| dc.description.abstract | This study investigated the determinants of customer loyalty a case of mobile phone subscribers in Kakamega municipality.The determinants constituted the independent variables and included the price, service quality and switching barriers while loyalty characterized the dependent variable.With increased competition brought by reduction in calling rates due to downward revision of interconnection fees by the regulator, attactractive innovations and the launch of mobile number portability, subscribers are spoiled for choices.
Attempts by competing operators to win subscribers by engaging in calling rates reduction strategies never succeeded.Safaricom still command a higher market share in terms of subscriptions of 68.6 % (cck,2011).How to change the present situation is the concern of these operators. For Safaricom how to retain the market share is the biggest challenge. Therefore, the researcher sought to understand the factors that consumers' consider as they choose to be loyal to mobile service provider.
The study was conducted through descriptive research survey design with data being collected in the last week of June 2012 using a questionaire from a sample of 110 respondents among the mobile phone subscribers in Kakamega Municipality.The sample was picked using a non-probability sampling technique called convenience due to large and mobile nature of the target population. The collected data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statisticical techniques.Demographic characteristcis of the respondents were analysed descriptively. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between service quality, switching barriers, price and customer loyalty.
The results indicated that there was positive relationship between service quality,switching barriers and customer loyalty. However, the results showed that there was no relationship between price and customer loyalty. The results indicated a strong a positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty. The results of the findings suggest that telecom management needs to emphasise on service quality. Due to the fact that telecom firms do not provide tangible products, their service quality is usually assessed by measures of the service provider'S relationship with customers. | en_US |
