Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in The Banking Sector in Kenya
Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in The Banking Sector in Kenya
Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in The Banking Sector in Kenya
SUBMITTED BY:
BITTA MARTHA AWUOR
D61/75235/2009
2014
DECLARATION
I, the undersigned, declare that this is my original work and has not been submitted to any
university for academic credit
This project has been presented for examination with my approval as the appointed supervisor.
ii
DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to the love of my life Paul Ogongo, my son Ersendyck Luke Ogongo, my
sweet mum Jane Nyayieka and my siblings Jacky, Cliff, Kitis and Orinyo.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to thank The Almighty God for giving me the gift of life to write this work. I wish to
express my gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Owino Agaya Okwiri for his professional guidance
and motivation that enabled me compile this proposal. I wish to extend my gratitude to my
classmates whose presence offered me psychological motivation and the need to learn more.
Finally, I thank my family for supporting me throughout my studies at the various levels and
their unconditional love to me is my greatest strength.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………………...ii
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………..iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………………………...iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………..v
LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………….….viii
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………..ix
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………...x
CHAPTER ONE:…………………………………………………………………………….….1
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………….…1
1.1 Background of the Study....................................................................................................1
1.1.1 Service Quality ............................................................................................................2
1.1.2 Customer Satisfaction ..................................................................................................3
1.1.3 Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction ..................................................................4
1.1.4 Banking Sector in Kenya .............................................................................................5
1.2 Research Problem ..............................................................................................................7
1.3 Research Objective ............................................................................................................8
1.4 Value of the Study .............................................................................................................8
CHAPTER TWO:…………………………………………………………………………….….9
LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………….…9
2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................9
2.2 Service Quality ..................................................................................................................9
2.4 Customer Satisfaction Measures ...................................................................................... 13
2.5 Summary and Conceptual Framework.............................................................................. 15
CHAPTER THREE:……………………………………………………………………….…..17
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………….…..17
3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 17
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3.2Research Design ............................................................................................................... 17
3.3 Study Population.............................................................................................................. 17
3.4 Sample ............................................................................................................................. 18
3.5 Data Collection ................................................................................................................ 19
3.6 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 19
3.7 Validity and Reliability .................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER FOUR……………………………………………………………………………....22
RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………..22
4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 22
4.2 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................... 22
4.2.1 Response rate ............................................................................................................ 22
4.2.2 Validity Test.............................................................................................................. 23
4.3. Gender of respondents .................................................................................................... 23
4.4 Age Bracket of the respondents ........................................................................................ 24
4.5 Determinants of customer satisfaction .............................................................................. 25
4.6 Inferential statistic ........................................................................................................... 27
4.6.1 Correlation Analysis .................................................................................................. 27
4.6.2 Linear Regression Model........................................................................................... 28
4.7 Perception of the banks physical facilities ........................................................................ 31
4.8 Customer satisfaction levels ............................................................................................. 32
CHAPTER FIVE…………………………………………………………………………….…33
FINDINGS DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION…………………………………………..33
5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 33
5.2 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 33
5:3 Quality of service delivery ............................................................................................... 33
5:4 Service perception and expectation .................................................................................. 33
5.5 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 34
5.6 Policy Recommendations ................................................................................................. 34
5.7 Limitations of the study ................................................................................................... 34
5.8 Areas of further research .................................................................................................. 35
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REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….…36
APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………………...39
Appendix I: Questionnaire………………………………………………………………..39
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LIST OF TABLES
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
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ABSTRACT
As the service industry becomes increasingly competitive, firms continuously look for ways to
distinguish themselves from competitors. Service quality has attracted major attention from
academic researches as well as marketers over the recent years due to its significant role in
business performance and maintenance of customer loyalty. Recent growth in the service sector,
banking included, has necessitated the need for service providers to understand customers’ view
of quality of service offered. Only then can they effectively optimize their returns from the
service and stay ahead of competitors. This study sought to answer the following question; what
are the customers’ views, thoughts and feeling on the quality of service offered by commercial
Banks in Kenya? The study identified the possible expectations that customers have on the
quality of service. The study adopted descriptive design with population of interest being
from a total of 44 commercial banks located within Nairobi CBD. The findings from the study
established a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in Kenyan
banks. The conclusion from this study is that Customer satisfaction can lead to higher rates of
retention of the Kenyan bank customers. Recommendations based on the findings were made to
the Kenyan banks which if implemented will enhance the satisfaction of the bank customers as
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CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Recent years have shown a growing interest in customer satisfaction. The globalization of
customer awareness and created a situation where long-term success is no longer achieved
through optimized product price and qualities. Instead, companies build their success on a long-
term customer relationship. According to former studies, it can cost as much as six times more
to win a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. Depending on the particular industry,
it is possible to increase profit by up to 60% after reducing potential migration by 5%. Hence, the
increase and retention of loyal customers has become a key factor for long-term success of the
companies.
Consumers all over the world have become more quality conscious; hence there has been an
increased customer demand for higher quality service. Service operations worldwide are affected
by this new wave of quality awareness and emphasis (Lee 2004). Therefore service-based
companies like the banks are compelled to provide excellent services to their customers in order
to have sustainable competitive advantage, especially in the current trend of trade liberalization
and globalization. High patronage of services depends on the satisfaction customers derived from
a service. Sales are directly related to customer satisfaction; sales increase requires improvement
Operations management is an area of business concerned with the production of goods and
services, and involves the ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little
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resource as needed, and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned
with managing the process that converts inputs (in the forms of materials, labor and energy) into
outputs (in the form of goods and services). In general, Operations Management aims to increase
the content of value-added activities in any given process. It is important that these value-adding
creative activities should be aligned with market opportunity for optimal enterprise performance.
Operations traditionally refer to the production of goods and services separately, although the
distinction between these two main types of operations is increasingly difficult to make as
Crosby (1979) defined quality as conformance to requirements. According to Lewis and Booms
(1983), giving quality service implies meeting the requirements to customer expectations
regularly. Parasuraman et al (1985) defined service quality as the degree and direction of
discrepancy between consumer’s perceptions and expectations in terms of different but relatively
important dimensions of the service quality, which can affect their future purchasing behavior.
From customer point of view, quality means fitness for use and meeting customer satisfaction.
Service quality is important aspect that affects the competitiveness of business. Banks should
increase the quality of service constantly since there is no assurance that the current outstanding
service is also suitable for future. Consequently, banks should “develop new strategy” to satisfy
their customer and should provide quality service to distinguish themselves from rivalries
(Siddiqi; 2011).
Quality evaluations derive from the service process as well as the service outcome. As stated by
(Gronroos, 1982) there are two types of service quality these are technical quality and functional
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quality. Technical quality is - what the customer is actually receiving from the service (outcome)
while functional quality is the manner in which the service is delivered (process). Models have
been developed to measure service quality and they include: Nordic model (Gronroos 1984),
According to Markovic and Jankovic (2013), service quality is measured using SERVQUAL
instrument which consists of 22 items which measure five service quality dimensions, namely,
perform the promised service dependably and accurately), responsiveness (willingness to help
customers and provide prompt service), assurance (knowledge and courtesy of employees and
their ability to inspire trust and confidence), and empathy (caring and individualized attention the
Customer satisfaction is a psychological concept that involves the feeling of wellbeing and
pleasure that results from obtaining what one hopes for and expects from an appealing product
and/or service (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Lovelock (2004) conceptualizes customer satisfaction
as an individual’s feeling of pleasure (or disappointment) resulting from comparing the perceived
performance or outcome in relation to the expectation. According to Lovelock and Wirtz (2007),
Satisfaction can be determined by subjective (e.g. customer needs, emotions) and objective
factors (e.g. product and service features). Customer satisfaction is perceived as a cumulative and
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transactional. On the one hand from a transactional-specific perspective, customer satisfaction is
based on a one time, specific post-purchase evaluative judgment of a service encounter (Wang
and Lo, 2002). On the other hand, in the cumulative customer satisfaction perspective, it is
consumption experiences over a time period (Lovelock and Wirtz, 2007). Lovelock and Wirtz
argue that since cumulative satisfaction is based on a series of purchase and consumption
experiences, it is more useful and reliable as a diagnostic and predictive tool than the transaction
mouth and customer needs. Customer satisfaction is an important element that drives customer
retention, loyalty and post-purchase behavior of customers (Kotler and Keller, 2006).
Service quality and customer satisfaction are distinct concepts, although they are closely related.
Quality is a form of overall evaluation of a product, similar in many ways to attitude. Quality
acts as a relatively global value judgment. Perceived quality is the consumer’s judgment about
an entity’s overall excellence or superiority. It is a form of attitude, related but not equivalent to
According to Oliver (1981), satisfaction is a summary psychological state resulting when the
emotion surrounding disconfirmed expectations is coupled with the consumer’s prior feelings
Comparative studies revealed that regardless of the type of service, customers used basically the
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Service companies have since recently focused on customers in order to improve
necessary means by which organizations delve into the minds of its customers for useful
feedback that could form the basis for effective marketing strategy. Customer satisfaction is one
of the important outcomes of marketing activity (Mick and Fournier; 1999). In the competitive
recognize that keeping current customers is more profitable than having to win new ones to
replace those lost. Good customer satisfaction has an effect on the profitability of nearly every
business. Anderson and Zemke (1998) stated that satisfied customers improve business and
Jun and Cai (2001) identified 17 service quality dimensions of banking service that enhances
accuracy, ease of use, timeliness, aesthetics, security and divers features. As Singh (2004)
observes, banks enjoy business benefits that accrue from customer satisfaction such as
As at December 2013, the banking sector comprised of the Central Bank of Kenya, as the
regulatory authority, 44 banking institutions (43 commercial banks and 1 mortgage finance
credit reference bureaus (CRBs), 1 Money Remittance Provider (MRP) and 101 forex bureaus.
Out of the 44 banking institutions, 30 locally owned banks comprise 3 with public shareholding
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and 27 privately owned while 14 are foreign owned. The 9 MFBs, 2 CRBs and 101 forex
Kenya has been recognized internationally for having one of the most progressive, stable and
innovative banking sectors in Africa. In fact, Kenya has been envisaged as East Africa's
Financial Services Hub. This achievement has been realised over time through collective effort
of banks and a supportive regulatory environment. The banking sector in Kenya is licensed and
regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). Banks through the Kenya Bankers Association
(KBA) promote self-regulation through the various processes and initiatives that are overseen by
the Association.
The dynamics of the banking sector have been influenced by globalization. Regulatory, structural
and technological factors are significantly changing the banking environment throughout the
world leading to intense competitive pressures (Grigoroudis, Politis and Siskos, 2002).
Maintaining existing customers for organisations is ever more important than the ability to
The banking industry in Kenya has seen significant growth in the sector policy reforms that has
necessitated liberalization, has opened up markets leading significant growth in the sector
(Central Bank of Kenya, 2009). Mergers have since developed causing a slight drop in the
number of banks (Mburu et al 2013). The increased competition has necessitated significant
investment in infrastructure, customer service areas, call centers and IT based cash points. Social
changes have also led to changed customer demand. Therefore factors like services, products,
prices, image, personnel skills, treatment credibility, responsiveness, waiting time, location and
technology are now key. The issue of customer satisfaction is critical for survival.
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1.2 Research Problem
satisfaction’ is subjective and non-qualitative term. It results from the quality of banking services
product (technical quality), quality of service delivery, engagement of the customers (functional
quality) price factors and exceeding customer’s expectations. Expectation influences customer
satisfaction through market communication, image, word of mouth and customer needs.
Customers are now becoming increasingly conscious of their rights and are demanding ever
more than before (Kim, Ng and Ki, 2009). The changing needs of customers affect the
expectation of value added servicing for basic banking requirements. This is made possible only
in the post liberalization era through “customer centric” services (Mohammad and Alhamadani,
2011). Besides, retaining unsatisfied customer is elusive as customers can easily switch from one
Studies have been done that assess the determinants of customer satisfaction. Kenyan studies
such as Bashir, Machali and Mwinyi (2012) looked at the effect of service quality on customer
satisfaction in MFIs. Yator (2012) focused on the effect of service quality on customer
satisfaction in Lake Bogoria SPA resort. Mbuthia, Muthoni and Muchina (2013) focused on the
hotel service quality, perceptions and satisfaction among domestic guests. Globally studies have
been done on: customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006); the
(Kim, Ng and Ki, 2009); and, service quality perspectives and customer satisfaction.
None of these studies have evaluated customer satisfaction in the context of banking. Thus this
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The study will, thus, answer the following questions: How can customer satisfaction be achieved
satisfaction in banking sector in Kenya from the customer’s perspective? What are the
iii. Determine the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction;
The research information will provide vital data to the policymakers and regulators of
commercial banks such as Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Kenya Bankers Association
(KBA) to design new strategies and policies for enhanced services in the banking sector.
The findings of will help management of commercial banks understand how several dimensions
of their services/products affects customers’ satisfaction, hence customer retention. Study will
provide deeper insights into what is needed in order for bank to enhance customers’ satisfaction
and, thus, allow for improvement in bank strategies to attract and retain their customers. This
study will be important for researchers and academicians being that there are limited studies on
determinants of customer satisfaction in the banking sector in Kenya. The outcome of this study
will be invaluable empirical study and also act as local reference on for future research.
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CHAPTER TWO:
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter is concerned with the review of pertinent literature. It covers both theoretical and
empirical literature. It is structured into: service quality as a concept, gap model, external
Grönross (1984) stated that quality is judged on the individual’s perception of the service.
According to Grönroos , in order to increase long term quality, the customer expectations should
be focused, revealed, and calibrated. When customers evaluate service they compare their
expectations with what they think they received from the other service providers and if the
expectations are met or even exceeded customers believe that the service have high quality.
Customer expectations vary depending on what kind of business the service is connected to.
providers. Grönroos (1984) proposed evaluation of perceived service quality along technical and
customers by staff, behaviours of the staff and so on; that is, how the service is provided.
Grönroos confirmed that quality must be intended as the difference between customer’s
expectations and the perceived performance. The customer compares his expectations with his
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experience of the service, perceived through the filter of the company’s image. That is, the
disconfirmation, with respect to some comparative term already held in mind by the customer at
Amy and Amrik (2003) reinforced Grönroos’ view that customers compare the expected service
quality with what they actually receive; that is service quality expectation and perception. Amy
and Amrik postulate service quality as dependent on two variables: perceived services customer
actually receives form organization and expected services from the customer’s previous
experience or overall perception of the service. When expected service is higher than perceived
service, service is said to be of low quality and when service expected is less than perceived
service, overall service quality is considered to be high. Customer expectations vary depending
on what kind of budiness the service is connected to. Expectaions also vary depending on
different positioning strategies of different service providers. Amy and Amrik (2003) posit that
the expectations are influenced by previous experiences of the service provider, competing
services in the same industry or related services in different industries. If the customer don´t have
any previous experience they are more likely to base their expectations on word of mouth, news
Unlike Amy and Amrik (2003) and Grönroos (1984), Ekinci and Sirakaya (2004) looked at
service quality from the perception of angle. Ekinci and Sakaya, thus, defined service quality in
Excellence is extenally defined and as such attributes associated with it changes dramatically and
rapidly. Value is the benefit that customer get from using a service. Process and design variation
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are seen to be a constant thread to achieving conformance to requirements and most technical
advances in quality are due to standardization and mass production. However , while
prevalence to quality defects, employees are reduced to mere extensions of the machinery.
Meeting and exceeding expectations is a dynamic perspective as expectations change and may be
An array of factors or determinants has been identified in the literature for measuring service
quality. For instance, Sachev and Verma (2004) measure service quality in terms of customer
perception, customer expectation, customer satisfaction, and customer attitude. Despite the
numerous models for measuring service quality, Nyeck et al. (2002) admit that the SERVQUAL
model remains as the most complete attempt to conceptualize and measure service quality.
Amore in depth justification of the functional quality is reported by Parasuraman 1985 and 1988.
responsiveness, assurance and empathy are the basis for service quality measurement
The tangibles encompass the appearance of the company representatives, facilities, materials,
and equipment as well as communication materials. The condition of the physical surroundings
is seen as tangible evidence of care and attention to detail exhibited by the service provider
(Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 2001). Davis et al. (2003) summarize tangibles as the physical
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The reliability and consistency of performance of service facilities, goods and staff is seen as
important (Johnston, 1997). This includes punctual service delivery and ability to keep to
agreements made with the customer. According to Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2001),
reliability is the ability to perform the promised service both dependably and accurately with
error free.
Johnston (1997) describes responsiveness as the speed and timeliness of service delivery. This
includes the speed of throughput and the ability of the service to respond promptly to customer
service requests, with minimal waiting and queuing time. Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2001)
argue that when the customer is kept waiting for no apparent reason creates unnecessary negative
perceptions of quality. Conversely, the ability for the bank to recover quickly when service fails
and exhibit professionalism will also create very positive perceptions of quality.
This considers the knowledge and courtesy of employees as well as their ability to convey trust
and confidence. The assurance dimension includes the following features: competence to
perform the service, politeness and respect for the customer, effective communication with the
customer and the general attitude that the server has the customer’s best interest at heart
According to Chase et al. (2001), empathy is the provision of caring, individualized attention to
customers. Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2001) posit that empathy includes approachability,
sensitivity, and effort to understand the customer‟s needs. Johnston (1997) describes empathy as
the ability to make the customer feel welcome, particularly by the contact staff.
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2.4 Customer Satisfaction Measures
This section introduces the descripancies between expectation and perception. Oliver (1997)
mentions that customer satisfaction a judgement that a product or service feature, or the product
evaluative state but a process extending across the entire consumption horizon. According to
disconfirmed (exceeded standards lead to high satisfaction) and negatively disconfirmed, that is,
Oliver (1980) discusses that satisfaction can be understood as the discrepancy between
expectations and perceptions. That is, customer's perception that compare their pre-purchase
expectations with postpurchase perception. Oliver (1997) identifies five different types of
satisfaction which are pleasure, relief, novelty and surprise. The extent of satisfaction or strength
of the pleasure felt depends on: preferences (ability of offer to meet customer’s needs), price
(perceived overall value of the offer) and performance (difference between expected benefits and
Gibson (2005) divided customer satisfaction into four categories: a cognitive concept to be
rewarded for the consumers through payment; evaluation on the accord of prior expectation with
alternatives of the selection; affective response after purchase; and, judgments influenced by
both emotional responses and cognitive disconfirmation. Oliver (1997) suggests that
surprise. That is, performance of a product or service meets the expectations of the purchaser.
Gibson (2005) viewed satisfaction as an antecedent of attitudinal brand loyalty, with increases in
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satisfaction leading to increases in attitudinal brand loyalty. Gibson found satisfied customers
become repeat purchasers of a product or service and provide positive word of mouth.
From the customer’s point of view, service quality is the difference between what they expect
and what they perceive to be receiving from the service provider. This difference creates gaps
between expectation and the actual service received. Five gaps have been identified. Gap 1 is
between customer expectations and management’s perception of these expectations. Gap 2 is the
those perceptions into service quality specifications. Gap 3 is the difference between the service
quality specifications and the delivery of those specifications to the customer. Gap 4 is the
difference between the service delivered to customers and the external communications about the
service. Gap 5 is the difference between customers’ perceptions of an actual service experience
and the customers’ expectations of an ideal service (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, 1985).
Although all five gaps may hinder an organization in providing high quality service, the fifth gap
is the basis of a customer-oriented definition of service quality that examines the discrepancy
between customers’ expectations for excellence and their perceptions of the actual service
delivered. Gaps model recognizes that expectations are subjective and are neither static nor
predictable . When the perceptions are greater than expectations, then perceived quality is very
good; when they are equal, perceived quality is good; but if expectations exceed perceptions, the
perceived quality is less than satisfactory. Thus, judgements of high and low service quality
depend on how customers perceive the actual service performance in the context of what
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2.5 Summary and Conceptual Framework
This chapter looks at the antecedents of customer satifaction which are service quality delivery,
perceived services customer actually receives form organization which must meet or exceed
expected services from the customer’s previous experience or overall perception of the service. It
is judged from the service: excellence, value, conformance to specifications and meeting and/or
often the basis that customers derive their service expectations which would determine the
satisfaction with service delivery. It can affect the customers’ perceptions of delivered service
and also their expectations about the service. Gap model is used to demostrate the integrated
view of the perception gap and contributory factors. That is, expected service is a function of
communication, personal need and past experience, and perceived service is a product of service
delivery and external communications to consumers. This leads to the conceptual framework
From the conceptual model, perceived service is resultant from service quality delivery by a
firm. Customer satisfaction level is predicated on the service quality delivery as perceived by the
customer based on their service expectations. When the perceptions meet expectations then the
customers is satisfied. When the perceptions exceed expectations then the customers become
highly satisfied. When the perceptions are lower than expectations, the customers become
dissatisfied. However, service expectations are derived from the firms’ external communication
to the customers about their services. Thus, the study makes the following prepositions:
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H2: Service expectations significantly mediate with relationship between service perception and
customer satisfaction
Service Quality
Delivery
Reliability H1
Responsiveness Customer Satisfaction
Assurance
Empathy
Tangibles
H2
Service
Expectation
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CHAPTER THREE:
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the methods and procedures that were followed in conducting research.
The methodology objective is to test the prepositions that: service quality delivery is
significantly associated with service perception; service expectations significantly mediate with
relationship between service perception and customer satisfaction; and, external communication
is significantly associated with service expectations. The chapter is structured into research
3.2Research Design
Research design provided the guideline for data collection. It involved the selection of the
research approach. The study employed descriptive research design. Descriptive research
describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomena being studied. Descriptive
research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how (Mugenda and Mugenda,
banks.
Target population is the population which the researcher wants to generalize the results of the
study (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003).The target population of the study was customers of the
commercial banks in Kenya. There are currently 44 commercial banks which formed the unit of
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analysis (CBK, 2014). Thus, targeted population for this study was individuals who operate
current or saving account in the commercial banks, age 18 years and above.
3.4 Sample
The study used stratified sampling technique in coming up with the study’s sample. This owes to
the fact that, to ensure representation, customers had to be taken from each commercial bank,
giving rise to heterogeneous population. According to Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), when
(individual banks) before sampling. This ensures that each subgroup (customers of each bank) is
The study used single proportion method for sample size determination as it estimates with a
high level of precision (Ahmad, Amin, Aleng and Mohamed, 2012). The formula for sample size
calculation is:
Where n = sample size, z is the confidence level which is 95% for the study; ∆ is the absolute
precision (5%); and, p is the expected proportion of individual in the sample with the
characteristic of interest (banks’ customers). According to the National Financial Access 2013
Survey, while 66.7% of the Kenyan population uses some form of financial services, it is 32.7%
that are banked. Thus, the aggregate sample for this study is 338. Using the formulae, from each
commercial bank, 7 customers were being selected randomly making the sample size.
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3.5 Data Collection
The study gathered primary data. The primary data was gathered through questionnaires as they
guarantee confidentiality; respondents act without any fear or embarrassment as is the case of
interview. The questionnaires were designed to address the research objective. The first section
of the questionnaire inquired about the general information about the respondents. The rest of the
responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Service perception and expectation gap was measured
by the customer opinion on whether their expectations are confirmed, affirmed or disconfirmed
(Amy and Amrik, 2003). Customer satisfaction was measured by recommendation to others,
loyalty; pleasure (Oliver, 1997). The customers were asked by give their opinion on the
After data collection, questions were coded and entered into Statistical Package for Social
Sciences then analysis run. The data was analyzed using of descriptive statistics for quantitative
data. Descriptive statistics involves that use of frequencies, percentage, mean and standard
deviation. The study used multiple regression analysis to test the prepositions and draw
inferences on the determinants of customer satisfaction. To test whether service quality delivery
SP = β0 + β1SQD + ε
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To test whether service expectations significantly mediate with relationship between service
Where SAT is customer satisfaction, β0 is regression constant, β1 andβ2 are regression coefficient,
SP is service perception and M is the mediator variable which will be the service expectation.
Quantitative data will be presented in tables, bar graphs and pie chart, while explanation to the
The study used the regression coefficients to test the magnitude of the relationship between
dependent and independent variables. The study applied f and t-significance from ANOVA to
establish the significances of such relationship. The study used Pearson correlation coefficient to
test the preposition that service quality has significant relationship with customer satisfaction. A
correlation coefficient values ranging between -1 and 1 which measures the degree to which two
variables are linearly related with the higher magnitude indicating higher degree of association
between two variables. According to Rohlf and Sokals’ (1995) critical values for the correlation
coefficient, using 330 degrees of freedom a critical value for correlation is 0.376 at 0.05 error
margin.
The pilot study was done on 30 commercial banks customers who were not be included in the
final study.The study used both content and construct validity to ascertain the validity of the
questionnaires.As a check on face validity, questionnaire items were sent to the pilot group to
obtain suggestions for modification. The content and construct validity was also be ensured by
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Reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated through administration of the said instrument to
the pilot group. A construct composite reliability co-efficient (Cronbach alpha) was used to test
the reliability of the research instrument. Cronbach Alpha value of 0.7 or above, for all the
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CHAPTER FOUR
This chapter presents findings and analysis of the study as set out in the research methodology.
The study findings are presented to establish the determinants of customer satisfaction in
banking sector in Kenya. The data was gathered using questionnaires as the research instrument.
The questionnaire was designed in line with the objectives of the study.
4.2 RESULTS
The research sought to find out the actual number of the respondents who filled and completed
the questionnaires. Lucey (1996) defines the response rate as the extent to which the final data
set includes all sample members and it is calculated as the number of people with whom
questionnaires were issued and completed divided by the total number of people in the entire
The study targeted 338 respondents from different commercial banks in collecting data and 291
of them completed the questionnaires. This constitutes 86.09% response. According to Mugenda
and Mugenda (1999), a response rate of 50% is adequate for analysis and reporting; a rate of
60% is good and a response rate of 70% and over is excellent. This means that the response rate
for this study was excellent and therefore enough for data analysis and interpretation. This is as
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Table 1: response rate
Response rate Frequency percentage
Response 291 86.09
Non – response 47 13.91
Total 338 100
Source: Bitta MA, 2014
The questionnaires used had likert scale items that were to be responded to. For reliability
analysis Cronbach’s alpha was calculated by application of Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS). The value of the alpha coefficient ranges from 0 to 1 and may be used to
describe the reliability of factors extracted from dichotomous and/or multi-point formatted
A higher value shows a more reliable generated scale. Cooper & Schindler (2008) indicated 0.7
to be an acceptable reliability coefficient. Since, the alpha coefficients were all greater than 0.7, a
conclusion was drawn that the instruments had an acceptable reliability coefficient and were
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Table 3: Gender of the respondents
The study found it paramount to determine the respondents’ gender in order to ascertain whether
there was gender parity in the positions indicated by the respondents. The findings of the study
are as shown in table 3. According to the analysis it was evident that majority of the respondents
were male which represented 64.95% while 35.05% were female. It can therefore be deduced
that males were the most dominant gender in the commercial banks of Kenya.
The study sought to determine if the respondents were old enough to provide valuable responses
that pertain to the service quality and customer satisfaction in the banking sector in Kenya
The respondents were required to indicate their age where the study findings showed that
majority (24.40%) were between 36-45 years. Analysis of findings also indicated that 23.71% of
the respondents were between 46-55 years of age. The findings further indicated that 21.31%
24
were Over 55 Years. While the remaining 17.87 % indicated that they were 26-35 years and
lastly 12.71% of the respondents were 18 – 25 years. The finding therefore implies that the
respondents were old enough to provide valuable responses that pertain to the determinants of
The study sought to find out the determinants of customer satisfaction. Statements below are
indicators of the determinants of customer satisfaction with banks’ services. The respondents
were required to rank the indicators on a scale 1-5(minimum to maximum) to reflect their
feelings and the extent to which they agree with the statements.
25
needs
My bank provider has operating hours and 3.73 1.384
location convenient to all its customers
The employees give off their personal attention 3.41 1.374
The staff members can clearly explain the 3.88 0.788
various
options available to a particular query
The staff avoids using technical jargon when 3.77 1.417
speaking to clients
The Banks staff do not over-promise delivery or 2.71 1.362
service quality
Advertisements and promotions are not at 3.52 1.317
variance with the actual service experience
The bank keenly listens to customers and take 4.15 1.343
appropriate action making me feel valued
My bank always delivers excellent overall service 3.90 1.414
The services offered by my bank are of high 4.01 1.03
quality
My bank delivers superior service in every way 3.95 1.147
Interest rates on short, medium and long term 3.96 1.239
loans are reasonable compared to other banks
Foreign currency pricing and trading by my 3.92 1.193
bank is reasonable compared to other banks
Costs of maintaining account with the bank is 3.62 1.364
low compared to other banks
Interest earned on fixed term deposits are high 3.51 1.394
compared to other banks
Bank charges on domestic banking are low 3.93 0.888
compared to others
I will continue to patronize this bank even if the 2.11 1.427
service charges are increased moderately
I will keep patronizing this bank regardless of 2.37 1.362
everything being changed somewhat
I am likely to pay a little bit more for using the 2.91 1.517
services of this bank
To me, this bank would rank first among the 3.83 1.443
other banks
Repeatedly, the performance of this bank is 4.29 1.314
superior to that of competitor’s one
I am completely satisfied with the services 3.71 1.037
delivered by my bank
I feel very pleased with services offered by my 3.63 1.157
bank
I feel absolutely delighted with my banks services 3.81 1.219
I would like to remain as a customer of my 3.98 1.493
present bank
26
I would like to recommend my bank to friends 3.97 1.374
and people I know
I will say positive things about my bank to other 3.71 1.574
people
I would like to keep close relationship with my 4.52 0.738
bank
I consider myself to be loyal to my bank 4.25 1.217
Correlation analysis was used to measure the direction and strength of the relationship between
independent variables, that is, service quality delivery – Reliability, Responsiveness, assurance,
empathy and tangibles. Regression analysis established the relative significance of each of the
The Pearson correlation coefficient is a measure of the strength of a linear association between
two variables and is denoted by ‘r’. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r, can take a range of
values from +1 to -1. A value of 0 indicates that there is no association between the two
variables. A value greater than 0 indicates a positive association, that is, as the value of one
variable increases so does the value of the other variable. A value less than 0 indicates a negative
association, that is, as the value of one variable increases the value of the other variable
decreases.
27
Table 5: Correlation coefficient matrix
service quality
expectations
satisfaction
perception
Customer
delivery
service
service
Service quality delivery 1
Service perception 0.8345 1
Service expectations 0.3507 0.6679 1
Customer satisfaction 0.9567 0.8579 0.8123 1
The study in table 5, show that all the predictor variables were shown to have a positive
association between them at a significant level of 0.05 and hence included in the analysis. There
was strong positive relationship between the independent and the dependent variables. The
correlation between service quality delivery and service perceptions was 0.8345, the correlation
between service quality delivery and service expectations was 0.3507 and lastly the correlation
Analysis in table 6 shows that the coefficient of determination, R2, equals 0.843, that is, service
quality delivery, service perception and service expectations is 84.3% of observed change in
customer satisfaction. The P- value of 0.000 (Less than 0.05) implies that the regression model is
28
Table 6: Regression model for customer satisfaction
Change Statistics
R Adjusted R Std. Error of R Square F Sig. F
Model R Square Square the Estimate Change Change df1 df2 Change
1 .918(a) .843 .805 .51038 .843 1.242 4 96 .000
a. Predictors: (Constant), service quality delivery, service perception, and service
expectations.
The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to check how well the model fits the data. The
Sum of
Model Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 1.045 2 .123 .678 .0025
Residual 5.102 28 .177
Total 6.147 30
The F statistic is the regression mean square (MSR) divided by the residual mean square
(MSE).Since the significance value of the F statistic is smaller than say 0.05, that is, 0.0025 then
the predictor variables, service quality delivery, service perception and service expectations
explain the variation in the dependent variable which is customer satisfaction. Consequently, we
accept the Hypothesis that all the population values for the regression coefficients are not 0.
The regression output of most interest is the following table of coefficients and associated
output:
29
Table 8: Regression Coefficients results
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 0.943 0.133 3.167 0.0025
0.127
From the Regression results in table above, the multiple linear regression model finally appear as
The multiple linear regression models indicate that all the independent variables have positive
coefficient. The regression results above reveal that there is a positive relationship between
dependent variable (customer satisfaction) and independent variables (service quality delivery,
service perception and service expectations). From the findings, One unit increase in service
quality results in 0.9567 units increase in customer satisfaction. One unit change in service
perceptionresults in 0.8579 unit increases in customer satisfaction. One unit change in service
30
The findings of the study indicate that the respondents agreed with almost all the indicators as
being positive determinants of customer satisfaction. Some of the determinants had negative
mean indicating that the respondents disagreed with some of the determinants.
The technology and equipment used in the bank was indicated as state of the art. 215 out of the
291 respondents ranked it 3 or 4 making a total of 73.9% .Most of the respondents agreed that
the technology and equipment used in most of their banks was state of the art as illustrated in the
Figure 4.1: A pie chart illustrating customer perception of technology and equipment use in the
bank
31
Regarding the bank’s employee dressing code, the researcher found out that most of the
employee in the banks always looked smart and presentable .According to the respondent’s,
(66% ,n= 291 )agreed that bank employees’ dress code is always smart and presentable.
The customers were given a chance to give their opinion on what they felt needed to be done to
increase the level of satisfaction with bank services and products .Reponses were categorized
into themes and the following results were obtained:
Amount of time customers spend at the queue had the highest frequency with 157 out of 291
respondents categorically stating that they expect their banks to reduce the time spent serving
customers, cost also had the highest frequency with 129 out of 291 respondents categorically
stating that they expect their banks to reduce service costs and reduction of the amount of
paperwork involved in obtaining credit facilities was mentioned by 98 respondents. The bar
graph below illustrates the findings
160
140
120 reduce queueing
time
100
80
reduce service
60
costs
40
20
reduce
0 paperwork in
factors that need to be credit facilities
considered to increase level
of satisfaction
Figure 4.2: A bar graph illustrating factors that customers felt needed to improve to increase
level of satisfaction.
32
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses the summary of the findings from chapter four, and also gives conclusions
5.2 Summary
The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between service quality and
customer satisfaction in the banking sector in Kenya. The study specifically focused on the
extent to which service quality delivery, service perception and service expectations affects
customer satisfaction.
On average, in a scale of 1 -5 the customers felt that the quality of service be rated as 3.6; it
should however be noted that some of the constructs such as the bank employees tell exactly
when service will be performed scored a low of 2.37 while the customer feel safe when
transacting with the bank scored a high of 4.3. A strong positive relationship 0.9567 between
service quality delivery and customer satisfaction was noted. Since the significance of the F
statistic is less than 0.05 (value at 0.0025), there is therefore a relationship between customer
service quality and customer satisfaction, that is, the hypothesis is accepted.
On average, Service perception and expectation scored 3.7. A strong relationship between
service quality, service perception and customer satisfaction was noted. However the relationship
33
between service quality and service expectation scored a low of 0.3071 and customer satisfaction
and service expectation scored 0.667. The linear regression analysis showed an 84.3% change in
that was also strongly supported by Gronroos 2003 that quality is judged on individual’s
5.5 Conclusion
This study has highlighted the significant role customer satisfaction in banks would play in
ensuring that customers are retained and financial inclusion is enhanced in the banking sector.
The Banking industry should establish strong relationship with other stakeholders like the
government so as to improve the quality of service delivery. The proposed model of customer
satisfaction may be used as a basis to plan efforts towards increasing customer satisfaction.
Availability of good service quality delivery, service perception and service expectations will
improve the customer satisfaction. The model, although designed in a specific context, may be
extended to other similar services and help improve quality of services provided by the banking
The validity and reliability of the study’s information, which was obtained from the customers of
the different commercial banks, depended on how honest they were. The executive banking
sections in all the banks did not allow for administering of questionnaires to clients in those
34
sections therefore an important niche of respondents was left out. The study did not make a
distinction between public and private owned banks therefore there may have been confounding
Areas of further research that were identified include a similar study to be carried out on other
sectors of service provision, A study on the customer satisfaction used in the other sectors of
service provision; and lastly the challenges faced in Quality Management implementation in the
other sectors of banking. Crucially further research is should be done to determine how customer
satisfaction can contribute to organizational performance and financial performance and to what
35
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38
APPENDIX
Appendix I: Questionnaire
Instructions: (Please read the instructions given and answer the questions as appropriately as
possible).It is advisable you answer or fill in each section as provided. Make an attempt to
answer every question fully and correctly.
Over 55 Years [ ]
4. The statements below are indicators of the determinants of customer satisfaction with banks’
services. Please rank the following on a scale 1-5(minimum to maximum) to reflect your
feelings and the extent to which you agree with the statements.
39
Construct
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Neutral
Agree
Agree
When the bank promises a certain service by a certain time,
it does so
When customers have a problem, the bank shows sincere
interest in solving it
My bank delivers its services promptly at the time it
promises to do so
My bank always performs the service right the first time
The bank employees tell me exactly when services will be
performed
The bank employees give me a prompt service
The bank employees are always willing to help me
The bank employees are never too busy to respond to my
requests
The employees instil confidence in customers
Customers feel safe in transactions with the bank
The employees are consistently courteous with customers
The employees have knowledge to answer customers’
questions
The bank employees give customers individual attention
The bank has customers’ best interest at heart
The employees understand customers specific needs
My bank provider has operating hours and location
convenient to all its customers
The employees give off their personal attention
The staff members can clearly explain the various
options available to a particular query
The staff avoids using technical jargonwhen speaking to
clients
The Banks staff do not over-promise delivery or service
quality
Advertisements and promotions are not at variance with the
actual service experience
The bank keenly listens to customers and take appropriate
action making me feel valued
My bank always delivers excellent overall service
The services offered by my bank are of high quality
My bank delivers superior service in every way
Interest rates on short, medium and long term loans are
reasonable compared to other banks
Foreign currency pricing and trading by my bank is
reasonable compared to other banks
40
Costs of maintaining account with the bank is low
compared to other banks
Interest earned on fixed term deposits are high compared to
other banks
Bank charges on domestic banking are low compared to
others
I will continue to patronize this bank even if the service
charges are increased moderately
I will keep patronizing this bank regardless of everything
being changed somewhat
I am likely to pay a little bit more for using the services of
this bank
To me, this bank would rank first among the other banks
Repeatedly, the performance of this bank is superior to that
of competitor’s one
I am completely satisfied with the services delivered by my
bank
I feel very pleased with services offered by my bank
I feel absolutely delighted with my banks services
I would like to remain as a customer of my present bank
I would like to recommend my bank to friends and people I
know
I will say positive things about my bank to other people
I would like to keep close relationship with my bank
I consider myself to be loyal to my bank
5. Kindly indicate your perception of the banks physical facilities by ticking the position that
effectively described it.
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
41
6. In your opinion, what need to be done to increase your level of satisfaction with the bank
service/products?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
42