Evaluating service quality and customer satisfaction in a telecom Literature review

Evaluating service quality and customer satisfaction in a telecom company - Literature review Example Does the company follow a strategy in terms of customers’ satisfaction and what are the expectations of the users? Telecommunication service providers contribute considerably to the development initiatives in both developing and developed nations. Owing to the fact that there is stiff competition between different telecommunication providers situated all over the world, the function of customer care has come to be regarded as being one of the factors that determines the level of success enjoyed by telecommunication companies. In addition, many clients of telecommunication providers have knowledge regarding what real quality service is and so their demands have increased. Telecommunication service providers all over the world provide different goods and services for clients in various markets. Business rivalry between different telecommunication firms ensures that there is the best possible customer satisfaction in the provision of the necessary goods and services. According to Yaacob (2010), to continuously supply the best quality service, telecommunication establishments have to look into the extents of customers’ expectations with regard to service quality in different markets. Such information allows telecommunication companies to then tactically plan on how to integrate service quality processes and objectives into the market. Service quality basically refers to the factors that drive customer expectations and define competence along the lines of quality dimensions. According to Yaacob (2010), there are ten factors that customers use to define or grade service quality in most industries. These are tangibles, reliability, communication, responsiveness, security, credibility, courtesy, competence, accessibility and understanding the needs of consumers. Wong, Kong, Liang and Chua (2009) have mentioned a scale that was formed by experts to measure service quality known as SERVQUAL. This is a broad instrument that has been widely used in assessing consumer preferences and satisfaction in past marketing studies. The greatest performance level in top quality service is usually determined by customer expectations. Service quality is deemed to be low when the firm’s performance is below expectation. The SERVQUAL structure is a common analytical instrument used to assess perceived service as well as customer service. Dependability refers to the servicing firm’s capacity to ensure that it meets all its commitments to consumers satisfactorily and on time (Wong, Kong, Liang and Chua 2009). Responsiveness is descriptive of the level to which consumers feel that their service provider is prepared to offer assistance whenever it is required. Assurance has to do with how customers are treated by the workers in the service provider company. It also deals with the service provider personnel’s ability to engender trust in the firm’s clientele. Empathy has to do with the care given to individual customers by the s ervice provider; as well as the extent to which detailed consumer needs and inclinations can be understood and expressed. Tangibility has to do with the evidence of employees, facilities, and communication resources used by the corporation while supplying customers with services. According to Quinn (2012), the idea of meeting and surpassing