Sustaining service excellence in the insurance industry: a Kenyan perspective

Abstract

Purpose – The paper explores how SERVQUAL may be applied to sustain service quality gains in the insurance industry. Design – The paper is informed by a review of literature on sustaining service excellence. The attributes/elements of service quality excellence based on the SERVQUAL framework are identified and used as a yardstick to gauge the performance of a new merger: the APA Insurance Company. Opportunities for improvement are identified and a model recommended for fortifying a culture of excellence. Findings – While APA Insurance has recorded considerable improvements in service quality, opportunities for improvement exist that the company should focus on as it sustains the gains made. Implications – Insurers are ill prepared to waste resources on initiatives whose outcomes cannot be sustained overtime. Every effort must therefore be made to sustain the service quality gains made while pursuing new opportunities, more so given the prevailing global economic crisis. Originality – The paper offers useful insights on growing service excellence in the insurance industry.