Service Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Comparison of Perceptions Between Bank Tellers and Internal Customer Groups in a Retail Bank in Zimbabwe

Abstract

It is no longer sufficient for service organisations to concentrate solely on good prices in marketing their products for business success. At the centre of many service organisations today is the realisation of improving organisational performance by attracting, satisfying and retaining customers. Such efforts are realised through the delivery of quality service (Steyn, 2000). Except in rare instances, quality service culminates in complete customer and employee satisfaction (Jones & Sasser, Jr 1995). Complete customer satisfaction is generally regarded as a good indicator of the level of service quality rendered by any service organisation. On the other hand, service quality is also regarded as having its roots in the contact employees (those with direct contact with customers on a daily basis) of service organisations (Ferrell & Hartline, 1996). As put forward by Rucc~ Kim and Quinn (1998), attention by service organisations in satisfying and retaining customers and employees help in the development of measures that show how well an organisation is doing with customers, employees and investors. The authors further pointed out that, a knowledge of such measures will only be realised by addressing a question like: "Do we have a knowledge or understanding of the several layers of factors that drive employee attitudes, that in turn affect employee retention and which in turn affect the drivers of customer satisfaction and retention?" (Rucci et al., 1998:84). Answers to such a question would establish the importance service organisations should place in customer and employee satisfaction for business success (Fournier, Dobsch & Mick 1998).