Service Quality, Customer Interaction, Brand Experience and Satisfaction of International Air Travellers in Kenya

Abstract

The broad objective of the inquiry was to establish the connections amongst service quality, customer interaction, brand experience and customer satisfaction. The specific objectives were to establish the influence of service quality on customer satisfaction; to determine the extent to which brand experience affects the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction; to assess the effect of customer interaction on the relationship between service quality and satisfaction and, to determine the combined impact of service quality, customer interaction and brand experience on satisfaction among international air travellers in Kenya. The investigation applied descriptive cross-sectional research design. Primary data was obtained using a self-administered structured questionnaire. 384 responses were obtained from departing international passengers at the two major international airports in Kenya. Testing reliability of the survey instrument revealed Cronbach’s alpha of 0.924. The study revealed that service quality had moderate explanatory impact upon satisfaction (R2=0.296; p<0.05). Brand experience had no statistically significant mediating effect at p<0.05. The moderating effect of customer interaction (R2=0.310; p<0.05) upon the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction was significant. Finally, the study established the combined impact of service quality, customer interaction and brand experience on customer satisfaction was significant (R2=0.306; p< 0.05). The study results support Services Marketing Theory (SMT) which contends that the goal of marketing is the deployment of customized systems, physical resources and employees to enhance co-creation of value in conjunction with the customer. By investigating the customer’s role in the process of service provision and by accepting a broader and integrated thinking about services, the study contributes to research on the outcome of satisfaction. The implementation of airport security service quality improvement practices will assist airports meet regulatory, security, safety as well as economic goals. At the managerial level, combined improvement of airport security procedures and customer interactions improves satisfaction and the willingness to recommend which supports airports’ performance. The study concluded that airports should improve security service quality while recognizing the influence of customer interaction which when combined positively improve satisfaction. The most significant limitation was its cross-sectional design. This meant that the study did permit an analysis of the dynamic nature of customer behaviour dynamics which extends over a period of time. Therefore, longitudinal research could be used to study the interrelationships amongst the variables over time. The study recommended scholarly inquiry of other related variables which could influence customer satisfaction including organizational structure, marketing capabilities, information communications technologies and corporate image.