The extent to which feed manufacturing firms in Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys

Abstract

This survey sought to establish the extent to which feed manufacturing firms in Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys. From firms not conducting such surveys the study sought to identify possible reasons for the failure. It was a census focusing on all 24 feed manufacturing firms in Nairobi. A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire with a five point Likert scale was used to collect primary data. Respondents were marketing or sales managers of the firms. Data collection was carried out in the month of December 2007 through the drop and pick later method reinforced with telephone calls and visits where necessary. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using the SPSS program. The study established that only 25% (6 firms out of 24) of the feed manufacturers in Nairobi conduct customer satisfaction surveys. To assess the extent of coverage the survey tested a firm's coverage of satisfaction with respect to fifteen attributes (drivers of satisfaction) related to the product, service and the firm. This was found to be satisfactory as most survey-conducting firms adequately surveyed these attributes. Satisfaction on product quality emerged as particularly well covered but satisfaction with respect to convenience was not adequately surveyed. The frequency of conducting surveys was higher in larger firms with a labour force exceeding fifty than in smaller ones. -. Three main reasons why 75% of the firms do not conduct satisfaction surveys were identified. These were that most firms never thought of conducting satisfaction surveys, a belief that customers are satisfied and lack of expertise to conduct customer satisfaction surveys. The first reason implies lack of conscious awareness of the need to routinely assess how well a firm satisfies its customers. This can be due to lack of training in business or marketing related fields. To improve the conduct of customer satisfaction surveys within the sector it is recommended that the feed manufacturers embark on training their staff on the need, nature and conduct of satisfaction surveys. To facilitate this the study calls for awareness campaigns to promote formal routine assessment of customer satisfaction.

It is expected that if popularised, the conduct of satisfaction surveys would be adopted quickly as 89% of non-conducting firms believe that such surveys are important for enhancing success in business and a similar proportion are willing to commence such surveys. The study further recommends that where need be outsourcing of the conduct of customer satisfaction surveys could be considered. The survey was limited to Nairobi feed manufacturers and focused on a limited set of drivers of satisfaction. It is therefore necessary for future research to focus on customer satisfaction issues in other regions, other industry sectors, specific satisfaction metrics, marketing intermediaries and channels etc. Satisfaction of meat and egg consumers and processors should also be assessed routinely because ultimately nutrition has an influence on the quality of meat and eggs.