ACHIEVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN A PRIVATE HOUSING ORGANISATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Achieving customer satisfaction in a private housing organisation in Nigeria by Raimi, Taofiq “Housing is one of the necessities of life after food” (Taiwo and Adeboye, 2013, p.79) and is ranked second (only) to food in the hierarchy of human needs (Afolayan et al., 2010). However, housing acquisition takes a substantial portion of an individual income or household savings. This perhaps explains the importance people attach to their investment in housing as well as the frustration and dissatisfaction if their expectations are not met by their home-developers. This study examines the problem of housing customer satisfaction in a private home-developer organisation in Nigeria. The problem concerns the inability of my organisation to deliver overall satisfaction to its homebuyers about its house product and service quality delivery. The aim of the study is, therefore, to gain better understanding of the problem for resolution and knowledge creation. The study is an action research (AR) conducted by the researcher, I, a practitioner in own organisation. Such a research is “context-bound and involves action which is designed to change local situations” (Koshy et al., 2010, p.13). A constructivist paradigm (Easterby-Smith et al., 2008) is applied which allows the researcher to elicit and develop the perspectives of the participants (Carr, 2006, p.424) on the problem. Purposive sampling (Creswell, 2007) were used to recruit participants while primary data were obtained through face-to-face in-depth interviews on twenty-one research participants connected to the organisation (problem) comprising fifteen past homebuyers and six organisation managers. Interviews transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis approach in an inductive way (Elo K Hsieh & Shannon, 2005; Burnard, 1991; Bengtsson, 2016 etc.). Six generic categories were developed namely: i) Homebuyer characteristics ii) Housing Expectations iii) Housing communicated iv) Actual Housing v) Implications of housing satisfaction vi) Housing satisfaction solutions, thus, provided sufficient description and understanding about the practice problem for improve practice. The research findings, among others, showed aspects of the housing deliveries whereby the organisation has excelled and other areas where ‘unsatisfactory’ performances were recorded. A house product and service quality dimensions (HPSQD) as well as Technical Requirements (Solutions) for overall housing customer satisfaction practice were developed and helped the organisation to refine its housing delivery practice. Through a process of action and reflection and consensus building between the researcher and the organisation managers the research results have been successfully implemented in the organisation. The research has contributed significantly to the researcher own practice, organisation policies and theory development in the research field of housing satisfaction in the private sector. The current work is a significant contribution to the on-going debate among housing researchers aimed at attaining satisfied customers particularly in the private housing sector in the developing countries like Nigeria. There are few if any studies on such issues relating to the developing countries, that is why, even with the literature that is available, I have to do my own study. Future research could be conducted to see if there are any other issues with regards to public sector or taking samples from many private sector homebuilders to achieve outcomes generalisation. Keywords: Housing, Housing satisfaction, Service quality, Action Research, Qualitative content analysis