Factors influencing customer satisfaction with service provision by Kenya power company: a case of Nairobi county, Kenya
Abstract
Kenya Power is a limited liability company that is the sole distributor of electricity in Kenya.
However, its image in the public is tainted with bad customer reviews because of constant
blackouts, death and destruction of property due to electrical faults, bad customer relations and
delays in provision of service. One of the most important marketing strategies in the 21st century
is provision of customer satisfaction. However, it is evident that customers are not satisfied with
the services of Kenya Power. The purpose of this study was to establish the factors affecting
customer satisfaction with Kenya Power and the objectives were: to establish the influence of
communication techniques on customer satisfaction with Kenya Power Company in Nairobi
County, to investigate the influence of reliability of power supply on customer satisfaction with
Kenya Power Company in Nairobi County, to establish the influence of cost of electricity on
customer satisfaction with Kenya Power Company in Nairobi County and to establish the
influence of innovation of new products on customer satisfaction with Kenya Power Company in
Nairobi County. The research design used was descriptive research method. The instruments of
data collection were questionnaires. Reliability was achieved by the use of the split-half method
which involves splitting the test in two and comparing the results of each half. The results were
consistent therefore the test is considered reliable. Construct validity was ensured by engaging a
panel of experts - project supervisor and department lecturers who were familiar with the topic to
examine the items and decide what specific variables it is intended to measure. The research was
done in Nairobi County which has a total of 1.35Million Kenya Power Company customers. The
sampling design employed was simple stratified sampling. Stratified sampling provides the
researcher a way to achieve even greater representativeness in the sample of the population. This
was accomplished by selecting individuals at random from the subgroup in proportion to the
actual size of the group in the total population. The sample size obtained is a total number of 384
respondents. The procedure of data collection used was handing out questionnaires to the
selected participants and giving them three days to fill the questionnaires accurately and
truthfully and then collecting them from the participants. This was done over a period of two
weeks. The data was then analyzed over a period of one month by first checking for errors, then
tabulating results, calculating percentages and then reporting the findings descriptively. The
results were tabulated with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) that has
data handling and statistical analysis capability and generates descriptive statistics such as frequency,
percentages, means and standard deviations. The findings of the research were that the respondents
were not satisfied with the services provided by Kenya Power Company. The customers were not
aware of some of its innovations because the communication techniques used were not effective. The
customers also complained of lack of reliability of power supply and high cost of electricity. The
recommendation made by the researcher was that the company needs to use more effective
communication techniques such as TV to communicate new innovations and power interruptions.
Another recommendation was that the company should device ways to switch customers
automatically to an alternative power line in case of power interruption. In conclusion, the study found
out that communication techniques, reliability of electricity supply, cost of electricity and innovation of
new products greatly affects customer satisfaction with service provision by Kenya Power Company.
Citation
Master Of Arts Degree In Project Planning And Management, University Of Nairobi, 2014Publisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5963]