EFFECTS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINT MANAGEMENT ON REVENUE WITHIN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN KENYA
Abstract
This study focused on customer complaint management and how it affects the revenues of organisations in the hospitality industry in Kenya. The organisation selected as the research site was Nairobi Serena Hotel, which is part of a group of hotels with several hotels in different counties within Kenya. The respondents were the guests at the hotel. The study used quantitative research design to find out whether there was any evidence of a relationship between customer complaint management and increased revenues, and used a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. Ten initial copies of the questionnaire were sent to the Nairobi Serena Hotel guests for a pilot study to assess whether the guests fully understood the questions directed at them, these questionnaires were discarded and the data therein not considered in the final analysis. The researcher used test-retest reliability to measure the instrument reliability and the questionnaires were administered one week apart; the reliability co-efficient was greater than 0.7, therefore the questionnaire developed was considered reliable. The questionnaire also had content validity since it covered all the facets of research carried out. The data collected was analysed with the use of SPSS and after the analysis, the researcher tested the hypothesis and accepted it, based on the data analysed. The findings of this study were important since they established the relationship between customer complaint management and revenues in an organisation; this informed the organisation on the prominence it ought to give customer service within the organisation. The findings of this research would be used for future reference by other academic researchers as well as by other organisations as they seek to increase their revenues through improved customer service. The findings indicated that complaint management has a substantial effect on the revenue earned in the hospitality industry. The study gave conclusion and recommendations for the result obtained.
Key Words: Customer Complaint Management, Revenue, Hospitality Industry
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Aga Khan Development Network. (2012). Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development: Tourism Promotion Service. Retrieved 09 October, 2012, from http://www.akdn.org/akfed_tourism.asp
Alexander, D., Britton, A. & Jorissen, A. (2007). International financial reporting analysis. (Page 417). London: Thomson Learning
Anderson, E. (2010). Social media marketing: Game theory and the emergence of collaboration. (Page 101-139). Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Aylesworth, K., Christopherson, J., Friedhoff, J., Johnson, K., Mauthe, M., Nair, A. & Whalen, T. (2004). Data collection methods. Retrieved 17 April, 2013, from http://people.uwec.edu/piercech/researchmethods/data%20collection%20methods/data%20collection%20methods.htm
Barlow, J. & Moller, C. (2008). A complaint is a gift: Recovering customer loyalty when things go wrong. (Page 1-31). California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc
Benjamin, S. (2008). Perfect phrases for dealing with difficult people: Hundreds of ready-to-use phrases for handling conflicts, confrontations and challenging personalities. (Page 2-42). New York: McGraw-Hill
Brink, A. & Berndt, A. (2008). Relationship marketing and customer relationship management. (Page 54-63). Landsowne: Juta and Co. Ltd
British Hospitality Association. (2010). Hospitality industry is UK’s fifth largest employer. Retrieved on April 05, 2013, from http://www.bha.org.uk/2010/10/12/hospitality-industry-is-uks-fifth-largest-employer-2/
Brotherton, B. (Ed.). (2003). International hospitality industry: Structures, characteristics and issues. (Page 1-59). Oxford: Butterworth- Heinemann
Buttle, F. (2009). Customer relationship management. (Page 3-22, 30-55, 185-224). Massachusetts: Elsevier Ltd
Cook, S. (2008). Customer care excellence: How to create an effective customer focus. (Page 184-210). London: Kogan Page Limited
Cook, S. (2012). Complaint management excellence: Creating customer loyalty through service recovery. (Page 1-13). London: Kogan Page Limited
Cunanan, D., & Cruz, C. (2008). Sampling design: Probability sampling and non-probability sampling. Retrieved 16 April, 2013 from http://www.slideshare.net/apiong/sampling-design
Dorling, S. (2012). Customer service theory. Retrieved on 20 November, 2012, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/customer-service-theory-45500.html
Duening, T.N., Hisrich, R.D. & Lechter, M.A. (2010). Technology entrepreneurship: Creating, capturing and protecting value. (Page 315-456). Massachusetts: Academic Press
Evans, J. R & William, M. L. (2008). The management and control of quality. (Page 151-186). Ohio: Thomson Learning, Inc
Evenson, R. (2011). Customer service training 101: Quick and easy techniques that get great results. (Page 1-40). New York: AMACOM.
Finch, L. C. (2000). Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service. Page 82. California: Crisp Publications.
Fiske, J. (1990). Introduction to communication studies. (Page 64-78). New York: Routledge
Flinders University. What is SPSS? Retrieved 22 April, 2013, from, http://www.flinders.edu.au/library/research/eresearch/statistics-consulting/spss-licenses-and-technical-support/
Ford, L., McNair, D. & Perry, W. (2001). Exceptional customer service: Going beyond your good service to exceed your customer’s expectations. (Page 6- 29). Massachusetts: Adams Media.
Fredrick, V. (2012). Theory of push and pull customer service. Retrieved 20 November, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/about_5565393_theory-push-pull-customer-service.html
Goodman, J.A. (2009). Strategic customer service: Managing the customer experience to increase positive word of mouth, build loyalty and maximise profits. (Page 15-29). New York: AMACOM.
Hardingham, S. (2012). Why China? A study of why foreign hotel companies are rushing to develop new luxury hotels in China (Masters professional paper, University of Nevada). Retrieved from http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2365&context=thesesdissertations&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dhospitality%2520industry%2520in%2520china%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26cad%3Drja%26sqi%3D2%26ved%3D0CEsQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalscholarship.unlv.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D2365%2526context%253Dthesesdissertations%26ei%3D6qlaUbyECoXY7AaWy4HICw%26usg%3DAFQjCNFxPYulJ0LVOVrXRZqYra8ETqCRyQ%26bvm%3Dbv.44442042%2Cd.d2k#search=%22hospitality%20industry%20china%22
Hayes, J. & Dredge, F. (1998) Managing customer service. (Page 47-53). Hampshire, Gower Publishing Limited.
Hotels, S. About us. Retrieved 09 October 2012, available from, http://www.serenahotels.com/aboutus-en.html
Hoyer, D.W. & Macinnis D.J. (2010). Consumer behaviour. (Page 280-282). Ohio: Cengage Learning Inc
Industrial Development Corporation. (2012). Tourism report: The business hotel industry in select East and West African countries. Retrieved on April 05, 2013, from http://www.idc.co.za/images/Content/tourism_report_2012.pdf
Janoschka, A. (2004). Web advertising: New forms of communication on the internet. (Page 43-82). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co.
Jones, M. (2007). Customer communications. (Page 12-22). Massachusetts, Elsevier Ltd
KAHC Hotel Guide. Kenya 2012. Retrieved 23 April, 2013, from http://www.kahc.co.ke/pdf/KAHC_Hotel_Guide_2012.pdf
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers. (2013). About us. Retrieved 16 April, 2013, from http://www.kahc.co.ke/profile.php
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Economic survey 2012 highlights. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.knbs.or.ke/Economic%20Surveys/Ministers%20Presentation%20ES%20FINAL.pdf
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Kenya facts and figures 2012. Retrieved 16 April, 2013, from http://knbs.or.ke/downloads/pdf/Kenyafacts2012.pdf
Khan, J.A. (2008). Research methodology. (Page 55-68). New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation
Kothari, C.R. (2012). Research methodology: Methods and techniques. (Page 1-69, 95-152). New Delhi: New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers
Kumar, C. R. (2008). Research methodology. (Page 20-47). New Delhi: S.B. Nangia
Lilley, R. (2010). Dealing with difficult people. (Page 1-24). London: Kogan Page Limited
Litwin, M.S. (1995). How to measure survey reliability and validity. (Page 1-33). California: Sage Publications, Inc
Mackenzie, M. & Chan, B. (2009). Tourism and hospitality studies: Introduction to hospitality. Wan Chai: Education bureau
Maister, D. H. (1997). True professionalism: The courage to care about your people, your clients and your career. (Page 17-18). New York: The Free Press
Mankiw, N. G. (2012). Principles of economics. (Page 257-353). Ohio: Cengage Learning, Inc
Miller, F.R., & Miller, L.E. (2007). That’s customer focus! (Page 3-15). South Carolina: Book Surge
Ministry of Tourism. Fact and figures. Retrieved 20 November, 2012, from http://www.tourism.go.ke/ministry.nsf/pages/facts_figures
Moorad, Z. (2012). Brighter outlook for Africa’s hospitality sector. Retrieved 05 April, 2013, from http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/retail/2012/09/12/brighter-outlook-for-africas-hospitality-sector
Mora, M. (2010). Quantitative vs. qualitative research- When to use which. Retrieved 15 April, 2013, from http://www.surveygizmo.com/survey-blog/quantitative-qualitative-research/
Murcko, T. (2012). Professional standard of care. Retrieved on November 12, 2012, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/professional-standard-of-care.html
Murcko, T. (2012). Professional. Retrieved on November 12, 2012, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/professional.html
Murcko, T. (2012). Professionalism. Retrieved on November 12, 2012, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/professionalism.html#ixzz2C0VpCgoK
Murcko, T. (2012). What is revenue? Retrieved on October 24, 2012, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/revenue.html
Murley, P. (Ed.). (1997). Gower handbook of customer service. (Page 138-162). Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited
Oade, A. (2012). Managing challenging clients: Building effective relationships with difficult customers. (Page 2-18). Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
Raab, G., Ajami, R.A., Gargeya, V.B., & Goddard, G.J. (2008). Customer relationship management: A global perspective. (Page 78-94). Hampshire: Gower Publishing Ltd.
Rubin, A. & Babbie, E. R. (2010). Essential research methods for social work. (Page 50-111). California: Cengage Learning, Inc.
Salkind, N. J. (2010). Encyclopaedia of research design. (Page 1183-1295). California: Sage Publications, Inc
Shuttleworth, M. (2009). What is sampling? Retrieved 16 April, 2013, from, http://explorable.com/what-is-sampling
Singh, Y.K. & Bajpai, R.B. (2008). Research methodology: Techniques and trends. (Page 35-58). New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation
South African Hospitality Outlook: 2012-2016. (2012). Unpacking hospitality trends (2nd ed.). Retrieved 05 April, 2013, from http://www.pwc.co.za/en_ZA/za/assets/pdf/hospitality-outlook-july-2012.pdf
Spears, R.A. (2002). Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. (Page 5). New York: McGraw-Hill
Suttle, M. & Vest L.J. (2009). Who’s your Gladys? How to turn even the most difficult customer into your biggest fan. (Page 5-32). New York: AMACOM.
Talluri, K. T. & Van Ryzin, G. J. (2005). The theory and practice of revenue management. (Page 2-30). New York: Springer Science+ Business Media, Inc
Terms, G. (n.d.). Target population. Retrieved July 02, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/evaluation/health_depts/guidance/glossary.htm
The travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the United States. Retrieved 05 April, 2013, from, http://selectusa.commerce.gov/industry-snapshots/travel-tourism-and-hospitality-industry-united-states
The UK hospitality industry. (n.d.). Retrieved 06 April, 2013, from http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/FEAndVocational/HospitalityAndCatering/GCSE/WJECGCSEHospitalityandCatering/Samples/Samplepages/WJECGCSEHospitalitySamplePages.pdf
Tschohl, J. (2011). Achieving excellence through customer service. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=fQ_q6SCkUJQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Achieving+excellence+through+customer+service-Tschohl&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Gm6eUKf1Hs65hAf7koHQBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Ukens, L. L. (2007). 101 ways to improve customer service: Training, tools, tips and techniques. (Page 289-350). California: Pfeiffer Publishers
Vickie, B. (2008). Are you the reason why customer service stinks? (Page 9-13). Pennsylvania: RoseDog Books
Wadongo, B., Odhuno, E., Kambona, O. & Othuon, L. (2010). Key performance indicators in the Kenyan hospitality industry: A managerial perspective. Retrieved 16 May, 2013, from http://www.academia.edu/260243/Key_performance_Indicators_in_the_Kenyan_hotel_industry_A_Managerial_perspective
Warren, C.S., Reeve J.M. & Duchac, J.E. (2009). Accounting. (Page 762-817). Ohio: Cengage Learning Inc
Wesleyan University Library. (n.d.). What is literature review? Retrieved 08 April, 2013, from http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/guides/litrev/whatsalitreview.html http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/guides/litrev/whatsalitreview.html
West, R. & Turner, L. (2011). Understanding interpersonal communication: Making choices in changing times (Page 122-184). Ohio: Cengage Learning, Inc
Williams, D. (2012). The marketing donut: Resources for your business. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/customer-care/customer-service/top-ten-questions-about-customer-service-and-business
Wisner J. & Stanley L. (2008). Process management: Creating value along the supply chain. (Page 98). Ohio: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Wood, J. (2010). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. (Page 94-132). Ohio: Cengage Learning, Inc.
Yu, L. (1999). The international hospitality business: Management and operations. (Page 1-48). New York : The Harworth Hospitality Press
Zarrella, D. (2010). The social media marketing book. (Page 1-35). Sebastopol: O’ Reilly Media Inc
Zero, C. (n.d.). Research site. Retrieved July 02, 2013 from http://www.clubzero.co.uk/definitions.htm
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v5i3.804
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
PAST ISSUES:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.