Measuring internal service quality at a window-blinds manufacturing company

Abstract

Customer requirements are the driving force behind a competitive environment. In order for organisations to survive and capitalise, more focus must be on quality services and customer satisfaction. Service quality can serve as a competitive advantage if it is understood. Thus, measuring service quality can be useful to identify improvement areas outside and within an organisation. Specifically, the research study focusses on measuring internal service quality (ISQ) and its impact on customer retention. The organisation under study is one of the leading window-blind manufacturing companies in South Africa. The research study used the positivism approach to understanding the phenomena being investigated. A cross-sectional study positioned in the quantitative research paradigm was employed. The research study adopted a survey design and data was captured using a SERVQUAL questionnaire. With a population of 43 participants, total population sampling was used as the research sampling technique. The sample characteristics included age, gender, department and employment duration. Ethics were considered in order to mitigate any risk posed by the study. A pilot study was conducted to clarify the overall structure and approach to data capturing while validating the measurement instrument used. The split-half was used to assess the internal consistency of a questionnaire and ensure reliability. The Spearman-Brown coefficient values were greater than 0.80, indicating the questionnaire’s reliability was acceptable. The questionnaires were retrieved in paper format and captured into the SPSS software and Microsoft Excel. The research results indicated that the gap between the Frontline and the Planning department was the biggest, with the reliability dimension as the main contributing factor. Overall, reliability and responsiveness were identified as the aspects of ISQ with the largest gaps. The research contributes to existing literature by extending the application of SERVQUAL for measuring ISQ within a manufacturing company. It also assists the organisation under study with identifying possible improvement areas of ISQ.