Abstract
Any buoyant market that faces incessant volleys of material and skills shortages, such as the precast concrete industry, is susceptible to international competition. There is a notable rarity of studies focusing on service quality and customer satisfaction in this industry sector. This study investigated factors influencing customer service quality in the precast concrete market. A quantitative methodology was adopted in which a structured questionnaire was administered to 260 customers who purchased precast concrete products from a selected manufacturer in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The factors influencing customer service were identified using factor analysis. The procedure revealed five service quality dimensions which are responsiveness, problem solving, physical aspects, service personnel and physical appearance. The overall mean value of 4.17 indicated a moderate level of service satisfaction. Furthermore, customers perceived the company to be somewhat inconsistent in responding to issues promptly and courteously. The study has value in that it provides information on which factors require managerial attention in efforts to improve customer perceptions of service quality. In this way, managers may be able to allocate resources to improve service in their respective organisations. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n8p115
Highlights
Introduction and Background to the StudyDeregulation of the South African economy has opened up the country to intensive competition from the international business community
In terms of how long respondents had been making purchases of precast concrete products from the selected manufacturer, it emerged that 30.6% of the respondents had made purchases at this organisation for periods less than 2 years whilst 29.4% had been buying for periods ranging between 3 and 5 years; 21.8% had been making purchases for periods ranging between 6 to 8 years and the remaining 16.9% had been loyal to the selected manufacturer for periods exceeding 8 years
With reference to the frequency of purchases, respondent’s buying tendencies were recorded as follows; 37.5% of the respondents admitted to making purchases 2-5 times a year while 24.2% purchased the precast concrete products 68 times a year; 23.8% of the respondents admitted to making purchases over 8 times in a year and 12.9% of the respondents made purchases from this organisation only once in a year
Summary
Introduction and Background to the StudyDeregulation of the South African economy has opened up the country to intensive competition from the international business community. Within the precast concrete manufacturing market, competitiveness and the fight for market share are not new phenomena, especially with regard to cementitious products (that is, products containing cement) In this sector, the issue of service quality has emerged as a major key success factor, as there are many players who are vying for the same customer. Poggiolini (2007) further submits that firms in this sector are currently enjoying a boom and that there appears to be a trend of consolidation of cementitious product manufacturers in South Africa The emergence of such trends in the precast manufacturing market means that survival will depend on intelligent marketing with special emphasis on building relationships and delivering superior service quality in meeting the needs of customers
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