The extent to which feed manufacturing firms in Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys
Abstract
This survey sought to establish the extent to which feed manufacturing firms in
Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys. From firms not conducting such
surveys the study sought to identify possible reasons for the failure. It was a census
focusing on all 24 feed manufacturing firms in Nairobi.
A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire with a five point Likert scale was
used to collect primary data. Respondents were marketing or sales managers of the
firms. Data collection was carried out in the month of December 2007 through the
drop and pick later method reinforced with telephone calls and visits where necessary.
Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using the SPSS program.
The study established that only 25% (6 firms out of 24) of the feed manufacturers in
Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys. To assess the extent of coverage the
survey tested a firm's coverage of satisfaction with respect to fifteen attributes
(drivers of satisfaction) related to the product, service and the firm. This was found to
be satisfactory as most survey-conducting firms adequately surveyed these attributes.
Satisfaction on product quality emerged as particularly well covered but satisfaction
with respect to convenience was not adequately surveyed. The frequency of
conducting surveys was higher in larger firms with a labour force exceeding fifty than
in smaller ones. -. Three main reasons why 75% of the firms do not conduct satisfaction surveys were
identified. These were that most firms never thought of conducting satisfaction
surveys, a belief that customers are satisfied and lack of expertise to conduct customer
satisfaction surveys. The first reason implies lack of conscious awareness of the need
to routinely assess how well a firm satisfies its customers. This can be due to lack of
training in business or marketing related fields.
To improve the conduct of customer satisfaction surveys within the sector it is
recommended that the feed manufacturers embark on training their staff on the need,
nature and conduct of satisfaction surveys. To facilitate this the study calls for
awareness campaigns to promote formal routine assessment of customer satisfaction.
It is expected that if popularised, the conduct of satisfaction surveys would be adopted
quickly as 89% of non-conducting firms believe that such surveys are important for
enhancing success in business and a similar proportion are willing to commence such
surveys. The study further recommends that where need be outsourcing of the conduct
of customer satisfaction surveys could be considered.
The survey was limited to Nairobi feed manufacturers and focused on a limited set of
drivers of satisfaction. It is therefore necessary for future research to focus on
customer satisfaction issues in other regions, other industry sectors, specific
satisfaction metrics, marketing intermediaries and channels etc. Satisfaction of meat
and egg consumers and processors should also be assessed routinely because
ultimately nutrition has an influence on the quality of meat and eggs.
Citation
Masters Of Business Administration (MBA) Degree, University of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi School of Business
Description
A management research project submitted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree Of
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Faculty of
Commerce, University of Nairobi