AN ASSESSMENT

Abstract

The objective of this research was to assess the quality of service delivered by MTN to its subscribers. The mobile telecommunications industry in South Africa is not sufficiently competitive and so mobile operators can afford to ignore the quality of services they provide to their subscribers while charging high rates. The contemporary SERVQUAL instrument was used for this study. It measured Zone-of- Tolerance between minimum, acceptable service and desired (or expected) levels of service and compared these levels to perceptions of actual service delivered. A convenience sample of 100 prepaid MTN subscribers was used in the study, as well as five MTN management staff. The results were analysed and then processed using factor analysis and K-Means clustering. This research shows that the provider and consumer of the service view service quality from the same perspective and that the provider has a very good understanding of the consumer expectations with respect to desired quality of service. “Dependability” (or reliability), “Assurance”, and “Responsiveness” are identified as the three most important underlying dimensions that impact on service quality. These findings emphasise the need for the service provider to continuously engage and interact with its subscribers/clients so that it is always aware of their changing desires and expectations regarding service quality.