Influence of the perception of service quality on customer satisfaction: the case of mobile network service providers in Kenya
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Date
2013Author
Okollokwach, Pius D.
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This report is an outcome of a research to establish the influence of the perception of
service quality on customer satisfaction in relation to network service providers in
Kenya. It was meant to demonstrate how specific service quality attributes influence
customer’s perceptions on mobile phone services as well as establishing whether the
mentioned attributes can be improved without attracting new service charges and
eventually how such improvements on quality can be used to increase customer’s
satisfaction.
Literature review was conducted on related past studies that touched on Service
Quality; Customer Satisfaction and the relation between service quality and customer
satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has been found to be the most important aspect of
marketing. It is the company’s Key Performance Indicator (KIP).
Service Quality on the other hand, consists of technical and functional quality.
Technical quality is what consumers get as a result of interacting with the service
provider, while functional quality has to do with how the service is delivered. The
relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction was also extensively
reviewed. Eventually, conceptual framework on how service quality attributes results
in customer’s satisfaction was analyzed in the review as indicated in figure 2.1.
Chapter three highlights the methodology used for the study. Chapter four contained a
summary of data analysis and interpretation. The main findings can be summarized as
follows : Customer expectation and perception; Factors determinants in the choice of
mobile service provider which were found to rotate a round Call Quality, Call drop
rate, Network coverage, distribution of customers according to preferred Network and
Network service performance.
The study established that Network service performance is usually associated with
Call performance, Network coverage, Network reliability, Customer service, service
plan options, Availability of credit offer and cheap tariff, customer satisfaction in
mobile service provider and the spill over effects of product quality on partners. All
the factors have been positively established to be major influences of the perception
of service quality on customer satisfaction.
The research has also established that service providers are constantly investing on
new technologies aimed at enhancing service qualities that would attract and retain
existing customers. Even as the research was being concluded, new evidences are
emerging to the effect that Safaricom is about to launch a new service to be named MShwari
which will virtually act as a mobile bank that will offer customers a chance to
save and earn interest on the savings the same way traditional Banks operate.
In conclusion, some of the service quality attributes discovered in the study have
direct bearing on customer’s perception and if applied well by the service providers,
could enhance customer’s satisfaction.
Citation
A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Award Of The Degree Of Master Of Business Administration School Of Business, University Of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi School of Business