Service Quality Dimensions of Catering servicesand customer satisfication in Goverment Institutions in Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, the public sector is facing criticism to improve service delivery to enhance customer satisfaction. However, public institutions offering catering services are faced with multiple challenges and immense pressure in provision of quality service delivery which result in elusive achievement of customer satisfaction. Despite this, government institutions strive to put effort to achieve customer satisfaction through service delivery. The study sought to establish the influence of service quality dimensions of catering services and customer satisfaction in selected government institutions in Nairobi, Kenya. The specific objectives were to establish the influence of responsiveness, reliability, empathy, tangibility and assurance dimensions on customer satisfaction in government institutions in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was anchored on Expectancy and Disconfirmation theory and SERVQUAL model. Explanatory and Descriptive research designs was adopted. The target population comprised of 12,000 customers at Kenya School of Government (KSG) and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) where a sample size of 387 was selected. Purposive sampling was used to select the two institutions while systematic random sampling selected the participants for the study. Data was analyzed using gap analysis, paired t- test and multiple linear regression. From the finding the regression model attained R2= 0.874 which implies that catering service quality dimensions explained 87.4% of the variation in customer satisfaction. The results further revealed that responsiveness (β=0.303; t=2.803, p=0.001), reliability (β= - 0.219; t= -2.129, p=0.004) and empathy (β=0193; t=2.058, p=.001), had a positive and significant influence on customer satisfaction while tangibility (β=1.167; t= -1.730, p=0.006) and assurance (β= - 0.327; t= - 2.264, p=.005), had no significant influence on customer satisfaction. In conclusion it revealed reliability, responsiveness and empathy had influence on customer satisfaction while tangibility and assurance do not significantly influence customer satisfaction. The study recommends to management to adopt three service quality dimensions that positively influenced customer satisfaction and to focus on improving the two other service quality dimensions to enhance customer satisfaction even within the constraints of government operations. It also recommends provision of staff training and development programs based on skills gaps to enhance customer satisfaction. The study also recommends to management to allocate adequate financial resources on modern infrastructure, continuous assessment and adaptation based on feedback to improve service efficiency and to optimize on service quality dimensions and meeting customers’ expectations.