-
Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction
In Mobile Telecommunications
Industry of Nepal
Business Research Project Report
Submitted to
Kathmandu University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Bachelor of Business Administration
By
Ayush Man Tamrakar
A011935-10
Under the supervision of
Ritesh Kumar Thakur,
Faculty of Statistics
June, 2014
-
i
Declaration
I, the undersigned declare that this research project is a
result of my study carried out
in the year 2014. It has not been previously submitted to any
other university or any
other examinations.
Signature
Ayush Man Tamrakar
BBA 2010-2014
KU Registration: A011935-10
Kathmandu College of Management
-
ii
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me
the opportunity to
explore and complete this research study. First and foremost, I
would like to thank
Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) for providing
this excellent
research opportunity to the students of undergraduate Bachelors
in Business
Administration (BBA) program.
I express my special gratitude to my academic supervisor, Mr.
Madhu Sudan Gautam.
It was his encouragement, patience, and valuable feedback that
enabled me to
complete this work. I am also deeply indebted to my research
supervisor, Ritesh
Kumar Thakur. The support that he provided motivated me to think
more broadly
about the associated concepts and constructs, and helped expand
my understanding of
research as a discipline. Invaluable discussions we held
stimulated my enthusiasm and
imagination in the research process.
I would also like to give my sincere gratitude to Ms. Jashmina
Pradhananga and all
my friends and colleagues who supported me with the information
required to
complete this research effectively. Likewise, I thank all the
respondents who filled in
the survey, without which this research would be incomplete.
This project would not have been possible without the kind
support and help of many
individuals. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of
them.
-
iii
Executive Summary
In the present customer driven market, the concept of customer
satisfaction is
regarded as a fundamental marketing concept in any kind of
business. Previously, it
used to be an unpopular and overlooked concept; and business
houses and companies
were hind-sighted with the motive to widen the customer base
than to retain the
existing customers. However, today the same business houses and
companies have
begun to shift their focus on incorporating customer
relationship management to
sustain their business. With the inclusion of customer
relationship management as an
independent unit in the organization structure, the businesses
have encompassed the
responsibility of delivering customer satisfaction in their
priority zone. The need of
this customer relationship management and the fulfillment of the
expectations of the
customers cannot be neglected in the mobile telecommunications
industry.
With the on-going modernization and in the age of information,
the students,
especially those pursuing their higher level studies are one of
the most dominant
customers in the mobile telecommunication industry from the
social as well as the
economic facets. The students of age group 16 to 35 are the most
aware and well
informed generation in the society. With the quick access to
information about the
mobile telecommunications service around the world and high
expectations from the
service providers, these students have a mixture of perceptions
about the services
provided by the mobile telecommunication sector in Nepal. This
diverse nature of
perception held by the students is the reason behind this
investigation on the influence
of socio-economic and service factors on the satisfaction level
of students.
This research follows the definition of customer satisfaction as
an experience-based
assessment of the customer through the difference in his/her own
anticipations
-
iv
regarding the overall functionality of the services and
fulfillment of the service
obtained from the seller. The researchs antecedents, which refer
to the cause
elements, include buyer requirements and anticipations, service
quality, observed
assessment, internal fulfillment and complaint
administration.
This research study was conducted by administering 150
questionnaires to students of
age group 16 to 35 pursuing higher secondary level in various
disciplines, bachelors
level, masters level and above in Kathmandu through the online
social media sources.
The questionnaire survey administered to the respondents was
divided into two
sections. Section I includes questions on socioeconomic factors;
and section II covers
questions on service features, service performance and overall
customer care.
From the results obtained from the research, it was revealed
that 55% of the
respondents are satisfied and 8% of the respondents are highly
satisfied with the
mobile telecommunications industry of Nepal. The findings showed
that the grouping
of the mobile service features exhibited a moderate relationship
with satisfaction
while the socioeconomic variables demonstrated a very weak
relationship.
Based on the findings of this research, the implication that can
be drawn for mobile
service providers is that, there is a need to improve and
customize their services in
order to achieve higher level of customer satisfaction. It can
be affirmed that through
the enhancement of the features of the mobile telecommunication
services, the level
of customer satisfaction can be increased effectively. Along
with this, the mobile
service providers must create segments in the market to
formulate plans and policies
to fulfill the requirements of its demographically diversified
customers and enhance
the level of customer satisfaction through customization and
better service quality.
-
v
Table of Contents
Declaration
......................................................................................................................
i
Acknowledgement
.........................................................................................................
ii
Executive Summary
.....................................................................................................
iii
Table of Contents
...........................................................................................................
v
List of Tables
...............................................................................................................
vii
List of Figures
............................................................................................................
viii
List of Acronyms
..........................................................................................................
ix
Chapter I: Introduction
...................................................................................................
1
1.1. Background of the Research
...........................................................................
1
1.2. Problem Statement
..........................................................................................
3
1.3. Objectives of the Research
..............................................................................
4
1.4. Organization of the Report
..............................................................................
5
Chapter II: Literature Review
........................................................................................
6
2.1. Definitions
...........................................................................................................
8
2.2. Antecedents
.........................................................................................................
8
2.3. Socioeconomic Variables and Customer Satisfaction
....................................... 11
Chapter III: Methodology
............................................................................................
12
3.1. Sample Selection
...............................................................................................
13
3.2. Research Instrument
..........................................................................................
13
3.3. Conceptual Framework
.................................................................................
14
-
vi
3.4. Operational
Definition...................................................................................
16
Chapter IV: Results
......................................................................................................
17
4.1. Data Analysis
........................................................................................................
17
4.2. Customer Satisfaction among the Socioeconomic Groups
................................... 24
4.3. Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction
........................................................... 28
4.4. Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and
Socioeconomic Variables ....... 34
Chapter V: Summary, Discussions, and Implications
................................................. 39
5.1. Summary
...........................................................................................................
39
5.2. Discussions
........................................................................................................
40
5.3. Implications
.......................................................................................................
41
References
....................................................................................................................
43
Appendix
......................................................................................................................
45
Appendix 1: Questionnaire Format
..........................................................................
45
Appendix 2: Frequency Table of Weekly Allowances
............................................ 48
Appendix 3: Frequency Table of Weekly Expenses
................................................ 49
Appendix 4: Frequency Table of Weekly Mobile Services Expenses
..................... 50
Appendix 5: Frequency Table of Mobile Service Providers
.................................... 51
Appendix 6: Frequency Table of Customer Satisfaction
......................................... 52
-
vii
List of Tables
Table 1: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Weekly Allowance... 24
Table 2: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Weekly Expenses ..... 25
Table 3: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Mobile Expenses ...... 26
Table 4: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Service Providers ..... 27
Table 5: Result of Regression Analysis between CS and Quality of
the Network ...... 28
Table 6: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Billing ................ 30
Table 7: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Validity .............. 31
Table 8: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Customer Care ... 32
Table 9: Result of Regression between CS and Network, Billing,
Validity and
Customer Care
.............................................................................................................
33
Table 10: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Allowance ........ 35
Table 11: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Expenses .......... 36
Table 12: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Mobile Expenses
......................................................................................................................................
37
-
viii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of the Research
...................................................... 15
Figure 2: Pie Chart of Weekly Allowances
.................................................................
18
Figure 3: Pie Chart of Weekly Expenses
.....................................................................
19
Figure 4: Pie Chart Representation of Weekly Mobile Services
Expenses ................. 20
Figure 5: Pie Chart Representation of Mobile Service Providers
................................ 21
Figure 6: Pie Chart Representation of Overall Customer
Satisfaction ........................ 22
-
ix
List of Acronyms
BBA Bachelors in Business Administration
BS Bikram Sambat
CS Customer Satisfaction
D Dissatisfied
GSM Global System of Mobile Communications
KCM Kathmandu College of Management
KUSOM Kathmandu University School of Management
NDCL Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited
NO No Opinion
NTC Nepal Telecom Corporation
S Satisfied
SMS Short Message Service
SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences
UTL United Telecom Limited
VD Very Dissatisfied
VS Very Satisfied
-
1
Chapter I: Introduction
1.1. Background of the Research
The mobile telecommunication industry is one of the thriving
service industries of the
modern day world. With the up-surging importance of information
in the day to day
activities, this industry is also expanding swiftly. With this
swift change, the mobile
telecommunication service providers are able to provide the
customers with new
advanced features and updated technology at reasonable prices.
The ever growing
needs of customers have compelled the companies to go for the
search of possible
developments that can be undertaken and focus on the concept of
customer
satisfaction, since this is the key to maintain stability in the
industry in terms of
market share.
The Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM) is a
second-generation digital
technology, which was initially incorporated in Europe and in
less than ten years after
its launch, it developed into worlds leading and fastest growing
mobile standard
(GSM Association , 2006).
In Nepal, operation of telecommunication service dates back to
B.S. 1970. However,
telecommunication service was formally provided mainly after the
establishment of
Mohan Akashwani in B.S. 2005. (Telecom, Brief Introduction,
2014). After serving
the nation for 29 years, Nepal Telecommunication Corporation got
transformed into
Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited (NDCL) starting Baisakh 1,
2061. NDCL is a
state owned company registered under the Companies Act 2053 with
85%
government share. However, the company is popularly known to the
general public by
the brand name Nepal Telecom (NT) as a registered trademark
(Telecom, Brief
-
2
Introduction, 2014). Ncell (previously Mero Mobile) broke the
monopoly held by the
state-owned Nepal Telecom, by building a new arena in mobile
telephony services.
Despite the economic and social benefits of the mobile
telecommunications to the
economy and the market of Nepal, there is not much research
prospect in this sector,
unlike the developed countries, due to the lack of appropriate
information. However,
it is possible that the mobile operators may have conducted
satisfaction surveys and
other marketing research. Even so, the interaction with the
mobile service providers
for any additional insight yielded no new information than that
available in the
internet.
This absence of specific investigation in the mobile
telecommunications sector may
have stopped it from creating the pool of information beneficial
for its growth. The
measurement of customer satisfaction level addresses both users
and public interests.
Such studies if carried out can assist in economic and social
development (Turel,
2006). Therefore, there is necessity to gain more understanding
in the area of
customer satisfaction.
-
3
1.2. Problem Statement
The telecommunication industry of Nepal is at present facing the
major hurdles of
constantly increasing oligopoly market rivalry as well as the
increasing customers
expectation of the service quality. Customers have the choice of
selection among the
mobile telecommunication companies based on the level of
satisfaction, the degree of
affordability and the quality level of service being provided.
This pattern of customer
demand and tight competition is forcing the mobile
telecommunications companies to
reject the traditional customer satisfaction model and to accept
new practical
strategies which will definitely enable them to take a major
portion of the market
share. Thus, the objective of this research study is to identify
the factors that are
prevalent among the mobile telecommunication users to exhibit
the eagerness to reject
the exiting service provider and also those ready to continue
with the existing mobile
service provider.
With the present scenario of modernization and entrance into
information age,
students, especially who are pursuing their higher level studies
are one of the most
dominant customers of the mobile telecommunication services from
the social as well
as the economic aspects. The students from age group 16 to 35
are the most conscious
and well informed generation in the society. With this
information in hand, there are
various perceptions of the services provided by the mobile
telecommunication sector
in Nepal. This research examined the level of influence of
socioeconomic and mobile
service determinants on the satisfaction level of students.
-
4
1.3. Objectives of the Research
The objectives of the research are:
1. Determine the major determinants for overall customer
satisfaction in the
mobile telecommunication industry of Nepal for students from age
group 16 to
35 residing in Kathmandu.
2. Evaluate the relationship between customer satisfaction and
quality of the
network, billing, period of validity, and customer care
support
3. Evaluate the relationship between customer satisfaction and
various
socioeconomic behaviors of students such as weekly allowances,
weekly
expenses and weekly mobile expenses.
-
5
1.4. Organization of the Report
This research was conducted to find out the customer
satisfaction level of students of
Kathmandu from age group 16 to 35 in the telecommunications
industry of Nepal.
The research is outlined in five chapters.
Chapter I starts with the introduction of the research topic
including the problem
statement of the research along with the research objectives and
the research
questions. This chapter describes the rationale of the
research.
Chapter II intends to provide the literature review related to
the topic. This section
tries to relate different concepts and ideas related to the
research from different
perspective. It includes how researches have been conducted as
well as what previous
researches elicit.
Chapter III describes about the research methodology and
strategy used to fulfill the
research objectives. It contains the theoretical framework as
the foundation for the
research as well as includes the description of the collection
and analysis tools along
with justification of the sample chosen for the data
collection.
Chapter IV sets analysis of the data collection from the field
to be used for the
findings in the research. It covers quantitative and qualitative
data analysis method for
the research analysis.
Chapter V includes the findings of the research from the primary
and secondary data.
It also includes the reasons for the outcomes seen as well the
implications that can be
observed by those situations and further sets the base for other
researches. Latter part
of the research contains references and the appendices for
additional perusal.
-
6
Chapter II: Literature Review
Customer satisfaction and its concepts and constructs have been
categorized as an
essential aspect in the marketing field for a very long period.
According to Keith, the
marketing is defined as the process of satisfying the
requirements and desires of the
customers.(The Marketing Revolution, 1960).
As cited by Dr. Eniola, studies have shown that it requires five
times the cost to gain a
new customer which is required for retaining an existing
customer (Naumann, 1995).
This, thus, makes business houses and companies focus more into
maintaining strong
customer relationships. Similarly, many companies both in large
and small scale are
accepting the concept customer satisfaction as their operational
aspect though which
they maintain an effective business framework. With this motive,
companies today
have made huge investments in database mining and relationship
marketing along
with customer management and planning to have good relationships
with its
customers. (Fecikov, 57 - 66) Thus, it is generalizable that the
main objective for
companies today is maintaining strong customer relationship
management,
Furthermore, direct effect in the market share of companies, can
be seen through
increasing customer satisfaction which leads to increased
profitability, positive word
of mouth, lower marketing expenses, and significantly impact the
commercial image
and existence (Pizam, 1999).
Customers are value-maximizers, thus, they estimate which will
offer most value and
chose that particular product. Whether the product offers live
up to the expectation or
will affect neither satisfaction nor repurchase probability
(Kotler, 2000).
-
7
Customer delivered value is the variance between overall
customer value and overall
customer cost. Further, total customer value refers to the
bundle of benefits customers
expect from a given product or service. And, total customer cost
refers to the bundle
of costs customers expect to incur while evaluating, using and
disposing of the
products and services (Kotler, 2000).
Total customer value includes four sources: product value,
service value, and personal
value along with image value. Whereas, total customer cost
includes monetary cost,
time cost and energy cost along with psychic cost (Kotler,
2000).
Satisfaction is a persons feeling of liking or frustration that
results from comparing
the actual performance of a product or service to its
expectations from an overall point
of view. Similarly, buyers form their expectations from past
buying experience,
advice from friends and associates; and information from
marketers and competitor.
(Kotler, 2000).
-
8
2.1. Definitions
As cited by Gekara in Measurement of Consumer Satisfaction
during Post Merger
Period, the perception of customer satisfaction has been
presented in two preliminary
definitional approaches: as a process and as a consequence of a
consumption
experience. (Gekara, 2011)
As a process, customer satisfaction, is referred as an
assessment between what was
received and what was expected. This emphasizes the perceptual,
evaluative and
psychological processes which makes a contribution to customer
satisfaction.
(Gekara, 2011)
2.2. Antecedents
As cited by Ode Egena, customer satisfaction is preceded by
numerous causes and
these causes strongly impacts the degree of customer
satisfaction. (Customer
Satisfaction in Mobile Telephony, 2013) The antecedents are:
Perceived Value
Perceived value, in simple, is the anticipated benefit which is
derived from the
customers perception regarding the product and service. The
customers perceived
value is derived from the tangible, psychological and social
benefits. Since, the
demand for a product is affected by the above benefits, the
perceived value is taken
into consideration when determining the feasibility of the
prices (Customer Perceived
Value, 2014).
-
9
Customer Requirements and Expectations
There is a high level of interrelationship between the level of
customer satisfaction
and the understanding of customer requirements and expectations
(Samuel, Customer
Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications Industry in Nigeria,
2006). Furthermore,
the requirements and expectations of the customers are divisible
into three: basic
requirements, expected requirements and excitement
requirements.
First, basic requirements are the obvious requirements of
customers and achieving
these requirements may not be enough for customer satisfaction.
Second, expected
requirements are the significant requirements that customers are
fully aware of and
satisfaction is expected in every purchase. Third, excitement
requirements are
unconscious and understood requirements of clients. By
recognizing and sustaining
such requirements, businesses shall have added great importance
to customers and can
earn faithful clients. (Farokhian, 2011).
Service Quality
The service quality is a measurement of the subjective aspects
of customer service,
which depends on the level of anticipated benefits and observed
outcomes of the
service. Thus, the expectations of customers are dependent upon
the service they
obtain and the capability of the service providers. At present,
the business houses and
companies provide benefits in their products and service along
with offerings which
also delight them in the highest manner. This approach of
delighting customers is
intended to exceed the customers expectation. (Service Quality,
2008).
-
10
Complaint Management
Handling complaints, a satisfactory business practice can assure
excellent customer
service in a company. Complaint management is the course of how
organizations
handle, manage, respond to and report customer objections in the
moment of
confusion and need of assistance. (What Is a Complaint
Management System?, 2014).
Internal Satisfaction
Internal satisfaction is a phenomenon related to customers
emotion and attitude
rather than objective measurement of satisfaction. A customer
who is satisfied with a
purchased product or service hired will make regular payments;
these regular
payments improve the cash flow of the business. Thus, customers
who are highly
satisfied will purchase more and benefit the companys brand
image. (Total Quality
Management, 2008).
This literature review elaborates the significance of the
research study to make a clear
understanding of service performance assessment by customers.
The service
performance is based on their past involvements, benefits
acquired, level of service
superiority and treatment of complaints and queries. Through the
investigation of
quality of network, billing, period of validity and customer
care support of the
telecommunication industry of Nepal, the customer satisfaction
of students of
Kathmandu with the mobile telecommunication services will be
measured.
-
11
2.3. Socioeconomic Variables and Customer Satisfaction
Socioeconomic status refers to a person's or group's situation
within a categorized
community structure. It depends on a grouping of variables,
including profession,
income, wealth, education, and residence. Sociologists
frequently use socioeconomic
position as a means of predicting performance (Socio Economic
Status, 2013).
This literature review conveys the information that consumers
differ to each other in
in terms of their behavior and background; and the major
determinants for this change
are the socioeconomic characteristics of the individual customer
and the environment.
Thus, the need for exploration of the socio economic factors and
its impact in the
customer satisfaction with respect to mobile telecommunications
industry of Nepal is
highly essential. These factors are important characteristics of
the general people and
it strongly affects their views, way of life and standard of
living. Further, the detailed
study of the impact of these factors on the customer
satisfaction of students with
mobile telecommunications services in Nepal will give accurate
insights to understand
the needs and expectations of customers with various
socioeconomic background and
behavior.
-
12
Chapter III: Methodology
In this research, the explorative and comparative research
methods were employed to
meet the objectives.
1. Primary Sources:
a. In-depth Interview
b. Questionnaire Survey
c. Pilot testing
2. Secondary Source:
a. Company Profile of NTC, NCell, Smart Cell and UTL
b. Company Websites
c. Publications by Nepal Telecommunications Authority
d. Articles by Sparrow SMS and various other companies.
The purpose of this research design was to understand customer
satisfaction of student
of age group 16 to 35 residing in Kathmandu with the performance
of the mobile
telecommunication industry of Nepal. Similarly, it also aimed to
identify factors that
influence customer satisfaction for student in Nepal regarding
the services of mobile
telecommunication service providers.
The questionnaire survey consisted of questions which were based
on the independent
variables: mobile services features and socioeconomic
characteristics. The mobile
services features include quality of the network, billing, and
period of validity and
customer care services; similarly the socioeconomic variables
include weekly
allowances, weekly expenses and mobile recharge. The questions
were self-
constructed and answers were based on the rating scale which
varied from very
satisfied to very dis-satisfied.
-
13
3.1. Sample Selection
This research was conducted by administering 150 questionnaires
to students of age
group 16 to 35 of various institutions pursuing higher secondary
level, bachelors
level, masters level degree and above in Kathmandu through the
online sources. The
students were be targeted from various fields of study such as
medicine, law,
engineering, technology, tourism and business based on
convenience sampling.
3.2. Research Instrument
The research instrument used in this research study to collect
the data was through the
administration of questionnaire survey to the sample selection.
The questionnaire
survey form used fixed-response alternate questions that
involved the respondent to
select from a fixed set of answers to every question. This type
of survey method is the
most common and popular technique of primary data collection in
marketing research.
(Samuel, Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications
Industry in Nigeria,
2006)
The surveys were administered randomly to the sample students
through the internet
using Google forms. The use of social media sources such as
Facebook was highly
useful in making contact with the samples. Information regarding
the samples were
easily available through the social media sources, thus, sample
selection was made
quicker.
The questionnaire which was administered is divided into two
sections; I and II.
Section I has questions on socioeconomic factors and the section
II includes questions
on service features, overall customer care, service performance
and the service
operator. The questionnaire survey form included several
questions and the options
-
14
for answers were very satisfied, satisfied, no opinion,
dissatisfied and very
dissatisfied. For referral, the questionnaire survey form is
placed at Appendix 1.
3.3. Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework of this research examined the level of
customer
satisfaction of the mobile telecommunication services of
students from age group 16
to 35 residing in Kathmandu. The research aimed to explore the
relationship between
customer satisfaction and specific socioeconomic variables of
the students.
As cited by Dr. Samuel Eniola, in his research, previous
researches on mobile
telecommunication services recommended that essential
characteristics of the mobile
telecommunication services are quality of the network, billing
validity and customer
care. (Samuel, Customer Satisfaction in Mobile
Telecommunications Industry in
Nigeria, 2006).. Figure 1 presents the theoretical structure of
this research. Hence, this
research study used these variables in its analysis.
The research sought to find the answers to whether the students
of Kathmandu from
age group 16 to 35 are satisfied with the mobile
telecommunication sector in Nepal,
whether socioeconomic factors such as weekly allowances, weekly
expenses and
weekly mobile expenses of students has strong relationship with
the level of customer
satisfaction; and if the quality of the network, billing, period
of validity and customer
care support have strong relationship with customer
satisfaction.
-
15
Source: (Samuel, Customer Satisfaction in Mobile
Telecommunications Industry in Nigeria, 2006)
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of the Research
Similarly, Figure 1 illustrates the purpose of this research to
explore the level of
customer satisfaction of students of age group 16 to 35 with the
factors of mobile
telecommunications industry of Nepal and socioeconomic
factors.
The theoretical framework used in this research is similar to
the research study
conducted by Samuel Eniola on Customer Satisfaction in
Mobile
Telecommunications Industry in Nigeria.
Customer
Satisfaction
Network Availability
Billing
Period of Validity
Customer Care
Weekly Allowances
Weekly Expenses
Weekly Recharge on
Mobile Services
-
16
3.4. Operational Definition
Quality of network can be defined as the call quality which is
perceived by
consumers. It contains call clarity while making and receiving
calls and coverage of
the network.
Billing refers to the price of recharging balance and making
expenses of the incurred
balance. It comprises of various types of recharge schemes and
payment options.
Validity period refers to the duration wherein, after every
balance recharge and due
balance payments, a customer can make calls or receive
calls.
Customer care can be defined as the complaint managing systems
with the capability
to get attendant quickly, response of the attendant and provide
a solution along with
the customer support offered.
Customer satisfaction can be defined as an experience-based
valuation assessed by the
buyer of how different his/her own anticipations regarding the
overall functionality of
the facilities and the characteristics gained from the seller
have been satisfied.
(Samuel, Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications
Industry in Nigeria,
2006)
-
17
Chapter IV: Results
4.1. Data Analysis
The responses of 150 respondents were analyzed though the SPSS
20.0 and Microsoft
Excel 2013. In the research, the descriptive statistics was
applied to evaluate the
degree of customer satisfaction. The relationship between
customer satisfaction; and
the mobile services characteristics and certain socioeconomic
variables were analyzed
with the linear regression model. Similarly, customer
satisfaction and all the mobile
services characteristics were also analyzed using the multiple
regression analysis.
The descriptive frequency was cross tabulated with the dependent
variable though the
SPSS package. And, the representation of the data in pie chart
was done through
Microsoft Excel 2013. Similarly, Microsoft Excel was also used
to code the options of
the answers though Find and Replace tools.
In the SPSS package, the linear regression model was used to
compare the value of
the dependent variable with one or more predictors. In the
results of regression
analysis, the model summary table interprets the relationship
power of the dependent
variable and the model. R value symbolizes the strength of the
relationship. R2
symbolizes the proportion of the variation in the dependent
variable explained by the
regression. Beta value symbolizes the coefficient value of the
model which states the
percentage of change in dependent variable with 1 percent change
in the independent
variable. Both R and R2, range from 0 to 1 with larger values
indicating stronger
relationship (Samuel, Customer Satisfaction in Mobile
Telecommunications Industry
in Nigeria, 2006). . And, significance level was taken at 95%
confidence level, which
denoted the level of significance between the dependent and
independent variables.
-
18
4.1.1. Frequency Statistics
From Figure 2 to Figure 5, the frequency statistics of the
socioeconomic variables are
presented.
Weekly Allowances
Source: Field Survey
Figure 2: Pie Chart of Weekly Allowances
Figure 2 represents the fact that the majority of the sample
have weekly allowances
from Rs. 101 to Rs. 1000 cumulatively holding 65% of the total
sample. In contrast
only 3% of the samples have weekly allowances below 3%.
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from
age group 16 to 35
receive weekly allowances from Rs. 101 to Rs. 1000.
Below Rs. 100 per week
3%
Rs. 101 to Rs.
500 per week
27%
Rs. 501 to Rs.
1000 per week
38%
Rs. 1001 to Rs.
2000 per week
12%
Rs. 2001 to Rs.
5000 per week
9%
Rs. 5001 and
above
11%
-
19
Weekly Expenses
Source: Field Survey
Figure 3: Pie Chart of Weekly Expenses
Figure 3 represents the fact that the majority of the sample
have weekly expense of
Rs. 101 to Rs. 1000 cumulatively holding 65% of the total
sample. In contrast only
3% of the samples have weekly expenses below 3%.
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from
age group 16 to 35
spend weekly expenses from Rs. 101 to Rs. 1000.
Below Rs. 100 per week
3%
Rs. 101 to Rs.
500 per week
32%
Rs. 501 to Rs.
1000 per week
33%
Rs. 1001 to Rs.
2000 per week
14%
Rs. 2001 to Rs.
5000 per week
9%
Rs. 5001 and
above
9%
-
20
Weekly Mobile Expenses
Source: Field Survey
Figure 4: Pie Chart Representation of Weekly Mobile Services
Expenses
Figure 4 represents the fact that 27% of the sample spends Rs.
100 on mobile
services. Similarly, other 22% and 23% of the sample spend Rs.
200 and Rs. 50
respectively on the weekly mobile services consumption.
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from
age group 16 to 35
spend Rs. 50 to Rs. 200 on weekly mobile recharge.
Rs. 10
10%
Rs. 50
23%
Rs. 100
27%
Rs. 200
22%
Rs. 500
14%
Rs. 1000
2%
Rs. 2000 and
above
2%
-
21
Mobile Telecommunications Service Provider
Source: Field Survey
Figure 5: Pie Chart Representation of Mobile Service
Providers
Figure 5 interprets the information regarding the current
preference of the mobile
service providers in Nepal. The students from age group 16 to 35
of Nepal are mostly
users of Nepal Telecom which constitutes over 70% of the sample.
Similarly the
students have given the secondary preference to NCell. In
contrast, UTL and
SmartCell constitute a very less percentage of the total sample,
cumulatively only 5%.
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from
age 16 to 35 prefer
Nepal Telecom as their mobile service providers.
Nepal
Telecom
70%
Ncell
25%
UTL
1%
SmartCell
4%
-
22
4.1.2. Analysis of Customer Satisfaction
For the data analysis, the dependent variable i.e. customer
satisfaction was
investigated with the descriptive frequency. Figure 6 presents
the result of the
analysis of the overall customer satisfaction.
Source: Field Survey
Figure 6: Pie Chart Representation of Overall Customer
Satisfaction
The pie-chart, in Figure 6, represents the results of the
analysis of the students
customer satisfaction with the mobile telecommunications
services in a frequency
distribution.
This result interprets the fact that 55% of the respondents are
satisfied, and 8% very
satisfied with the mobile telecommunications services in Nepal.
Hence, it answers the
question of this research that students were satisfied with the
mobile
telecommunication sector of Nepal. This score is highly above
average because it
resembles a mobile telecommunication sector that is in a
developing phase.
Very
Dissatisfied
3%Dissatisfied
21%
No Opinion
13%
Satisfied
55%
Very Satisfied
8%
-
23
The interpretation of this result might be that students of
Kathmandu are certainly
satisfied with the mobile service performance and its impact.
The result presented that
customers are satisfied with their experiences of consumption of
the mobile
telecommunication services.
This satisfaction degree might also result from lack of strong
opponent companies that
the customers can compare services with. It might be also due to
the fact that
respondents are in a way new to satisfaction measurement and
they may not have
been able to express their perceptions accurately. Thus, there
is need for continuous
measurement of customer satisfaction to accurately record the
customers perceptions
of the mobile telecommunication services.
This result validates the fact that the students of Kathmandu
are certainly satisfied
with the performance mobile telecommunication industry of Nepal.
This degree of
satisfaction must have resulted due the presence of very less
number of
telecommunication service providers in Nepal; these service
providers are few in
number, and the price competition is at a stagnant phase. Due to
this reason,
customers have to accept whatever they are being offered and are
not yet susceptible
to new developments and technology in telecommunications sector.
Another reason
might be that students are not able to express their perception
well in terms of the
variables.
-
24
4.2. Customer Satisfaction among the Socioeconomic Groups
The socioeconomic variables were examined alongside customer
satisfaction using
the cross tabulation of the descriptive frequency to show the
assessments of customer
satisfaction among various categories of the socioeconomic
variables. The result of
the investigations can be elaborated in the following
tables.
Table 1: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Weekly Allowance
Satisfaction
Total
V.D. D N.O S V.S.
W. Allowance
Below Rs. 100 per week 0 0 1 4 0 5
Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week 1 8 5 23 4 41
Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week 2 14 7 33 0 56
Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week 0 8 1 8 0 17
Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week 1 0 3 10 0 14
Rs. 5001 and above 1 1 2 5 8 17
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Table 1 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly
allowance and customer
satisfaction encountered by the respondents. The highest numbers
of respondents,
which add to 33 and who received Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week,
were satisfied with
the mobile services. Similarly, the respondents were rarely very
dissatisfied with the
mobile services despite of their differences in allowances.
However, the respondents
receiving Rs. 5000 and above as allowance were very satisfied
and 8 in number.
-
25
Table 2: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Weekly Expenses
Satisfaction
Total
V.D. D N.O S V.S.
W.
Expense
Below Rs. 100 per week 0 2 1 1 0 4
Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week 1 6 9 30 2 48
Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week 2 14 5 28 1 50
Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week 0 8 1 11 2 22
Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week 1 1 2 7 2 13
Rs. 5001 and above 1 0 1 6 5 13
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Table 2 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly
expenses and customer
satisfaction encountered by the respondents. The highest numbers
of respondent is 58,
who spent Rs.101 to Rs. 1000 per week were satisfied with the
mobile services.
Similarly, the respondents were rarely very dissatisfied with
the mobile services
despite of their differences in expenses. However, the
respondents spending Rs. 5000
and above and who are both satisfied and very satisfied are 11
in number.
-
26
Table 3: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Mobile Expenses
Satisfaction Total
V.D. D N.O S V.S.
W. Recharge Rs. 10 0 1 1 7 7 16
Rs. 50 1 11 5 16 1 34
Rs. 100 0 6 4 27 3 40
Rs. 200 2 8 6 16 1 33
Rs. 500 1 5 2 13 0 21
Rs. 1000 0 0 0 3 0 3
Rs. 2000 and above 1 0 1 1 0 3
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Table 3 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly mobile
expenses and
customer satisfaction encountered by the respondents. The
highest numbers of
respondents, who spent Rs.50 to Rs. 200 per week and were
satisfied with the mobile
services, add to 59. Similarly, the respondents were rarely very
dissatisfied with the
mobile services despite of their differences in expenses.
However, the respondents
spending Rs. 10 as mobile expenses were very satisfied and 7 in
number.
-
27
Table 4: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and
Service Providers
Satisfaction Total
V.D. D N.O S V.S.
M. Operators Nepal Telecom 4 25 16 58 2 105
Ncell 1 6 2 25 4 38
UTL 0 0 0 0 1 1
Smart Cell 0 0 1 0 5 6
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Table 4 represents the cross tabulated data between users of
mobile services with their
level of satisfaction. The table represents that 58 of the
respondents using NTC as
their mobile service providers were satisfied while 16 had no
opinion and 25
expressed dissatisfaction. Similarly, 25 users of Ncell among
the respondents were
satisfied with its service.
-
28
4.3. Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction
For the data analysis measures, the relationship between mobile
services features and
customer satisfaction were investigated by using the linear
regression model. R value
varies from 0 and 1 with larger values and representing strong
relationship at 95 %
confidence level. The following divisions elaborate the resulted
findings:
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Quality of the
Network
In table 5, a variation of .351 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (quality
of the network). It is
seen that the predictor variable of quality of the network is
significant because its p-
value is 0.000. Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to
increase by .593 when
the quality of the network increases by one.
These findings specify that there is a moderate relationship
between customer
satisfaction and quality of the network. This finding means that
quality of the
network has moderate significance over mobile services features
in students of
Kathmandu. Since, Kathmandu is a crowded location; the network
is at times
unmanageable and faces disturbances in the calls.
Table 5: Result of Regression Analysis between CS and Quality of
the Network
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .593a .351 .347 .819
a. Predictors: (Constant), Network
-
29
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 1.677 .208 8.067 .000
Network .545 .061 .593 8.956 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Billing
In table 6, a variation of .186 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable
(billing). It is seen that the
predictor variable of billing is significant because its p-value
is 0.000. Similarly,
customer satisfaction is expected to increase by .593 when
billing increases by one.
These outcomes validate that there is a moderately weak
relationship between billing
and customer satisfaction. This finding means that billing has
moderately negligible
significance over mobile services features in students of
Kathmandu. The reason for
his might be due to the fact that the tariffs which are offered
by the mobile service
providers are not very affordable and the services in regards to
billing are not
adequate, since there are a lot of internet call applications
which gives free voice calls
over the internet.
-
30
Table 6: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Billing
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .431a .186 .180 .917
a. Predictors: (Constant), Billing
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 2.299 .210 10.938 .000
Billing .371 .064 .431 5.813 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Period of
Validity
In table 7, a variation of .142 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (validity
period). It is seen that
the predictor variable of validity period is significant because
its p-value is 0.000.
Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to increase by .377
when validity period
increases by one.
These findings validate that there is a weak relationship
between the period of validity
and customer satisfaction. The irrelevance of this finding also
means that period of
validity has negligible significance over mobile services
features in students of
Kathmandu. The reason for this might be due to the fact that the
period of validity
-
31
offered by the mobile telecommunications service providers is
very less and the
expiry date is stipulated in every schemes.
Table 7: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Validity
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .377a .142 .136 .942
a. Predictors: (Constant), Validity
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 2.183 .265 8.226 .000
Validity .352 .071 .377 4.947 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Care
Support
In table 8, a variation of .204 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (customer
care). It is seen that
the predictor variable of customer care is significant because
its p-value is 0.000.
Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to increase by .451
when customer care
increases by one.
-
32
The result determines that there is a moderately weak
relationship between customer
care and customer satisfaction. The inference of this result is
that customer care
service has negligible significance over mobile services
features in Nepal. The reason
for this might be due to the fact that mobile service providers
in Nepal do not offer
good customer relationship management and the complaint handling
is very tiresome
and requires a long time.
Table 8: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Customer Care
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .451a .204 .198 .907
a. Predictors: (Constant), Customer Care
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 2.190 .216 10.124 .000
Customer Care .406 .066 .451 6.150 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
-
33
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Quality of the
Network,
Validity, Billing, and Customer Care Support
In table 9, a variation of .457 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (quality
of the network, validity,
billing and customer care). It is seen that the predictor
variable of quality of the
network, validity and customer is significant because its
p-value is less than 0.05
whereas billing is insignificant because its p-value is greater
than 0.05. Similarly,
customer satisfaction is expected to increase by 0.388, 0.141,
0.171 and 0.226 when
the quality of the network, billing validity and customer care
increases by one.
The result validates that the interaction of the mobile services
features have a
moderately weak relationship with customer satisfaction. The
interpretation of this
result is that the associated mobile services features is
adequately significant to the
assessment of the customer satisfaction with mobile services.
Therefore, customer
satisfaction in regards to mobile telecommunications services in
Nepal is a purpose of
the assessment of quality of the network, billing, and period of
validity and customer
care service. Thus, mobile service providers should emphasize on
improving mobile
services characteristics to enhance customer satisfaction.
Table 9: Result of Regression between CS and Network, Billing,
Validity and Customer Care
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .676a .457 .442 .757
a. Predictors: (Constant), Customer Care, Billing, Validity,
Network
-
34
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients T
Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) .716 .269 2.664 .009
Network .356 .071 .388 5.042 .000
Billing .121 .063 .141 1.938 .055
Validity .160 .061 .171 2.604 .010
Customer Care .203 .061 .226 3.328 .001
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
4.4. Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and
Socioeconomic
Variables
Similarly, for the further data analysis measures, the
relationship between socio
economic variables and customer satisfaction were investigated
by using the linear
regression model. R value varies from 0 and 1 with larger values
and representing
strong relationship at 95 % confidence level. The following
divisions elaborate the
resulted findings.
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Weekly
Allowances
In table 10, a variation of .011 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (weekly
allowance). It is seen
that the predictor variable of weekly allowance is insignificant
because its p-value is
greater than 0.05. Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected
to increase by .104
when the weekly allowance increases by one.
-
35
These findings reveal that there is a very weak relationship
between weekly allowance
and customer satisfaction and hence, the interpretation of the
result is that weekly
allowance has an insignificant impact on customer satisfaction.
The reason for this
might be due to the fact that students receive limited allowance
and would rather
spend it more on other consumptions rather than mobile services,
and thus are
dissatisfied.
Table 10: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Allowance
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .104a .011 .004 1.011
a. Predictors: (Constant), W. Allowance
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 3.184 .218 14.606 .000
W. Allowance .078 .061 .104 1.268 .207
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Weekly
Expenses
In table 11, a variation of .020 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (weekly
expenses). It is seen
that the predictor weekly expense is insignificant because its
p-value is greater than
-
36
0.05. Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to increase
by .140 when the weekly
expense increases by one.
The result demonstrates that there is a weak relationship
between weekly expense and
customer satisfaction. This means that weekly expense has
negligible influence on
customer satisfaction. The reason for this might be due to the
fact that students in
Nepal, put less emphasis on consumption of mobile services
although they spend high
amount of money on other personal services.
Table 11: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Expenses
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .140a .020 .013 1.007
a. Predictors: (Constant), W. Expense
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 3.087 .221 13.994 .000
W. Expense .110 .064 .140 1.724 .087
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
-
37
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Purchase of
Recharge Cards
In table 12, a variation of .029 was seen in the dependent
variable (customer
satisfaction) as predicted by the independent variable (weekly
recharge). It is seen that
the predictor variable of weekly recharge is significant because
its p-value is 0.039.
Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to decrease by .169
when the weekly
recharge increases by one.
The result demonstrates that there is a very weak and inverse
relationship between
expenses on recharge cards and customer satisfaction and hence.
This insignificance
means that expenses on recharge cards have negligible influence
on customer
perception of mobile services performance. The reason for this
might be due to the
fact that students in Nepal, are getting familiar with free
internet communication
services as an alternative of mobile services. So students spend
less on mobile
telecommunication services.
Table 12: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and
Mobile Expenses
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .169a .029 .022 1.002
a. Predictors: (Constant), W. Recharge
-
38
Coefficients
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
P Value B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 3.837 .207 18.524 .000
W. Recharge -.124 .059 -.169 -2.085 .039
a. Dependent Variable: Satisfaction
Source: SPSS Results from Analysis of the Responses
-
39
Chapter V: Summary, Discussions, and Implications
5.1. Summary
This study was initiated with the intention to examine the level
of satisfaction of
customers with the mobile telecommunications industry. Here, the
customers
primarily imply students between the age group of 16 to 35 years
of Kathmandu,
Nepal. The research further attempts to identify the
determinants influencing
contentment with the mobile service providers and the extent of
association with
various socioeconomic variables.
As per the research undertaken in regard to the investigation
and analysis of the level
of customer satisfaction, the outcomes established the fact that
the customers were
contented with the service provided by the mobile
telecommunications industry and
its performance in Nepal. Within the groups segmented on the
basis of weekly
allowance, the majority of customers who received allowance
between Rs. 500 to Rs.
1000 were comparatively more satisfied than those who received
weekly allowances
less than Rs. 500. Similarly, there is dominance of satisfied
students in the category of
those who spent Rs. 100 to Rs. 1000 as their weekly expenses
than those who spent
below or above that range. Lastly, larger number of students who
recharged their
mobile accounts with Rs. 50 to Rs. 200 was found to be more
satisfied than those who
spent above or below that range; while only few of the
respondents expressed higher
level of satisfaction as regards to this aspect. In totality,
however, these three
socioeconomic variables seem to have low influence on
satisfaction because even the
respondents mentioned as majority above seemed to be only
moderately satisfied with
these factors.
-
40
Among the mobile service features that were identified to have
impact on the level of
customer satisfaction, quality of the network demonstrated to
have highest impact
amongst others. In contrast, billing, customer care and period
of validity showed
relatively weak influence on customer satisfaction. The results
indicate that the four
features of mobile service have low significance on the level of
customer satisfaction.
The results, thus, validated that customer satisfaction level
varied among diverse
socioeconomic groups. For this very reason, mobile service
providers need to
improve, better comprehend these market fragments and customize
their services as
much as possible to meet the expectations of the diverse
socioeconomic groups in
order to take maximum advantage out of customer satisfaction
which in turn can help
retain customers and induce a sense of loyalty among them.
5.2. Discussions
From the research findings, we could make number of inferences
regarding the
various results that the research has concluded. Firstly, the
reason for the customers
being satisfied with their mobile telecommunications service
providers could be that
the students of Kathmandu were in fact pleased with the service
performance or it
could be because of the lack of availability of alternative
service providers in the
industry.
Secondly, the low level of satisfaction among the students who
received less than Rs.
500 could be because of the less talk time and recharge cards
they could purchase
with that amount of money given that they had to spend it on
other weekly
expenditures. Thirdly, the high satisfaction level among the
students who spent Rs.
100 to Rs. 1000 as their weekly expense could be because of the
belief and
contentment that the service they were being provided was worth
the amount they
-
41
were paying. The same reason could be inferred for the high
level of satisfaction
among the students who recharged their mobile accounts with Rs.
50 to Rs. 200.
Moreover, the reason for the quality of the network being
considered as the most
significant determinant for customer satisfaction could be
because customers do not
want their calls to be interrupted in between, sought for
clarity during calls and prefer
service that has wide network coverage. The other mobile service
features do not
seem to have much influence on customer satisfaction as much as
quality of the
network. Today, in the age of technology, people prefer internet
to mobile services for
communication purpose as it is cheaper and billing has become
easier through online
payment systems. Also validity period do not seem to have
positive impact on
customers as the prepaid cards have short validity periods with
expiry dates. Lastly,
talking about the customer care, the reason for this feature
having low impact could
be that not only mobile telecommunications industry but even
other industries do not
have proper, quick and effective customer care services; so
people tend to neglect this
aspect.
Overall, the changing structure of Nepalese society and
advancement in internet and
telecommunications services could be considered as the reasons
for the low level of
satisfaction among the customers of mobile telecommunications
industry.
5.3. Implications
Mostly, the inference of this research study for mobile service
providers is that the
mobile operators must not just rely on profit margins for a good
indicator of business
outcomes. They should, rather, develop strategies that better
capture students
expectations of their service offerings. Such strategies help
businesses to match their
-
42
performance against customer standards, compare consumer
standards against internal
process and identify prospects for improvement.
In addition, to maximize customer satisfaction, mobile service
providers must
emphasize on refining mobile services features by investing in
equipment to enhance
call quality and exposure, offer rational appraising and price
reductions, offer
reasonable period of validity and enhance customer care through
routine personnel
training and provision of better customer-friendly
equipment.
Lastly, for the improvement of customer satisfaction,
particularly for students, in the
mobile telecommunications industry, there is requirement for
collaboration between
academic organizations and mobile service providers in order to
achieve better
customer-oriented mobile services.
-
43
References
(2006). Retrieved from GSM Association : www.gsmworld.com
Customer Perceived Value. (2014). Retrieved from Business
Dictionary:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer-perceived-value.html
Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telephony. (2013). Asian Journal
of Management
Research.
Farokhian, H. V. (2011). Customer Satisfaction Modeling (CSM) in
Product
Planning. World Applied Sciences Journal, 1095.
Fecikov, I. (57 - 66). An index method for measurement of
customer satisfaction.
2004: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Gekara, D. A. (2011). Measurement of Consumer Satisfaction
During Post Merger
Period. Udaipur: Int.J.Buss.Mgt.Eco.Res.
Kotler, P. (2000). Customer Satisfaction. In P. Kotler,
Fundamental of Marketing (10
edition ed.).
Lonergan, D. S. (2004). Asia-Pacific Region to drive global
wireless revenue. Boston,
MA, USA: The Yankee Group Report.
Naumann, E. (1995). Customer Satisfaction Measurement and
Management: Using
the Voice of the Customer. Cincinati OH: Thomson Executive
Press.
Pizam, A. a. (1999). Customer satisfaction and its measurement
in hospitality
enterprises . International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management ,
326-339.
-
44
Samuel, D. E. (2006). Customer Satisfaction in Mobile
Telecommunications Industry
in Nigeria. Nigeria.
Service Quality. (2008). Retrieved from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_quality
Socio Economic Status. (2013). Retrieved from
Dictionary.com:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socioeconomic+status
Telecom, N. (2014). Brief Introduction. Retrieved from
NTC.NET:
http://www.ntc.net.np/companyInfo/ntBrief.php
Telecom, N. (2014). Telecommunications in Nepal. Retrieved from
Wkipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Nepal
The Marketing Revolution. (1960). Journal of Marketing.
Total Quality Management. (2008). Retrieved from WordPress:
http://totalqualitymanagement.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/customer-focus-
and-satisfaction/
Turel, O. a. (2006). Satisfaction with mobile services in
Canada: An empirical
investigation. In Telecommunications Policy 30 (pp.
pp.314331).
What Is a Complaint Management System? (2014). Retrieved from
eHow:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6401656_complaint-management-system_.html
-
45
Appendix
Appendix 1: Questionnaire Format
1. What is your average weekly allowance?
The amount of money you either receive from your parents as
pocket money or you
earn as income.
o Below Rs. 100 per week
o Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week
o Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week
o Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week
o Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week
o Rs. 5001 and above
2. What is your weekly average expense?
The amount of money you spend on a personal basis on average.
Example: Money
spent in restaurants, movies, games, hangouts, fuel expenses and
other daily personal
expenses.
o Below Rs. 100 per week
o Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week
o Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week
o Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week
o Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week
o Rs. 5001 and above
3. How much do you spend on weekly on the recharge of mobile
telecommunications?
This refers to the average amount of balance you recharge every
week.
o Rs. 10
o Rs. 50
o Rs. 100
o Rs. 200
o Rs. 500
-
46
o Rs. 1000
o Rs. 2000 and above
4. Which of the mobile service providers do you subscribe to
o Nepal Telecom
o NCell
o UTL
o SmartCell
5. Are you satisfied with the QUALITY OF THE NETWORK of the
service
provider?
Quality of the network refers to the call quality as perceived
by customers and
includes; call clarity when calling and receiving and the
coverage.
o Very Satisfied
o Satisfied
o No Opinion
o Dissatisfied
o Very Dissatisfied
6. Are you satisfied with the BILLING of the service
provider?
Billing refers to the cost, variety, affordability, freedom of
choosing the recharge
cards and speed of recharging.
o Very Satisfied
o Satisfied
o No Opinion
o Dissatisfied
o Very Dissatisfied
7. Are you satisfied with the VALIDITY period of the service
provider?
Validity refers to the period in which you can make calls and or
receive calls after
every recharge.
o Very Satisfied
o Satisfied
o No Opinion
o Dissatisfied
-
47
o Very Dissatisfied
8. When you call to complain or query anything, how satisfied
are you with the
OVERALL CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE?
Overall customer care service refers to the medium of service,
value and facilities of
customer care provided.
o Very Satisfied
o Satisfied
o No Opinion
o Dissatisfied
o Very Dissatisfied
9. Overall, how satisfied are you with the use of this
service?
Are your expectations of the service you are paying for being
met?
o Very Satisfied
o Satisfied
o No Opinion
o Dissatisfied
o Very Dissatisfied
-
48
Appendix 2: Frequency Table of Weekly Allowances
Response Frequency Percentage Cumulative %
Below Rs. 100 per week 5 3% 3.33%
Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week 41 27% 30.67%
Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week 56 38% 68.00%
Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week 17 12% 79.33%
Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week 14 9% 88.67%
Rs. 5001 and above 17 11% 100.00%
-
49
Appendix 3: Frequency Table of Weekly Expenses
Response Frequency Percentage Cumulative %
Below Rs. 100 per week 4 3% 2.67%
Rs. 101 to Rs. 500 per week 48 32% 34.67%
Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 per week 50 33% 68.00%
Rs. 1001 to Rs. 2000 per week 22 14% 82.67%
Rs. 2001 to Rs. 5000 per week 13 9% 91.33%
Rs. 5001 and above 13 9% 100.00%
-
50
Appendix 4: Frequency Table of Weekly Mobile Services
Expenses
Response Frequency Percentage Cumulative %
Rs. 10 16 10% 10.67%
Rs. 50 34 23% 33.33%
Rs. 100 40 27% 60.00%
Rs. 200 33 22% 82.00%
Rs. 500 21 14% 96.00%
Rs. 1000 3 2% 98.00%
Rs. 2000 and above 3 2% 100.00%
-
51
Appendix 5: Frequency Table of Mobile Service Providers
Response Frequency Percentage Cumulative %
Nepal Telecom 105 70 70.00%
Ncell 38 25 95.33%
UTL 1 1 96.00%
SmartCell 6 4 100.00%
-
52
Appendix 6: Frequency Table of Customer Satisfaction
Response Frequency Percentage Cumulative %
Very Dissatisfied 5 3% 3.33%
Dissatisfied 31 21% 24.00%
No Opinion 19 13% 36.67%
Satisfied 83 55% 92.00%
Very Satisfied 12 8% 100.00%