| dc.description.abstract | Researchers in the field of service quality have developed the concept and measurement of service quality. They provide an explanation of the concept of service quality and identify the various gaps that affect service quality as perceived by customers. The SERVQUAL model was developed to measure the difference between customers' expectation and perceptions of the service quality. In Kenya much has been studied in the area of service quality for such industries as banks/mortgage, hospitality, transport, post services and 'matatu' industry.
TheTea industry in Kenya began undergoing the changes after and during privatization in 2000 and there has been much engagement with banks in providing the sector with commercial services like loans, asset financing and deposit taking. Since the industry plays an important part in Kenya's economy, the need for establishing the perceived service quality is paramount.A sample of sixty tea factories was used for this study. These tea factories are managed by Kenya Tea Development Agency Limited. The data was collected using structured questionnaires which were self administered through e-mails, drop-in-wait and collect later.
These questionnaires had three parts: A,Band C~ Parts B and C consisted of service quality attributes for customers' expectations and perceptions respectively scored on five point Likert Scale, The financial managers in the tea industry filled in the questionnaires indicating their views on services offered by commercial banks in Kenya. Each service quality dimension was assessed, rated arid ranked in terms of its' weighted importance in determining the expected service (Part B) and the perceived service (Patt.;CJ.The objective of the study was achieved by analyzing and comparing the results of Part B' a.dtl' C of the questionnaires.
The difference between the means of the, two parts was taken to be the perceived service quality (Gap 5 of the SERVQUAL model). On the expected service quality, the mean score for the service quality dimensions ranged from 4.25 to 3.26 with an over all mean of 3.97.A service quality gap of-0.71 was realized. The highest gap noted was for the empathy and the lowest on the tangibles. Commercial Banks need to take measures to bridge the gaps in the service quality dimensions especially those of empathy and responsiveness. There is need for commercial banks to do gap analysis which would assist in identifying the causes of service quality shortfalls | en_US |
