Queuing Management Practices and Customer Satisfaction Among Mobile Phone Customer Care Centers in Nairobi

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between queuing management practices and customer satisfaction at the customer care centers for the mobile phone providers in Nairobi, and to establish the principles used to manage queues in these customer care centers. In order to satisfy the objectives, a survey was conducted in all the four mobile service providers in Nairobi. The research instrument used was Stata and descriptive statistics was used by way of percentages and frequency distributions to analyze data. The findings revealed that some mobile phone providers have implemented queuing management practices. However it was evident that others have not paid much attention to the queue management practices. It was also established that the major challenges to implementing these queue management practices were lack of knowledge and rigidity from prestige customers. The results indicated that the principles mostly used to manage queues in all the mobile service providers were floor management and the use of mobile staff. The study therefore recommends that all mobile service providers in Nairobi should endeavor to fully understand the queue management practices to be able to drive them to a more competitive edge. They should also ensure to be consistent to use the principles that will not only reduce the customers wait time but also increase the customer’s level of satisfaction.