Customer perceptions towards eThekwini Municipality customer service, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

The advent of our country’s democracy in 1994 created hope for a better life for all citizens especially those who were previously marginalized. This hope heightened expectations of a government that delivers better services, a government that is people centered. Subsequently a plethora of customer centric legislation were passed one being the White Paper on Transformation of Public Service. According to the Constitution of South Africa the mandate of a municipality is to deliver services to the satisfaction of the citizens who are customers. The understanding of the customer’s needs the expectations as well as the perceptions is vital. This is to ensure that the needs are met. It is with this background that this research is undertaken. The aim of this research is to provide an understanding of the eThekwini Municipality customers’ expectations and perceptions of the customer service quality. This is done so that the gaps are identified and measures be recommended to bridge these gaps. The research conducted for this study included both literature review as well as the empirical study. For the empirical part of the study the quantitative research approach was used with the survey method. The literature review provided prior studies on customer service quality from the view of general service industries in the private sector as well as the perspective of the South African government including the local sphere. This literature review provided the theoretical framework which formed the basis for the empirical study. The study was a non-intervention case study which observed trends. This was a survey and it utilized a survey design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the selected sample. The questionnaire was inclusive of the SERVQUAL measuring scale. Essentially the findings indicated that customers of eThekwini Municipality have positive perceptions of the quality of customer service rendered through the Municipalities Sizakala Customer Service Centers. These perceptions were measured using the 05 service quality dimensions. These positive perceptions meant that customers are satisfied with the customer service received at the centers. The recommendations were provided to improve the satisfaction levels and these included the review of Customer Relations Management Strategy.