Consumer perceptions on service quality at Ethekwini Municipality within the customer service centres

Abstract

The Sizakala Customer Care Centres within eThekwini Municipality of South Africa are to ensure that services are easily accessible to customers. The study aimed to investigate customer perceptions on service quality in the Sizakala Customer Services Centres of eThekwini Municipality. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from community members who visit the Sizakala Customer Service Centres. When comparing the customers 'expectations of service quality in the Sizakala Customer Centre to customer perceptions of service quality, it was evident that that gaps occurred in all 5 of the service quality dimensions. It was found that Sizakala Customer Centres needed to improve most on their responsiveness dimension which had the highest (-0.73) average gap score, in order to enhance the quality of service that they provided.