An investigation into service quality within the Unemployment Insurance Fund at KwaZulu-Natal Department of Labour.

Abstract

The way clients compare between expectations from a service with the experiences of what is actually delivered by the service provider is important in improving service quality delivery. The study investigated into service quality within the Unemployment Insurance Fund Division at the Department of Labour at KwaZulu-Natal Provincial offices. The service quality model was used to guide the study. An exploratory research design, quantitative research methodology and cluster sampling was used to select 504 community members. Reliability and validity were upheld to ensure that the findings are credible. Data was analysed using SPSS version 24.1. The findings show a significant gap between clients' expectations and experiences: reliability (-3.0); assurance (-2.88); tangibility (-2.00), empathy (-2.88) and responsiveness (-3.17). The findings help to understand and deal with the gap between clients’ expectations and experiences of service quality at the Unemployment Insurance Fund Division at the Department of Labour at KwaZulu-Natal Provincial offices. The management team at the Unemployment Insurance Fund Division at the Department of Labour at KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Offices should pay special attention on the dimension of reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness as they influence service quality. The findings in this study may help the Unemployment Insurance Fund Division at the Department of Labour at KwaZulu-Natal Provincial offices to understand and enhance the effectiveness of service quality efforts.