FACTORS INFLUENCING CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF NAIROBI COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Abstract
Customer service at the Nairobi County Government is perceived and narrated by many as not satisfactory. There are numerous complaints by the general public to friends, colleagues, families, business associates and anybody who cares to listen to their grievances. The main objective of the study was to assess the factors influencing the level of customer service in Nairobi County Government in Kenya. This study aimed to identify the extent to which corporate governance and level of staff competence affect customer service. To achieve this objective the study employed descriptive research design and use of semi structured questionnaire to collect data from the respondents, while the secondary data was majorly available in the library, internet and the County Government information resource bank. A sample study of 100 employees, 25 from each of the 4 sectors (departments) comprised the respondents selected randomly. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics such as mean scores, frequencies and percentages. Pearson product moment correlation technique was used to establish the strength and significance of the relationship of corporate governance, staff competence, employee training, and employee motivation and customer service in the 4 sectors. Field study was done and the data analyzed and discussed to come up with a conclusion which enabled the researcher to give recommendation to the concerned parties. The study found out that Corporate Governance negatively affected the customer service in Nairobi County to a great extent. Specifically, lack of periodic forums to discuss performance and the poor attendance for the sporadic ones affected both enterprise (performance) and accountability (conformance). In addition poorly inculcated culture in regard to customer service values, principles and monitoring to identify improved opportunities contributed to poor service delivery. The County had done very little to develop the staff competence over their lifetime from the three fundamental components, comprising education, training and experience. The study recommends that to effectively manage and improve the customer service County Government should have periodic review of customer service performance, have staff development programs, and create systems for consultation and feed back in the organization.
Key Words: Customer Service, Standards
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v2i2.142
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