Customer Service Strategy and Competitive Advantage of Getrudes’ Children’s Hospital

Abstract

The level of customer service strategies that an organization adopts determines the customer satisfaction level, loyalty and referrals made by the existing customers. Organizations should therefore seek to deliver services that meet their customers' needs, especially in the competitive business climate of today. The objective of the study was to establish the use of customer service to enhance competitive advantage at Gertrude’s Children's Hospital, Kenya. The researcher employed a case study research design with an interview guide being the main data collection instrument. Out of targeted ten managers to be interviewed, the researcher was able to interview eight managers from eight satellite hospital branches. The findings reveal that the hospital had adopted different forms of customer service strategies to remain competitive. The dominant customer service strategies that were found to be adopted by the hospital include timeliness of service, equipping the employees with the requisite skills to handle customers well, equipping its employees with relevant strategies, directing more resources to the customer service exercise, and top management support and customer satisfaction. The findings reveal that by the hospital training its employees in customer service skills it has been able to have satisfied clients whose needs are met starting from the reception to meeting the doctor. The research findings also reinforced the need for the hospital to direct not only human resources, but also financial resources to the customer service programs which were found to increase the hospitals level of competitive advantage as manifested by increase revenue, number of clients, branches opened and awards, both at the national and global level. The importance of incorporating customer feedbacks in development and adjustment of existing customer service strategies were found to be important in realization of firm competitiveness. The study recommends tailor made training of staff to handle the customer service challenges and always aim to make the customers satisfied on what they are offering. Similarly, it is recommended that the management purpose to incorporate their clients views when developing customer service strategies.