Customer perceptions of the quality of services offered by Kenya Commercial Bank branches in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Service quality has attracted major attention from marketers and academic researchers over recent years, mainly due to its significant role in business performance and the maintenance of customer loyalty. With the recent growth in the service sector, banking included, it is essential for service providers to understand the customers’ view of the quality of service offered. Only then, can providers effectively optimize their returns from the service and stay ahead of their competitors. The objective of this study was to evaluate customer perceptions of the quality of service offered by Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) branches in Nairobi. The study sought to identify customers’ views; thoughts and feelings on the quality of service offered with the aim of identifying the possible expectations that customers have on the quality of service. The study used descriptive design with the population of interest being KCB customers in Nairobi central business district, narrowed down to a sample from four branches within the city centre. A structured questionnaire with likert type questions/statements and rating scales was used to collect the primary data. The questionnaires were self administered but the researcher waited for them to be filled and returned for analysis. The study results indicated that the service delivered was mainly perceived to be of average quality, thereby signifying that the customers’ expectations of the quality were higher than the delivered service. The weak areas identified included long queuing for service while the contact center response to customers had a high mean score means customers were happy with the service. In conclusion, to differentiate itself in the homogenous banking sector, KCB needs to make excellent service delivery its point of focus. This involves identifying the service gaps from the research and devising ways of improving on the service delivered. Also the Bank needs to properly formulate its product strategies, to build on product diversity and features so as to stand out against the competition.