Service Provision Strategies and Performance of Cleaning Organizations in Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

The business world of the twenty-first century is defined by rapid and significant changes in market trends, technological advancements, globalization, as well as a change in consumer needs and preferences. Consequently, the changes in the business environment, have forced organizations’ management to realize that the current strategies are ineffective and thus the need for new effective strategies in response to the changing environment. This study sought to examine the influence of service provision strategies on performance of cleaning services organizations in Embu County, Kenya. The study was anchored on the resource-based view, Porter’s generic strategies model and the expectancy disconfirmation theories. The study adopted a descriptive research design and purposive sampling to get the sample size. The research employed primary data which was collected through the use of semi-structured questionnaires. The questionnaires were picked after they had been filled by the respondents. The Cronbach’s alpha test was used to check the reliability of the questionnaire with a level of 0.7 and above confirming the internal consistency. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS software. The study findings showed that customer retention strategy, cost leadership strategy, customer retention strategy and customer innovation strategy have a positive and significant influence on firm performance. It was concluded that having effective customer feedback strategies (complaints management system, online and non-online surveys and social media engagements) contributes to the improved performance of the cleaning service companies. It was also concluded that that adoption of economies of scale, economies of scope and enhancing operational efficiency can contribute to a more competitive and resilient business, positively impacting the performance of the cleaning service companies. The study recommended that customer feedback mechanisms should be enhanced through the integration of real-time feedback mechanisms to capture customer sentiments immediately after service delivery allowing for prompt issue resolution. It was further recommended that the cleaning firms should further adopt and implement cost-effective measures. The cleaning firms should focus on strategies that enhance customer loyalty.