ASSESSMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY FOR IMPROVED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN ETHIOPIAN COFFEE QUALITY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION CENTER: CUSTOMERS PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The study was conducted on assessment of service quality for improved customer satisfaction in the case of Ethiopia Coffee Quality Inspection and Certification Center (CLU). The study investigated the relationship and effect of service quality dimensions on overall service quality and overall customer satisfaction with suggestion for improvement on service quality dimensions from the case of CLU customers. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 70 sample CLU inspection and certification service customers. The study applied the modified SERVPERF Model. Besides the five SERVPERF functional dimensions (empathy, reliability, tangibles, responsiveness and assurance), one technical service quality dimension (Consistency), according to Grönroos Model, was also considered. The study incorporated descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using SPSS Version 20 addressing the six independent variables. The findings showed that CLU is providing good quality service that satisfied its customers. All service quality dimensions were found to have direct and significant moderate to weak association with overall service quality and customer satisfaction. From all service quality dimensions, only consistency was found as a statistically significant aspect impacting customer satisfaction while tangibility and interaction of tangibility with empathy were also found to have significant impact on overall service quality. For improved customer satisfaction, it has also been found that while maintaining the quality of the other dimensions; CLU needs to improve the empathy and tangibility dimensions by providing modern service with modern physical facilities and equipment and by assigning employees that give individual attention for customers. Moreover, it was also found that studies on inspection and certification service quality need to incorporate additional sector specific technical and functional service quality dimensions that would also impact customer satisfaction. In this regard, for CLU customers’ perspective, service quality dimensions efficiency, transparency, fairness/ impartiality, and agility were suggested for consideration.