Abstract
M.B.A.
Assessment of the service quality in the banking sector is necessary to obtain general performance result for both bankers and customers. Barclays presence in Mauritius dates back to 1919, and since that time the Bank has played a key role in the expansion of business on the island. Barclays currently holds a sixteen percent market share with the two local banks Mauritius Commercial Bank and State Bank Mauritius dominating their presence with a forty percent and thirty percent market share respectively. Barclays Bank Sub Sahara Africa has recently embarked on a major customer service revolution.
This study attempted to examine any significant gaps between actual methods used to measure service quality within Barclays Bank Mauritius and empirically tested models in service quality and suggest how service can be better measured at Barclays by measuring service areas where significant gaps are identified between actual methods and empirically tested models. Models have been developed to find measure and assess the determinants of service quality. The works of Parasuraman et al. (1985, 1988, 1991, and 1994) led to the development of a service quality model (SERVQUAL) which is the result of a comparison of the expectations and perceptions of customers regarding a particular service and this model is used in this study.
In view of improving customer service, Barclays Bank has been involved in a number of customer service surveys. For the purpose of this study, the researcher has used the results of existing surveys collected from 250 customers of Barclays in Mauritius. In addition, primary data was randomly collected in Mauritius at the main branch which is located in Port-Louis and a sample total sample size of 120 of which 60 were customers and 60 Barclay’s staff.
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Existing surveys shows that service is on the decline within Barclays Banks Mauritius. An overall gap of -1.2, performance (P) is less than expectation (E), showed that customers are dissatisfied with the overall level of service offered by Barclays Bank in Mauritius. An overall service gap of -1.04, performance (P) is less than expectation (E), showed that staff are dissatisfied with the overall level of service offered by Barclays Bank in Mauritius.
Four new service dimensions were extracted from the customer data and six new service dimensions from the employee data which confirms that there is significant difference between customer and staff service dimensions at Barclays Bank Mauritius.
Both the exiting surveys done by external researchers and the data in this study have the same overall conclusion, that is, service quality at Barclays Bank Mauritius is on the decline. Hence, no significant difference between theory and practice of customer service satisfaction at Barclays Bank Mauritius.
A starting point to get service right within an organization has to start with the service providers themselves, all too often organizations steam ahead with service initiatives and campaigns but do not have the support and buy in of their staff. This study concludes that if employees are not properly equipped and motivated, service quality is adversely affected. Training is of prime importance to assist the company in increasing the level of service.
Areas of further research has been identified for other industries in the country, banks and other institutions in the region and internationally.