Strategies Adopted by Media Industry in Kenya to Manage Customer Service Quality: A Case Study of Royal Media Services

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the strategies adopted by Media Companies in Kenya to manage customer service quality with a focus on Royal Media Services. The study aimed at identifying the different strategies adopted by companies to manage customer service quality, establishing the benefits of customer service quality strategies and investigating the implementation challenges of customer service quality strategies. The study adopted a descriptive research design to ensure that the research problem is well structured and understood. The descriptive research design emphasized on the strength of relationship between strategies and customer service quality. The study employed the use of questionnaires to obtain relevant information from respondents. The study adopted census approach to collect data from the relevant respondents. The study focused on 90 respondents who were employees of Royal Media Services from sales and marketing department. The study conducted a pilot study to test the validity and reliability of the data collection instrument (questionnaire), from which data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that Royal Media Services uses a variety of strategies to manage customer service quality. From the study, it was found that quality service is key in managing customer service quality. According to the study, competent employees, observing fully the standards and advertisements has been among the key strategies for Royal Media Services to manage customer service quality. The study also found that Royal Media Services manage its customer service quality by enhancing customer driven services using customer feedback, use technology driven services and employ innovative managers. The Media has put relevant system in place to analyze competitors’ moves, design services and benchmark with the global companies. The study found that customer service quality strategies have many benefits to Royal Media Services. Among the benefits accrued from customer service quality strategies are increase volume of sales and increased customer satisfaction. Royal Media Services used customer service quality strategies to enhance customer loyalty and increase team spirit among workers. The study also found that innovative ideas generated by employees, improved company image, and minimal change resistance from workers are as a result of using customer service quality strategies. Due to the use of customer service quality strategies, the study emphasizes that media companies can easily increase their volume of sales, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, team spirit among employees, improve corporate image and experience minimal change resistance from workers. The study found that there exist implementation challenges of customer service quality strategies in media companies in Kenya. From the study, it was found that alignment of responsibilities is a challenge to Royal Media Services as it tries to implement customer service quality strategies. The study also found that employees found it hard to accept different changes that enhance customer service quality hence hindering the implementation of customer service quality strategies. The study found that macro-environment forces, for instance political and legal interference, hinder the effective implementation of customer service quality strategies. Organizational structure should support the smooth implementation of service quality strategies in media industry. The study found that in Royal Media Services, organizational structure does not support the effective implementation of customer service quality strategies. The study also found that when organizational structure does not support the implementation of customer service quality strategies, the top management also found themselves not supporting the implementation of the strategies. The study concludes that customer service quality strategies are very important to an organization. The strategies make an organization to increase it sales volume, enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty and enhance team spirit among employees. The study recommends organization to maintain high quality services, put in place relevant systems that would help in hiring innovative and competent employees. Implementation of customer serce quality strategies would help in increasing volume of sales, enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. The study also recommends the management to be carefull with the implementation challenegs like misalignment of responsibilities, organizational structure, macro-environment forces and lack of top management support.