Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Banks and banking Banks and banking Customer services Consumer satisfaction'

The purpose of this study is to gather information for the management of the Bank of Ayudhya to improve its internet banking service. It explored customer satisfaction, customer attitudes, and the correlation between the frequency of Internet banking usage and customer demographic data.

In the increasingly competitive world of retail banking, organizations are focusing their attention on customer service as a means of increasing customer loyalty and retention. With this goal of increasing customer retention, the link between the attitudes of the service provider (employee satisfaction), the customer interaction behaviors that those attitudes lead to (customer service quality), and the attitudes that those behaviors generate in the customer (customer satisfaction) has become an increasingly important area of investigation. The goal of this research is to analyze the relationships that exist between these three variables: employee satisfaction, customer service quality, and customer satisfaction in a mid-sized retail bank. Data from three separate surveys collected during the same time period in 137 branches of a regional bank are analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine whether relationships and interactions exist at a banking center level. While results of the analyses did not show a significant relationship between the variables, issues relevant to this determination are discussed and conclusions drawn regarding the nature of these constructs.

In spite of the rapid growth and internalization of banking services in particular, managers first need to correctly identify the antecedents of what the local consumer perceives as service quality and its link to service climate, thus the strengths of this relationship would be beneficial as a global competitive tool. Although significant studies had been done regarding issues and factors contributing to service quality and service climate in the banking industry, very little has been published regarding the connection between perceptions of these dimensions. The purpose of this study is to describe an accomplished research to determine whether Malaysian local bank customers’ perceptions of service quality and its dimensions relate to employees’ perceptions of service climate and its dimensions; and to ascertain whether various background elements’ reported differences influence the relationships between the dimensions of service quality and service climate. This study encapsulated two phases of survey with open-ended and close-ended questionnaires consecutively. The researcher employed the Profile Accumulation Technique in the first phase and from the respondents’ results, close-ended questionnaires were constructed with responses from four local banks in Malaysia, corroborated together with previous scholars’ findings. Several analyses were carried out such as demographic, reliability, validity, performance, non-parametric and parametric tests and elaboration analysis. The main findings produced nine dimensions of service quality (Automated Teller Machine; corporate image; customer interaction and customer service; online and phone banking; physical feature and facilities; products and services; rates and charges; management and staff) and eleven dimensions of service climate (benefit, bonus, reward and salary; corporate image; customer service; facilities; organization; department and branch; management; organization output; products and services; workforce; myself). There were significant relationships between service quality and service climate dimensions. Respondents’ characteristics influenced the strength of the relationships between dimensions, service quality and service climate. Consequently, the results offered significant implications for participating banks to improve quality in their environment concerning their employees and customers; using customer-oriented processes and training programs within an increasingly diverse marketplace. Economic development, the political situation, socio-cultural system and the level of sector maturity do need to be considered by managers and policy makers so as to investigate their influence on service quality and service climate.

Customers have become the lifeblood of any organisation. Without customers, or-ganisations would not exist let alone survive in this competitive global environment (Grigoroudis, Politis and Siskos, 2002). Banks depend on sufficient and sustaining profitability to survive in the global business world. Customers are the source of banks‟ profitability. By satisfying the customer, the bank is able to retain the custom-er and reap maximum benefits from the relationship which ultimately leads to higher profitability. Customer satisfaction has therefore evolved as a strategic business ini-tiative which banks cannot ignore. Retention of the bank customer has become one of the most important objectives of the overall marketing strategy of any bank. In Kenya, the term „customer service‟ came to the fore just over fifteen years ago when banks started acquiring customer service departments. Since then, many cus-tomer training programs for staff have been put in place to transform the image of the customer as not just a profit-maker for the banks but as a human being with needs, which if not fulfilled will cause the customer to look for alternatives in the market. Training has focused on the bank staff whose customer handling skills have been sharpened. In spite of this, no empirical study has attempted to find out if the intended satisfaction of the customer has been achieved or not, which is indicative of little or no attention being given to this important phenomenon. In Africa, with the ex-ception of South Africa, empirical studies on customer satisfaction in the banking in-dustry are few. This gap presented the motivation for this study. The primary objective was to establish the determinants of customer satisfaction and retention in the Kenyan banking industry. The secondary objectives were to establish the relationship between socio-economic factors and customer satisfaction in Ken-yan banks; secondly, to determine whether bank-related factors influence customer satisfaction in Kenyan banks; thirdly, to identify the various strategies known to cus-tomers and employed by Kenyan banks to ensure customer satisfaction and customer retention and finally, to analyse the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention in Kenyan banks. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to suit the target population which was dispersed over a wide geographical region spanning the entire Kenya. The tar-get population included every bank customer in Kenya. Both qualitative and quantita-tive data were used. The data collection instrument was a self-administered ques-tionnaire that contained both closed and open-ended questions. Statistical tests were done using Pearson, Chi Square, Anova, Pearson Correlation and Multi-linear re-gression. Data were presented using frequency distribution tables, percentages, cross tabulation and pie charts. The findings indicated a positive relationship be-tween bank-related factors and customer satisfaction and retention. The conclusion was that if banks improved on factors like quality service, staff orientation towards customers, availability of management and ATM uptimes just to name a few, propor-tionately, customer satisfaction and retention would be enhanced. Finally, recommendations based on the findings were made to the Kenyan banks highlighting antecedents which would enhance the customers‟ satisfaction and reten-tion in the Kenyan banking industry.

If you do not own the latest technology today it is thought that you are left behind in this technology driven age. More businesses use Self- Service channels to accommodate the increasing demands of customers. It has been said that the use of self-service channels can reduce input costs, increase efficiency and improve customer service. Unfortunately, many customers are left unsatisfied because retail banks are moving away from the human interaction when visiting a branch or advise customers to use their self-service channels, sometimes without any assistance. This causes customers to move banks, complain and in so doing reduce profits and customer relationships with their banks.This research’s main objective was to determine the impact of customer relationship management on retail banks that make use of self-service channels. A theoretical overview of self-service channels and customer relationship management was given. Advantages and disadvantages of each option were explored. The researcher wanted to explore the relation between customers using self-service channels and the assistance and protection provided by retail banks. The customer experience questionnaire used in this research asked retail banking customers from the South African population to determine how customers perceive and experience their banks’ self-service channels and customer service. Many questions relating to their needs and wants with regards to banking have been explored. The results show that most customers are satisfied with their banks in general but do feel that the banks can improve their customer service and assistance with regards to using self-service channels like ATM’s, online and telephone banking and E-Wallet. It has concluded that most customers choose their banks based on advertisements and other media, not customer service, product range or word-of-mouth. The general perception is that customers say that their bank charges do justify the customer service received.

The business environment and the economy of the society today are continuously witnessing the impact of globalisation. Telecommunication advancement and transportation has greatly made the impact of globalisation to be felt. Globalisation though argued to have its merits and its demerits have resulted in fierce competition amongst businesses. The banking industry is not isolated from these competitions. Any business wishing to survive and stay profitable in the recent world must be able to compete in the global economy. Hence, for any bank to sustain itself and remain profitable it must be able to withstand the competition in the environment it operates. To be able to compete in the banking industry means delivering better services to customers than competitors. This study presents how the South African banks can satisfy their customers and remain profitable in the face of competition. The South African banking industry consists of local and foreign banks and these banks compete for customers in the environment in which they are located. Increase in different branches by different banks has made the competition even fierce. In other to suggest recommendations for the South African banks to satisfy their customers and become profitable, the researcher identified some problem areas that need to be improved upon. These include customer loyalty, relationship banking and electronic banking. These variables were researched to understand how they affect the banks and the customers and where tested using both a qualitative and a quantitative analysis to ascertain if the customers were satisfied with the banks‟ approach of managing these variables. The results indicated that the customers were satisfied to a lesser extent. Any bank wishing to satisfy its customers and remain profitable in other to compete in the industry needs to satisfy the customer to a large extent. Therefore, recommendations where suggested based on the empirical results to help improve the banking industry‟s ways of attracting and retaining customers. The former will lead to customer satisfaction which again will lead to increased profitability.

This is a quantitative study which explores whether there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction as perceived by corporate customers and revenue generated from such customers of the corporate division of a single South African bank. This research report has three sections, namely the (1) academic paper which comprises a condensed literature review, research methods, results and discussion, (2) an expanded literature review, and (3) an expanded research methodology. Although these three sections are interrelated, they may be considered stand-alone documents. A review of literature contends that customer satisfaction has been a topic of interest for over four decades when, in 1965, the concept was first introduced to literature by Cardozo. Even in these early stages it was hypothesized that higher customer satisfaction would lead to repeat purchasing and cross selling. Thus, for some time, researchers have proposed that a link exists between customer satisfaction and a company’s bottom line, ultimately alluding to the notion of positive associations between customer satisfaction, revenue and profitability. The corporate banking division of a South African bank has dedicated significant time and economic resources to monitoring and improving the satisfaction of their corporate customers each year. With a focus on this single corporate banking division, this quantitative study used secondary customer satisfaction data to establish whether a positive relationship between customer satisfaction with a bank representative or more formally termed, the ‘transactional banker’ (TB) and revenue at an account level exists. The study used a one-dimensional customer satisfaction construct summated from several variables or a one-dimensional multi item scale. This quantitative study made use of secondary data obtained through customer satisfaction surveys conducted with the division’s clients in three waves during September 2010, March 2011 and September 2011. At the time of data collection, telephone interviews were conducted with individuals in corporations who were customers of the corporate division within the bank. These individuals in their respective corporations were identified and surveyed because they (a) managed the primary relationship of the corporation with the banking division and (b) were senior financial decision makers of their organization’s (i.e. had the ability to influence a decision to change banks). Sample sizes of 273 (September 2010), 259 (March 2011) and 310 (September 2011) individual corporate customers were achieved through a method of stratified sampling. In this study, customers were stratified according to the TB who is responsible for their account. Within each stratum a random sample of 10 – 15 participants were included for each of the 30 TB’s. Monthly revenue data, recorded as a) credit revenue, b) overdraft revenue and c) total revenue was sourced from internal company records for each month from September 2010 to January 2012. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess whether a positive correlation between the two variables of customer satisfaction and revenue exists. This was followed by Ordinary Least Square Regression to investigate the magnitude and nature of the relationship between customer satisfaction and revenue using customer satisfaction as the independent variable and revenue as the response variable. Cronbach’s alpha was also used for internal scale validity. The results of the research indicated no statistically significant relationship between a customer’s satisfaction with the performance of their TB and either the credit, overdraft or total revenue generated from such a customer through their account. By highlighting this, these findings, nevertheless, contribute to the growing body of knowledge examining the impact of customer satisfaction efforts on revenue. On the basis of the findings of this study, it cannot be practically recommended that customer satisfaction efforts be terminated or changed within the organization of study owing to several study limitations which were present. Firstly, the study was hampered by small sample sizes due to a lack of the availability of revenue data in some instances, particularly in the case of overdraft revenue. Secondly, the study only focused on a single bank account held with the bank and increases and decreases in revenue based on the balances held within that single account. Since one of the purported consequences of improved customer satisfaction is the purchase of additional products, the current design of the study does not take into account the take up of additional accounts or banking products with the bank. Thus, an increase in revenue for the bank as a whole due to the purchase of additional accounts may be masked. Similarly, the scope of the study does not extend to examining the effect of recommendations made by these corporate customers to others and hence growth of divisional or bank revenue due to the addition of new customers. Finally, this quantitative study does not examine revenue growth when compared to customer satisfaction improvements over time due to a limited sample of customers taking part in the study over a number of periods as well as incomplete revenue data. The recommendations for future research are to examine the relationship between changes in customer satisfaction and changes in revenue at divisional level in the long run within the South African banking industry as the impact of an increase in customer satisfaction may be obscured by salient factors in the short run. It is also suggested that future research look at the correlation between dissatisfaction and revenue, where adequate sample sizes are available. Theoretically, the results of this research do bring into serious question the universal application, especially in the context of the South African banking industry of the Service Profit Chain and Satisfaction Profit Chain which propagate the existence of a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and revenue.

Increasing climate awareness, the Paris Agreement urging institutions to enable the economic transition toward sustainability and the looming possibility of environmental regulations are challenges facing the banking sector today. This study however chooses to see opportunities in a changing retail banking environment, investigating what green banking products customers want their bank to provide and how the introduction of green banking product might impact customer loyalty. The research was conducted through a mixed-method approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative elements during the time-period of January to June 2019. 504 individuals engaged in the survey conducted and their answers were both analysed through the development of a customer loyalty framework and with theoretical support from the literature gathered. The results indicated a positive attitude towards green banking products while also not showing a clear preference or desirability for a specific product. Additionally, this study found a positive relationship between the introduction of green banking products and increased customer loyalty. The study concluded that green banking products suggestively have an advantageous position in the evolving financial sector, more specifically in a number of years.
Ökande klimatmedvetenhet, Parisavtalet som uppmuntrar institutioner att möjliggöra en ekonomisk övergång till hållbarhet och hägrande möjligheter till tuffare miljöregler, är utmaningar som banksektorn står inför idag. Denna studie väljer emellertid att se möjligheter i en förändrad bankmiljö, genom att undersöka vilka gröna bankprodukter kunderna vill att deras bank ska tillhandahålla och hur införandet av gröna bank-produkter kan påverka kundlojalitet. Undersökningen genomfördes genom en mixed-method approach som bestod av både kvantitativa och kvalitativa element under perioden januarijuni 2019. 504 personer deltog i undersökningen som genomfördes och deras svar analyserades både genom utvecklingen av ett ramverk för kundlojalitet och med teoretiskt stöd från den samlade litteraturen. Resultaten indikerar en positiv inställning till gröna bankprodukter, men visar inte heller en tydlig preferens eller önskemål om en viss produkt. Dessutom fann denna studie ett positivt förhållande mellan introduktionen av gröna bankprodukter och ökad kundlojalitet. Undersökningen drog slutsatsen att gröna bankprodukter sannolikt har en fördelaktig position inom den utvecklande finanssektorn, mer specifikt inom ett antal år.

This paper focuses on methods for financial institutions to perform precise customer level analysis to anticipate customers' evolving financial needs and maximize the lifetime value of each customer relationship. The paper proposes software packages that analyze customer relationship management from a financial perspective.

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The objective of this study is to analyze how much the customer, physical person, is satisfied with the quality of bank services, concerning quality dimensions such as: tangibles, reliability, responsibility, assurance and empathy. This study was made in two phases. First, a bibliography revision was made to offer subsidy to a better comprehension of people behavior and expectations as service's consumers. Second, a research was made with 150 people, clients of a financial institution in S??o Paulo. The general result shows that client's satisfaction changes in accordance with demographics, social and economical differences and it changes as regard quality dimensions. These results seen to indicate that this group of clients have different characteristics, values and needs that deserve to be known and carefully analyzed by companies, their professionals and education institutions.
Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o grau de satisfa????o do cliente, pessoa f??sica, com a qualidade do servi??o banc??rio, quanto ??s dimens??es da qualidade: confiabilidade, responsabilidade, seguran??a, empatia e tangibilidade. O estudo foi realizado em duas fases: na primeira, foi feita uma revis??o bibliogr??fica visando oferecer subs??dios para uma melhor compreens??o do comportamento e das expectativas das pessoas enquanto consumidoras de servi??os. Na segunda fase foi aplicada uma pesquisa junto a 150 sujeitos, clientes de uma Institui????o Financeira na cidade de S??o Paulo, Capital. O resultado geral mostra que a satisfa????o dos clientes difere em fun????o das vari??veis demogr??ficas e socioecon??micas. Constata-se tamb??m que a satisfa????o do cliente difere quanto ??s dimens??es da qualidade. Tais resultados parecem indicar que esses grupos de clientes possuem caracter??sticas, valores e necessidades diversas, e que merecem ser conhecidas e analisadas cuidadosamente pelas empresas, pelos profissionais que nelas atuam e pelas institui????es de ensino.

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The focus of the research carried out in this essay is the satisfaction of individuals with the extended customer service provided by the Brazilian retail banks. The bibliographic review provided a better understanding of service marketing, its relevance worldwide and the process adopted by customers for the consumption of services to meet a certain demand. The studies about the financial sector in Brazil provided a deeper insight of internet banking and suggested that, given its current relevance, the retail banks' extended customer service will be incomplete unless we consider this virtual channel. Customers' satisfaction has been assessed through a multiple item scale involving customers of a single bank present all over the country. The research implemented has been defined as Descriptive, the statistical technique used was the Confirmatory Factorial Analysis and the process of adjustment required the use of three estimation methods. The final conclusion arrived at showed that, in the bank where the survey was carried out, customers were more satisfied rather than dissatisfied with the extended customer service provided by the bank, even though such conclusion does not apply to other banks in the country.
A quest??o de pesquisa debatida nesta disserta????o ?? a satisfa????o da clientela pessoas f??sicas com a oferta ampliada de atendimento disponibilizada pelos bancos de varejo do Brasil. A revis??o bibliogr??fica proporcionou o entendimento sobre o marketing de servi??os, sua relev??ncia mundial e o processo adotado pelos clientes para o consumo de servi??os em busca da satisfa????o de um determinado desejo. Os estudos sobre a ind??stria financeira do Brasil ensejou um aprofundamento no internet banking e levou ?? conclus??o que, dada a sua atual relev??ncia, a oferta ampliada de atendimento dos bancos de varejo ser?? incompleta se n??o considerar este canal virtual. A satisfa????o da clientela foi mensurada atrav??s da aplica????o de uma escala de m??ltiplos itens a clientes de um ??nico banco com presen??a em todas as regi??es do pa??s. A pesquisa implementada foi definida como do tipo Descritiva, a t??cnica estat??stica utilizada foi a An??lise Fatorial Confirmat??ria e o processo de ajustamento requisitou o uso de tr??s m??todos de estima????o. A conclus??o final a que se chegou ?? que os clientes do banco pesquisado demonstraram estar mais satisfeitos do que insatisfeitos com a oferta ampliada de atendimento disponibilizada, embora tais conclus??es n??o sejam pass??veis de extrapola????o para os demais bancos do pa??s.

The following is a case study report on the Cape Town business unit of Standard Bank Properties. The research project falls within the ambit of services marketing which introduces several unique management challenges for service businesses that sell services as a core offering. The principal aim of the case study is to gain an understanding of why customers bank at the business unit and to discover what aspects are critical to customer satisfaction. A further goal of the research is to examine how the business unit could improve customer satisfaction and to highlight any impediments to further improving customer satisfaction at the business unit. It is generally regarded that quality customer service is essential to building customer relationships and hence the research project emphasis on services marketing and customer satisfaction within a financial services context. The paper commences with an overview of the South African Banking Sector and its unique challenges such as the Financial Service Charter and newly introduced legislation such as Financial Intelligence Centre Act. The case study will specifically investigate the property finance industry and a detailed analysis of the business unit's operations and process flow will also be undertaken. The reason for this background information is to assist the reader to understand how the business unit operates. The research project will investigate four unique differences between goods marketing and services marketing whereafter three theoretical propositions are introduced, namely the dyadic interaction and service encounter, the Service Profit Chain and finally Relationship Marketing. Evidence in the form of a narrative will be led from insights obtained from interviews conducted with customers and staff at the business unit against these propositions with support (or otherwise) from independent surveys and documents from the business unit. The result of this analysis is the identification of several areas of concern specifically: New employees and the service encounter, Problems with FICA, Lack of a customer complaint handling system, Empowerment issues, Turnaround times, Reliance on key staff These insights together with the evidence from the literature review will be analysed and several recommendations made to improve customer service and ultimately customer satisfaction at the business unit. Several recommendations for further research are offered as well as the identification of limitations including but not limited to the specificity of the case study report.

This study investigates the relationship of bank customers’ behavioural patterns based on the customers past transactions, with respect to their profile characteristics. The main aim of this study is to illustrate that different categories of customers (based on demographical variables such as race, gender and age) have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how they operate their accounts. A theoretical overview on the literature of customer relationship management in the banking sector emphasises the importance of understanding customers to ensure that a business is successful. Four null-hypotheses where formulated based on a general research hypothesis. The data base provided a major South African bank is used to achieve the objectives. Extensive cleaning of the data set was necessary to ensure the validity of the results. The data set had 7860 customer keys. The large data base used contributed to the reliability of the results. The following behavioural variables were used in the study namely, transaction data, average debit and credit transaction amounts and average number of transactions per month. The main results of study indicate that different customer categories have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how customers operate their accounts. This implies that it is important for the banking sector to consider customer gender differences, age differences and race group differences in the relationship strategies which they employ in their multicultural environment. Further research in the area may be necessary before generalisation can be made on all banking customers.

In many industries, service is the critical determinant of success or failure. Service failure is almost inevitable, and this has the potential for the organisation to lose its customer. However, if implemented successfully, Service Recovery can rectify the breakdown in service, and turn angry, frustrated customers into loyal ones. Service Recovery is vital for profitability, especially for companies operating in the services market, like First National Bank (FNB). Unfortunately, few service firms know how satisfied customers are with their Service Recovery efforts, and FNB is no exception. This study attempted to rectify the situation, to ensure that the bank does not fail its customers a second time. The major focus of the study is to assess client satisfaction with Service Recovery (SR) from FNB. By using the RECOVSAT instrument (developed by Boshoff in 1999), the study aims to establish how effective FNB was in terms of the six dimensions of SR, namely communication, empowerment, feedback, atonement, explanation, and tangibles. The relationship between each of the dimensions and customer satisfaction, as well as between customer satisfaction and loyalty, was measured, and a hypothesis for each relationship rejected or accepted. The empirical results show that, from 702 complainants, a RECOVSAT score of 68% was computed, which could be regarded as only satisfactory. The dimensions of communication, explanation, atonement, and empowerment, had the strongest positive correlation with customer satisfaction, while feedback and tangibles, although positively correlated, were not statistically significant, and thus not as important as the first four dimensions. FNB performed best on tangibles (81%), then communication (75%), explanation (70%), atonement (68%), empowerment (62%), and lastly feedback (51%). The study reinforced the view that customer satisfaction is positively related to loyalty. Other findings were that, administration and errors were the most frequent complaints, followed by pricing, fees, and interest, while time delays/waiting were the third most numerous. Over 54% of complainants had been with the bank for over 10 years, which could be a problem if the customers had left the bank, as the profitability of a customer generally increases with time. Age and gender did not appear to be factors that influenced behaviour of complainants. In terms of the managerial implications, it is recommended that FNB implement a Customer-Complaint-Handling (CCH) system that is both national and inter-group. The bank should also focus on empowering employees, improving communication skills, explaining to customers why the problem occurred, apologising, and offering some atonement. By adopting the recommendations, FNB should improve their service recovery, and as a consequence, their customer satisfaction and loyalty, and profitability should also increase.

With the intense competition and increasing globalization in the financial markets, bank management must develop customer-oriented strategies in order to compete successfully in the competitive retail banking environment. The longer a bank can retain a customer, the greater revenue and cost savings from that customer. However, customers are also more prone to changing their banking behaviour when they can purchase nearly identical financial products provided by the retail banks. In order to stay competitive, bank managers need to understand the factors that influence and determine consumer’s bank switching behaviour. With China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), their financial services market was liberalized and deregulated. As a result, customers have a greater choice between domestic and foreign banks. Furthermore, the emergence of the internet allows customers to access financial products without limitation, and increases the Chinese retail banks’ ability to prevent customers’ switching banks. This study identifies and analyses the factors that influence bank customers’ switching behaviour in the Chinese retail banking industry. The findings reveal that Price, Reputation, Service Quality, Effective Advertising, Involuntary Switching, Distance, and Switching Costs have an impact on customers’ bank switching behaviour. The results also reveal that the Young Age and High Income Groups are more likely to switch banks. In general, the results of this research allow service marketers and practitioners to develop and implement services marketing strategies to decrease customer defection rates, and in turn, increase bank profits. Furthermore, this research provides useful information for future researchers who study switching-behaviour in the banking industry.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjama marketingo komplekso elementų ir vartotojo elgsenos veiksnių įtaka vartotojo lojamumui. Analizuojama marketingo komplekso sudėtis skirtingose marketingo koncepcijose, pateikiamas vartotojo elgsenos veiksnių klasifikavimas, nagrinėjami vartotojo lojalumą lemiantys veiksniai. Atliktas komercinių bankų klientų lojalumo tyrimas anketinės apklausos metodu. Remiantis tyrimo rezultatais, nustatyti pagrindiniai komercinių bankų klientų lojalumą lemiantys veiksniai. Baigiamajame darbe sudarytas komercinių bankų klientų lojalumo formavimo modelis. Išnagrinėjus teorinius ir praktinius vartotojo lojalumo aspektus, pateikiamos baigiamojo darbo išvados ir siūlymai. Darbą sudaro 5 dalys: įvadas, teorinė marketingo komplekso, vartotojų elgsenos ir lojalumo analizė, komercinių bankų klientų lojalumas, išvados ir pasiūlymai, literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 77 p. teksto be priedų, 34 iliustr., 4 lent., 59 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. Atskirai pridedami darbo priedai.
In the master‘s thesis the influence of marketing mix and consumer behaviour factors to loyalty is analysed. Different marketing mix elements in particular marketing concept are analysed. Also a classification of consumer behaviour factors is presented. Determinants of customers loyalty are analysed. The research of commercial bank customers‘ loyalty is made by using questionnaire method. With reference to results of the research determinants of commercial bank customers‘ loyalty are found. In the master‘s thesis the model of commercial banks customers loyalty is created. After analysing theoretical and practical aspects of customer loyalty the conclusions and suggestions are given. Structure: introduction, analysis of theoretical aspects of marketing mix, consumer behaviour and loyalty, commercial banks customers’ loyalty, conclusions and suggestions, references. Thesis consists of: 77 p. text without appendixes, 34 pictures, 4 tables, 59 bibliographical entries. Appendixes included.

This study is an in-depth empirical investigation that seeks to compare consumer expectations to perceptions in the delivery of service within community banks in the southern United States. It has as its aim to develop a useful instrument to evaluate service quality by comparing consumer expectations to their perceptions of delivered service. An additional purpose is to determine bank chief executive officers’ ability to predict consumer expectations in the area of service delivery. The theoretical portion of the study focused upon a review of the history of banking in the United States and its subunit, the State of Texas, which is uniquely different from the banking systems of Europe and Asia. The literature was also examined to review service quality and customer satisfaction. In order to examine methods to predict service quality in community banks, an investigation was carried out among consumers of fifteen community banks in the southern United States. The collection of the data was driven by six research hypotheses and involved two questionnaires. One questionnaire ask for customer expectations versus perceptions. A second questionnaire required the chief executive officers of the consumers’ banks to state their perceptions of what their consumers expected in the way of service delivery. The main findings of the research built upon and extended the research by Ittner and Larcker (1996) which noted that the three prime components of customer satisfaction revolved around three specific antecedents—perceived quality, perceived value, and customer expectations, the study strongly reinforced and confirmed the importance of the three antecedents. This study indicated that while expectations are very high, perceptions are also high, but not as high as expectations. Milligan (1995) advanced the idea that it should be obvious that the element of service quality was the primary driver in bank selection, but no confirmation study was made by him or others comparing the five factors (service quality, location, advertising, recommendation of others, and service charges/fees). This study concluded that service quality was the most important factor in the selection of a community bank in the southern United States. With no specific literature relating specifically to bankers’ perceptions of service delivery expectations by consumers, one of the most significant findings in this study noted that 77.3 percent of the responses to the questions indicated a match of bankers’ perceptions with consumers’ expectations. While outcomes indicated that perceptions were equal to or greater than expectations, this does not conclusively prove that satisfactory service quality will tend to be associated with outcomes equal to or above expectations. This could indicate that the customers did not expect much in the way of outstanding service. Based upon results obtained from surveys, there appears to be a high likelihood that a bank could reasonably predict the retention of customers using the overlaid plots that in this study show high expectations and high perceptions. However, this study could not conclusively substantiate that gender, income, and education impact service quality in community banks. Given the limited amount of literature relating to the delivery of service quality by community banks in the United States, this study provides both researchers and practitioners an empirical study of both consumers’ and bankers’ expectations and perceptions of service delivery, which had not been fully explored in the past.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
The service sector has gained prominence both in the Brazilian and in the world’s economies, impelling organizations to seek excellence in their service. Faced with this need, in the banking sector, institutions have emphasized a mutually beneficial relationship with their clients, in order to make the management of services a competitive differential. Service quality and customer satisfaction have been identified as key factors for competitiveness and customer retention. In this context, there is a challenge in understanding the relationships among the antecedent factors of customer satisfaction. In fact, previous research agrees neither on the direction nor on the degree of relationship of these factors, besides being studied in different countries and service sectors. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the multiple relationships among the constructs – service quality, perceived value, corporate image and customer satisfaction. For that, a literature review was carried out on the concepts pertinent to this research; the constructs were conceptualized individually, providing the theoretical basis for their operationalization. Then, the relations among them were evidenced by the statement of hypothetical links, thus specifying the theoretical model. After articulating the knowledge in a theoretical manner, in the city of Sorocaba-SP, a survey was conducted, using a questionnaire randomly applied to 136 clients of the banking services, which use at least one of the five largest Brazilian banks. Data analysis was performed through the structural equation modeling technique, in order to test the consistency of the hypotheses and to identify the direction of the relations. The results showed that service quality directly influences the perceived value and the corporate image and that the image directly impacts customer satisfaction, making it a potential mediating variable for the quality-satisfaction relationship. The direct relationship between quality and satisfaction as well as perceived value and satisfaction were not observed, considering the sample of this research and the levels of significance. Therefore, this study might be both theoretically and practically relevant. Such knowledge directs banking institutions to prioritize the allocation of resources and efforts on the corporate image. Through this factor, the expected implications related to customer satisfaction will be achieved directly. Simultaneously, banks must acknowledge that the delivery of high quality is an important driver of corporate image and perceived value. In the academic field, the study develops architecture of measurable indicators making it possible to evaluate the proposed constructs, besides constructing an explanatory theory in the understanding of the relations among them for the banking sector.
O setor de serviços tem ganhado destaque nas economias brasileira e mundial, impulsionando as organizações a buscarem por excelência no seu atendimento. Diante dessa necessidade, no setor bancário, as instituições vêm enfatizando um relacionamento mutuamente benéfico com seus clientes, no sentindo de tornar a gestão dos serviços um diferencial competitivo. A qualidade em serviços e a satisfação do cliente têm sido identificadas como fatores-chave nessa diferenciação e retenção de clientes. Nesse contexto, há um desafio na compreensão das relações entre os fatores antecedentes da satisfação dos clientes. De fato, pesquisas anteriores não convergem quanto à direção nem ao grau de relacionamento desses fatores, além de serem abordadas em diferentes países e setores de serviços. Dessa forma, o objetivo desse estudo é investigar as múltiplas relações entre os construtos qualidade em serviços, valor percebido, imagem corporativa e satisfação do cliente. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisão da literatura sobre os conceitos pertinentes a esta pesquisa, os construtos foram conceituados individualmente, fornecendo a base teórica para operacionalização dos mesmos. Em seguida, foram evidenciadas as relações entre eles por meio da declaração das ligações hipotéticas, especificando assim o modelo teórico. Após o conhecimento ter sido articulado de forma teórica, foi conduzida uma pesquisa de levantamento (survey), utilizando para coleta de dados um questionário aplicado de forma aleatória a 136 clientes dos serviços bancários na cidade de Sorocaba-SP, que utilizam ao menos um dos cinco maiores bancos brasileiros. A análise dos dados aconteceu mediante a técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais, a fim de testar a consistência das hipóteses e identificar a direção das relações. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que a qualidade em serviços influencia diretamente o valor percebido e a imagem corporativa, a imagem impacta diretamente a satisfação do cliente, tornando-a uma potencial variável mediadora para relação qualidade e satisfação. Não foi observada, diante da amostra desta pesquisa e dos níveis de significância utilizados, a relação direta entre qualidade e valor percebido com satisfação. Acredita-se, portanto, que este estudo seja relevante tanto para a academia quanto para a prática. Tal conhecimento direciona as instituições bancárias a priorizarem a alocação de recursos e esforços sobre a imagem corporativa, é por meio desse fator que as implicações esperadas em relação à satisfação dos clientes serão alcançadas diretamente. Ao mesmo tempo, os bancos devem admitir a entrega de níveis elevados de qualidade como importante motor da imagem corporativa e do valor percebido. No âmbito acadêmico, desenvolve uma arquitetura de indicadores mensuráveis tornando possível a avaliação dos construtos propostos, além de construir uma teoria explicativa na compreensão das relações entre eles para o setor bancário.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2012.
The aim of this study is to investigate service quality at retail banks, such as Standard Bank, ABSA Bank, First National Bank and Nedbank in Durban. The four objectives of this study are set as: Firstly, to identify the level of satisfaction with customer service received from different retail banks in Durban; Secondly, to identify customers’ expectations in terms of quality services provided by retail banks; Thirdly, to ascertain the perceptions of customers towards the service provided by retail banks in Durban; Fourthly, to measure the gaps between customer expectations and perceptions of service quality, using a modified version of the SERVQUAL model. The instrument used to assess the retail bank customer’s expectation and expectations of service quality, was the SERVQUAL questionnaire, measuring expectations and perceptions according to five quality dimensions. A total of 448 students were surveyed. Quota sampling was used in this study, in order to improve representativeness. Using quota sampling involves selecting the characteristics that are required in the sample and then sampling until enough representatives of each category are achieved. Although this is a form of non-probability sampling, a quota sample can provide a good approximation to a probability sample. It means that distributing questionnaires to a certain group would be stopped after the prescribed quota is reached. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Conclusions and recommendations were thereafter drawn from the literature and the findings of the study. The study shows that retail bank customer expectations of service quality exceeded their perceptions in the five service quality dimensions used in the SERVQUAL questionnaire. This study is also important because it will assist bank managers to convert negative perceptions to positive impressions. Consequently, customers will benefit from the improved, outstanding customer service.

by Cyril Chi-kin Chow.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995.
Includes bibliographical (leaves 165-184).
ABSTRACT --- p.i
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii
LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vii
LIST OF TABLES --- p.viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.x
CHAPTER
Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1
The Retail Banking Industry --- p.1
Retail Banking in Hong Kong --- p.4
The Present Research Focus --- p.8
Significance of Research --- p.9
Organization of Thesis --- p.10
Chapter II. --- REVIEW OF LITERATURE --- p.11
Literature on Service Marketing --- p.11
Services as Activities --- p.12
Services as Experiences --- p.13
Services As Molecular Marketing Entities --- p.13
Services As Processes --- p.14
Services As Systems --- p.15
Service Classification --- p.17
Literature on Quality and Service Quality --- p.19
Definition of Quality --- p.19
Approach to Quality Management --- p.21
Perceived Service Quality --- p.25
Service Quality Gap Theory ´Ø --- p.26
Issues in Service Quality Measurement --- p.33
Literature on Satisfaction / Dissatisfaction --- p.39
Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory --- p.40
Attribution Theory --- p.42
Equity Theory --- p.43
Dyadic Role Expectation Theory --- p.44
Catastrophe Theory --- p.44
Service Quality - Satisfaction Link --- p.48
"Transactional, Contractual, and Relational Service Exchanges ´Ø" --- p.51
Transactional Exchange --- p.54
Relational Exchange --- p.54
Contractual Exchange --- p.56
Chapter III. --- TOWARD A GENERIC MODEL OF SERVICE QUALITY --- p.60
Service Quality Dimensions --- p.60
Product Quality --- p.62
Service Recovery Quality --- p.64
Social and Structural Relationship Quality --- p.66
Service Quality Measures --- p.67
Service Adequacy --- p.67
Service Superiority --- p.68
Degree of Tolerance --- p.68
Generic Service Quality Model --- p.70
Dimensionality --- p.70
Perceived Quality Importance --- p.71
Service Satisfaction / Dissatisfaction --- p.74
Comparison of the Generic Model and PZB Model --- p.74
Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.77
Research Design --- p.77
Focus Group Research --- p.79
Pretest --- p.82
Sampling --- p.82
Operationalization of Measures --- p.83
Forms of Service Exchange --- p.79
Service Quality --- p.86
Satisfaction --- p.87
Dissatisfaction --- p.87
Loyalty and Switching Intent --- p.87
Importance of Quality Dimensions --- p.87
Survey Response --- p.88
Response Rate --- p.88
Respondent Characteristics --- p.89
Service Exchange Respondent Grouping --- p.90
Reliability of Measures --- p.91
Validity of Measures --- p.92
Convergent and Discriminant Validity --- p.92
Concurrent and Predictive Validity --- p.94
Chapter V. --- RESULTS --- p.96
Generic Service Quality Model --- p.96
Dimensionality --- p.96
Noticeable Differences in Service Quality Dimensions --- p.98
Perceived Quality Importance --- p.100
Service Satisfaction --- p.102
Service Dissatisfaction --- p.104
Model Comparison --- p.106
Explanatory and Predictive Power --- p.107
Adequacy of Explanation --- p.108
Domain of Application --- p.108
Chapter VI --- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS --- p.110
Objectives and Focus of the Research --- p.110
Operationalization of Constructs --- p.112
Reliability of Research Instruments --- p.114
Validity of Research Instruments --- p.115
Response Rate and Sample Representativeness --- p.116
Summary and Interpretation of Findings --- p.116
Significance of the Research Contribution --- p.119
Contribution to Theory --- p.119
Contribution to Practice --- p.122
Contribution to Methodology --- p.124
Evaluation of Theory from the Philosophy of Science --- p.126
Directions For Future Research --- p.128
Better Construct Measurement --- p.128
Better Data Collection Methodology --- p.129
Causal Experimental Design --- p.130
Replication Study Required --- p.130
Limitations --- p.131
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1 All Users' SERVQUAL MSS Factor Structure --- p.132
Exhibit 2 All Users' Generic Service Quality Model MSS Factor Structure --- p.133
Exhibit 3 Transactional Users' MSA Structure --- p.134
Exhibit 4 Transactional Users' MSS Structure --- p.135
Exhibit 5 Contractual Users' MSA Factor Structure --- p.136
Exhibit 6 Contractual Users' MSS Factor Structure --- p.137
Exhibit 7 Relational Users' MSA Factor Structure --- p.138
Exhibit 8 Relational Users' MSS Factor Structure --- p.139
APPENDICES
Appendix I Measures --- p.140
Appendix II Respondent Characteristics --- p.144
Appendix III Results of One Way Analysis of Variances --- p.145
III-A Minimum Service Expectations --- p.145
III-B Desirable Service Expectations --- p.146
III-C Measures of Service Adequacy (MSA) --- p.147
III-D Measures of Service Superiority (MSS) --- p.148
III-E Measures of Tolerance Range --- p.149
III-F Perceived Service Quality Dimension Weights --- p.150
III-G Behavioural Intent and Behaviour --- p.151
Appendix IV Research Covering Letter --- p.152
Appendix V Questionnaire One (3-Column Format) --- p.153
Appendix VI Questionnaire Two (2-Column Format) --- p.159
BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.165
CURRICULUM --- p.183

M. Tech. Business Administration
The purpose of this study is to improve service quality at Nedbank by using a modified version of the SERVQUAL model to identify the service quality gaps at Centurion Mall branch and highlight the areas that need to be improved so as to deliver superior quality service. To access the customer's expectation on service quality, a SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to measure expectation and perception according to five quality dimensions.

The exponential growth of the Internet is changing the way corporations conduct business with customers. The banking industry is no exception. In order to sustain competitiveness, banks have been introducing more Internet banking services. However, this change undermines the ability of business to retain their customers since certain characteristics of the Internet can cause a reduction in customers' search costs, reduce barrier to entry, and diminish distinctiveness of a firm (Kalakota and Whinston, 1996). Managing effective customer retention strategies is increasingly important in the banking industry since the length in years of customer relationships is one of the most important factors that contributes to the bank's profitability. Reicheld (1996) found that a five percent increase in customer loyalty produces an eighty-five percent increase in profitability in the banking industry. In the past, the key to understanding the power of a corporation to retain customers was thought to lie in the measurement of customer satisfaction. Clarke (2001) argued that long-term customer retention in competitive requires firms to go beyond mere basic satisfaction and to look for ways of establishing ties of loyalty that will help ward off competitive attack. While customer satisfaction may be one important driver of customer retention, switching costs are also likely to influence customer retention, both independently and in tandem. For example, the presence of switching costs can mean that some seemingly retained customers are actually dissatisfied but do not defect because of high switching costs. Thus the level of switching costs has a moderating effect on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. While the moderating role of switching costs on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention has been supported in literature for existing non-Internet contexts (Lee et al., 2001; Ranaweera and Prabhu, 2003), little research has been published within the Internet context and particularly Internet banking. Based on a review of the literature, a theoretical model linking customer satisfaction and switching costs to customer retention was developed. The model has two main features. First, it examines the main direct effects of customer satisfaction and switching costs on customer retention. Second, the model examines the moderating role of switching costs on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. The empirical research was based on data collected by an Internet survey of adopters of Internet banking service in Hong Kong. Results from statistical analyses show that both customer satisfaction and switching costs have strong positive direct effects on customer retention. These analyses also confirm the moderating role of switching costs on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. However, when Internet banking adopters are categorized into two segments according to their usage of Internet banking service (basic and advanced users), results show that switching costs play a significant moderating role on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention only for the basic Internet banking users.
Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2004

M. Tech. Business Administration
In many developing countries, including South Africa, the banking sector is highly concentrated resulting in intense competition among the big four banks in South Africa (e.g. Standard Bank, Nedbank, First National Bank and Absa, and one emerging bank Capitec). In favourable economic conditions, the banking sector plays an essential role in the economic growth of the country. However, the global financial crisis of late 2007 changed the outlook for an already slowing economy, and South Africa was not immune to the impact of the global financial crisis-induced economic slowdown. The banks have been faced with increasing competition and rising costs as a result of regulatory, financial and technological innovation, entry of the foreign banks in the retail banking environment, local competitors who are introducing new and innovative product offering and the challenges of the recent financial crisis. These changes have had a dramatic impact on the performance in sales for commercial banks. Retail banking offers a comprehensive suite of products (e.g. Home Loans, Vehicle Finance, Sales and Investments and Cheques) to customers. It also provides these products through extensive branch networks. Over a period of six months, certain branches of Absa Bank have not been able to meet set targets in sales of the banking products and have caused under-performance in sales for the relevant branches. There are 47 branches in the Gauteng East Region and, among these, six branches were randomly selected under-performing branches in terms of sales targets. This research aims to determine the causes behind under-performance in these East Gauteng branches, as such information would provide management with useful information. The aim of the study is to tests the influence of employee satisfaction, service quality, and customer satisfaction on sales performance, i.e., how these variables impact on sales performance at the branch level.

Despite the widespread adoption of Internet banking, no guidelines exist on what functionality the techno-savvy Generation-Y customer segment (20–37 years) expects from Internet banking websites. This research investigated the functionality that South African Generation-Y customers require from this transacting platform. A user-centred design philosophy with a mixed method research design was used. The technological characteristics of Generation-Y, abstracted from the literature, were aligned with functionality trends of future Internet banking websites to formulate an initial list of Internet banking functionality guidelines. These were evaluated using a survey and interviews, and were also used in a heuristic evaluation of the Internet banking platforms of five South African banks. The findings were integrated to synthesise functionality guidelines. A visual representation of these guidelines was constructed as wireframes for evaluation by Generation-Y users. This study makes a contribution by providing a validated list of Internet banking functionality guidelines for Generation-Y banking customers.
College of Engineering, Science & Technology
M. Tech. (Information Technology)

Este trabalho é fruto do estágio e da experiência profissional adquiridos no EuroBic, em particular no Gabinete de Empresas de Viseu do EuroBic, onde tem sido possível estabelecer uma relação de grande proximidade com as empresas da região, as suas necessidades de financiamento e a forma como encaram a relação com o sistema bancário. A tese está dividida em duas partes. A primeira parte reflete sobre as evoluções do sistema bancário global e nacional, incluindo a sua relevância crescente no plano económico e financeiro, o aumento da concorrência, o impacto dos progressos tecnológicos nesta atividade e a necessidade de desenvolver uma metodologia de negócio que privilegie a proximidade da relação com o cliente. Na segunda parte, a tese recorre às respostas fornecidas a um questionário enviado aos clientes do Gabinete de Empresas de Viseu do EuroBic para testar, em primeiro lugar, se o volume de negócios das empresas pode influenciar significativamente a escolha dos produtos e serviços bancários do EuroBic e, em segundo lugar, um conjunto de outras questões relacionadas com a relação banco – cliente. Os resultados empíricos obtidos denotam uma maior apetência das grandes empresas por produtos mais complexos. Contudo, não podemos concluir categoricamente que existe já um elevado grau de customização dos produtos de financiamento oferecidos pelo EuroBic às maiores empresas. As respostas obtidas confirmam genericamente a importância que a relação banco – cliente tende a assumir no negócio bancário. Todavia, os resultados sugerem ainda uma grande margem de progresso neste domínio, tal como no domínio da formatação dos produtos de financiamento destinados às empresas.
This work is the result of the internship and professional experience acquired at EuroBic, in particular at the EuroBic Viseu Business Office, where it has been possible to establish a close relationship with companies in the region, their financing needs and how they view the relationship with the banking system. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first one reflects on the evolution of the global and national banking system, including its growing relevance in the economic and financial plan, the increase in competition, the impact of technological progress in this activity and the need to develop a business methodology that privileges proximity customer relationship. In the second one, the thesis uses the answers provided to a questionnaire sent to customers of the EuroBic Viseu Business Office to test, firstly, whether the turnover of companies can significantly influence the choice of EuroBic banking products and services, and, secondly, a set of other issues related to the bank - customer relationship. The empirical results obtained show a greater appetite for large companies for more complex products. However, we cannot categorically conclude that there is already a high degree of customization of the financing products offered by EuroBic to the largest companies. Moreover, the answers obtained generally confirm the importance that the bank - customer relationship tends to assume in the banking business. Even so, the results still suggest a great margin of progress in this area, as well as in the format of the financing products intended for companies.

The thesis deals with the emergence of bank and non-bank entities that provide a range of unique transaction-based payment services broadly called Mobile Financial Services (MFS) to unbanked, underserved and underbanked persons via mobile phones. Models of MFS from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), banks, combinations of MNOs and banks, and independent Mobile Financial Services Providers are covered. Provision by non-banks of ‘bank-type’ services via mobile phones has been termed ‘transformational banking’ versus the ‘additive banking’ services from banks. All involve the concept of ‘branchless banking’ whereby ‘cash-in/cash out’ services are provided through ‘agents.’ Funds for MFS payments may available through a Stored Value Product (SVP), particularly through a Stored Value Account SVP variant offered by MNOs where value is stored as a redeemable fiat- or mobile ‘airtime’-based Store of Value. The competitive, legal, technical and regulatory nature of non-bank versus bank MFS models is discussed, in particular the impact of banking, payments, money laundering, telecommunications, e-commerce and consumer protection laws. Whether funding mechanisms for SVPs may amount to deposit-taking such that entities could be engaged in the ‘business of banking’ is discussed. The continued use of ‘deposit’ as the traditional trigger for the ‘business of banking’ is investigated, alongside whether transaction and paymentcentric MFS rises to the ‘business of banking.’ An extensive evaluation of ‘money’ based on the Orthodox and Claim School economic theories is undertaken in relation to SVPs used in MFS, their legal associations and import, and whether they may be deemed ‘money’ in law. Consumer protection for MFS and payments generally through current statute, contract, and payment law and common law condictiones are found to be wanting. Possible regulatory arbitrage in relation to MFS in South African law is discussed. The legal and regulatory regimes in the European Union, Kenya and the United States of America are compared with South Africa. The need for a coordinated payments-specific law that has consumer protections, enables proportional risk-based licensing of new non-bank providers of MFS, and allows for a regulator for retail payments is recommended. The use of trust companies and trust accounts is recommended for protection of user funds. | vi
Public, Constitutional and International Law
LLD

Abstract in English, Zulu and Sothern Sotho
South African banks need to attract and retain customers in a highly competitive environment. Within this environment, the service quality of banks has been noted as an ongoing pressing issue. With all major banks embracing the technological revolution and offering similar financial services, the service quality offered through frontline employees has become a means to attain a competitive advantage. While a substantial body of research demonstrates the importance of service quality and identifies its dimensions, there is a lack of research specifically focusing on the antecedents for frontline employee service quality. This study set out to investigate the extent to which internal service quality, service climate and frontline employee satisfaction contribute to frontline employee service quality in a South African retail bank. With the aid of a structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional internet-based survey research design was applied to collect information from frontline employees pertaining to four constructs. From the full population of 8 720 frontline employees, 581 completed responses were received during the main study, and empirically tested with the aid of descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. The findings culminate in a multivariate regression model indicating that service climate is not a significant predictor of frontline employee service quality, whereas frontline employee satisfaction and internal service quality are, with internal service quality being the larger predictor. Drawing from these findings, ten recommendations are made to improve frontline employee service quality in a retail bank.
Amabhange aseNingizimu Afrika adinga ukuheha futhi agcine amakhasimende endaweni enokuncintisana okukhulu. Ngaphakathi kwalesi simo, insebenzo yekhwalithi yamabhange ibhekwe njengengqinamba eqhubekayo. Ngawo wonke amabhange amakhulu amukela inguquko kwezobuchwepheshe futhi ahlinzeka ngezinsizakalo ezifanayo zezezimali, insebenzo yekhwalithi enikezwa ngabasebenzi abaphambili iba yindlela yokuthola inzuzo yokuncintisana. Ngenkathi ucwaningo oluningi lukhombisa ukubaluleka kwensebenzo yekhwalithi futhi lukhomba ubukhulu balo, kukhona ukungabi bikho kocwaningo okugxile kakhulu ezichasisweni zensebenzo yekhwalithi yomsebenzi ophambili. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuphenya ukuthi izinga lensebenzo yekhwalithi yangaphakathi, insebenzo yesimo sezulu kanye nokwaneliseka kwabasebenzi abaphambili kunikela kangakanani ensebenzweni yekhwalithi yomsebenzi ebhange lokuthengisa eNingizimu Afrika. Ngosizo lwemibuzo ehleliwe, kusetshenziswe ukwakheka kocwaningo olususelwa ku-inthanethi lokuqoqa imininingwane evela kubasebenzi abaphambili maqondana nokwakhiwa okune. Kusuka enanini eligcwele labantu abayizi-8 720 labasebenzi abaphambili, izimpendulo ezigcwalisiwe ezingama-581 zamukelwa phakathi kocwaningo oluyinhloko, futhi zahlolwa ngamandla ngosizo lwezibalo ezichazayo, ukuhlaziywa kwezinto eziqinisekisayo, ukuhlaziywa kokuhlobana kanye nokuhlaziywa kokuphindaphinda okuningi. Okutholakele kugcina kube yisifanekiso sokuhlehliswa sokuphindaphinda esikhombisa ukuthi insebenzo yesimo sezulu akusona isibikezelo esibalulekile sensebenzo yekhwalithi yomsebenzi ophambili, kanti ukwaneliseka komsebenzi ophambili kanye nensebenzo yekhwalithi yangaphakathi, ngensebenzo yekhwalithi yangaphakathi eyisibikezelo esikhulu. Ngokususelwa kokutholakele, kwenziwa izincomo eziyishumi zokuthuthukisa insebenzo yekhwalithi yomsebenzi ophambili ebhange lokuthengisa.
Dibanka tsa Aforikaborwa di tlhoka go ngoka le go tswelela go tshola badirisi mo tikologong e e tletseng kgaisano. Mo tikologong eno, boleng jwa tirelo ya dibanka bo lemogilwe jaaka ntlha e e tswelelang go tshwenya. Jaaka fa dibanka tsotlhe tse dikgolo di amogetse tiriso ya thekenoloji mme di tlamela ka ditirelo tsa ditšhelete tse di tshwanang, boleng jwa tirelo jo bo tlamelwang ka badiri ba ba kwa pele ke tsela ya go iponela molemo wa kgaisano. Le fa dipatlisiso tse dintsi di bontsha botlhokwa jwa boleng jwa tirelo mme di supa bogolo jwa jona, ga go na dipatlisiso tse di totang batlapele ba boleng jwa tirelo ya badiri ba ba kwa pele. Thutopatlisiso eno e ne e ikaeletse go batlisisa gore boleng jwa tirelo ya ka fa gare, tikologo ya tirelo le kgotsofalo ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele bo tshwaela go le kana kang mo boleng jwa tirelo ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele mo bankeng ya badirisi ya Aforikaborwa. Ka thuso ya lenaanepotsolotso le le rulaganeng, go dirisitswe patlisiso e e ralalang dikarolo ya mo inthaneteng go kokoanya tshedimosetso go tswa mo badiring ba ba dirang kwa pele malebana le dintlha tse nne. Go tswa mo sampoleng ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele ba le 8 720, go amogetswe ditsibogo tse di tladitsweng di le 581 ka nako ya thutopatlisiso e kgolo, mme di ne tsa lekelediwa ka maitemogelo ka thuso ya dipalopalo tse di tlhalosang, tokololo ya tlhomamiso, tokololo ya tsamaelano le tokololo e e lebelelang dipoelo tse di farologaneng. Diphitlhelelo di ile setlhoeng fa sekao se se lebelelang dipoelo tse di farologaneng se supa gore seemo sa tirelo se ka se ke sa dirisiwa go bonela pele boleng jwa tirelo ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele, mme go ka dirisiwa kgotsofalo ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele le boleng jwa tirelo ya ka fa gare, le gore boleng jwa tirelo ya ka fa gare bo ka dirisiwa thata. Go tswa mo diphitlhelelong tseno, go dirwa dikatlenegiso di le lesome go tokafatsa boleng jwa tirelo ya badiri ba ba dirang kwa pele mo bankeng ya badirisi
Business Management
M. Com. (Business Management)