, there is no clear communication between the technical team, sales team, operations team and the marketing team about the services offered by the companies and the employees of the respective companies do not have the right attitude and mentality to deliver quality services. The researcher recommends that the general insurance companies get feedback from clients from various means on the quality of service that they want, that quality customer service should be included in the companies’ strategies and ensure supervision of services being offered, that general insurance companies focus on creating policies and strategies, conducting trainings, automating services, as well as creating customer service chatters and that the companies should conducti trainings after identifying existing gaps, in order to ensure that the employees are well trained, knowledgeable and qualified in delivering customer service.