Service quality dimensions and customer Satisfaction in the Kenyan Telecomunications service industry: A case of Nokia Siemens networks

Abstract

Managers at Nokia Siemens Networks frequently make decisions on service delivery and how to minimise the Service delivery costs. Strength of industry rivalry, lower switching costs by buyers of telecommunication equipment and services and their price sensitivity influence the managers’ decisions on service delivery and cost of service delivery. The study sought to determine the factors affecting service quality in the Kenyan telecommunications vendors market and the relationship between service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. In order to satisfy the objectives of the study, a survey was conducted in the two dominant mobile telecommunications companies in Kenya namely Safaricom and Airtel. The findings revealed that even though the five service quality dimensions can lead to customer satisfaction, some of them were regarded to be of higher priority. Reliability dimension was considered to be having the highest impact on service quality while tangibility dimension was considered to have the least impact on service quality in the Kenyan telecommunication vendors market. Moreover the study established that all service quality dimensions apart from tangibility dimension should be improved and allocated more resources since they positively affect customer satisfaction. Tangibility dimension was found to have a negative relationship with customer satisfaction. The study therefore recommends that Kenyan telecommunications vendors should put more effort on those Service quality dimensions that were found to be higher importance on Customer satisfaction. They include reliability factors, empathy factors and responsive factors. Moreover service quality dimensions were found to have a positive relationship with customer satisfaction hence should be improved to achieve more customer satisfaction