Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications Industry of Nepal
Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications Industry of Nepal
In Mobile Telecommunications
Industry of Nepal
By
A011935-10
Faculty of Statistics
June, 2014
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
BBA 2010-2014
KU Registration: A011935-10
i
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
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
I would also like to give my sincere gratitude to Ms. Jashmina Pradhananga and all
complete this research effectively. Likewise, I thank all the respondents who filled in
This project would not have been possible without the kind support and help of many
ii
Executive Summary
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
independent unit in the organization structure, the businesses have encompassed the
this customer relationship management and the fulfillment of the expectations of the
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
perception held by the students is the reason behind this investigation on the influence
iii
regarding the overall functionality of the services and fulfillment of the service
obtained from the seller. The research’s antecedents, which refer to the cause
level, masters level and above in Kathmandu through the online social media sources.
The questionnaire survey administered to the respondents was divided into two
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
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
the level of customer satisfaction through customization and better service quality.
iv
Table of Contents
Declaration ...................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgement .........................................................................................................ii
v
3.4. Operational Definition................................................................................... 16
References .................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 45
vi
List of Tables
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 8: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Care ... 32
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
vii
List of Figures
viii
List of Acronyms
BS Bikram Sambat
CS Customer Satisfaction
D Dissatisfied
NO No Opinion
S Satisfied
VD Very Dissatisfied
VS Very Satisfied
ix
Chapter I: Introduction
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
satisfaction, since this is the key to maintain stability in the industry in terms of
market share.
technology, which was initially incorporated in Europe and in less than ten years after
its launch, it developed into world’s leading and fastest growing mobile standard
‘Mohan Akashwani’ in B.S. 2005. (Telecom, Brief Introduction, 2014). After serving
the nation for 29 years, Nepal Telecommunication Corporation got transformed into
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
1
Introduction, 2014). Ncell (previously Mero Mobile) broke the monopoly held by the
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.
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,
customer satisfaction.
2
1.2. Problem Statement
expectation of the service quality. Customers have the choice of selection among the
affordability and the quality level of service being provided. This pattern of customer
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
in Nepal. This research examined the level of influence of socioeconomic and mobile
3
1.3. Objectives of the Research
35 residing in Kathmandu.
4
1.4. Organization of the Report
This research was conducted to find out the customer satisfaction level of students of
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
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
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
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.
5
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
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. (Feciková, 57 - 66) Thus, it is generalizable that the main objective for
Furthermore, direct effect in the market share of companies, can be seen through
of mouth, lower marketing expenses, and significantly impact the commercial image
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
6
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
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).
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).
7
2.1. Definitions
Period’, the perception of customer satisfaction has been presented in two preliminary
received and what was expected. This emphasizes the perceptual, evaluative and
(Gekara, 2011)
2.2. Antecedents
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).
8
Customer Requirements and Expectations
the requirements and expectations of the customers are divisible into three: basic
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
such requirements, businesses shall have added great importance to customers and can
Service Quality
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
9
Complaint Management
Internal Satisfaction
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 company’s brand image. (Total Quality
Management, 2008).
This literature review elaborates the significance of the research study to make a clear
quality of network, billing, period of validity and customer care support of the
10
2.3. Socioeconomic Variables and Customer Satisfaction
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
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
the needs and expectations of customers with various socioeconomic background and
behavior.
11
Chapter III: Methodology
In this research, the explorative and comparative research methods were employed to
1. Primary Sources:
a. In-depth Interview
b. Questionnaire Survey
c. Pilot testing
2. Secondary Source:
b. Company Websites
The purpose of this research design was to understand customer satisfaction of student
influence customer satisfaction for student in Nepal regarding the services of mobile
The questionnaire survey consisted of questions which were based on the independent
services features include quality of the network, billing, and period of validity and
allowances, weekly expenses and mobile recharge. The questions were self-
constructed and answers were based on the rating scale which varied from ‘very
12
3.1. Sample Selection
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,
The research instrument used in this research study to collect the data was through the
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.
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
13
for answers were very satisfied, satisfied, no opinion, dissatisfied and very
telecommunication services are quality of the network, billing validity and customer
Nigeria, 2006).. Figure 1 presents the theoretical structure of this research. Hence, this
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,
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
14
Weekly Allowances
Network Availability
Billing
Weekly Expenses
Customer
Period of Validity
Satisfaction
Weekly Recharge on
Customer Care
Mobile Services
Similarly, Figure 1 illustrates the purpose of this research to explore the level of
The theoretical framework used in this research is similar to the research study
15
3.4. Operational Definition
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
Validity period refers to the duration wherein, after every balance recharge and due
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
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.
2006)
16
Chapter IV: Results
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
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
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. R 2
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
variable. Both R and R2, range from 0 to 1 with larger values indicating stronger
in Nigeria, 2006). . And, significance level was taken at 95% confidence level, which
denoted the level of significance between the dependent and independent variables.
17
4.1.1. Frequency Statistics
From Figure 2 to Figure 5, the frequency statistics of the socioeconomic variables are
presented.
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
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from age group 16 to 35
18
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
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from age group 16 to 35
19
Weekly Mobile Expenses
Rs. 50
23%
Rs. 200
22%
Rs. 100
27%
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
This result states that most of the students of Kathmandu from age group 16 to 35
20
Mobile Telecommunications Service Provider
UTL SmartCell
1% 4%
Ncell
25%
Nepal
Telecom
70%
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
21
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
No Opinion
13%
Satisfied
55%
The pie-chart, in Figure 6, represents the results of the analysis of the students’
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
22
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
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
This result validates the fact that the students of Kathmandu are certainly satisfied
satisfaction must have resulted due the presence of very less number of
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
might be that students are not able to express their perception well in terms of the
variables.
23
4.2. Customer Satisfaction among the Socioeconomic Groups
the cross tabulation of the descriptive frequency to show the assessments of customer
Satisfaction
Total
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Table 1 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly allowance and customer
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
receiving Rs. 5000 and above as allowance were very satisfied and 8 in number.
24
Table 2: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and Weekly Expenses
Satisfaction
Total
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Table 2 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly expenses and customer
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.
25
Table 3: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and Mobile Expenses
Satisfaction Total
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
Total 5 31 19 83 12 150
Table 3 represents the cross tabulated data of the weekly mobile expenses and
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
26
Table 4: Cross Tabulation between Customer Satisfaction and Service Providers
Satisfaction Total
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
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
27
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 %
seen that the predictor variable of quality of the network is significant because its p-
satisfaction and quality of the network. This finding means that quality of the
Model Summary
28
Coefficients
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
29
Table 6: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and Billing
Model Summary
Coefficients
the predictor variable of validity period is significant because its p-value is 0.000.
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
Kathmandu. The reason for this might be due to the fact that the period of validity
30
offered by the mobile telecommunications service providers is very less and the
Model Summary
Coefficients
the predictor variable of customer care is significant because its p-value is 0.000.
increases by one.
31
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
Model Summary
Coefficients
32
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Quality of the Network,
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
result is that the associated mobile services features is adequately significant to the
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
Table 9: Result of Regression between CS and Network, Billing, Validity and Customer Care
Model Summary
33
Coefficients
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
resulted findings.
In table 10, a variation of .011 was seen in the dependent variable (customer
that the predictor variable of weekly allowance is insignificant because its p-value is
34
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.
Model Summary
Coefficients
In table 11, a variation of .020 was seen in the dependent variable (customer
that the predictor weekly expense is insignificant because its p-value is greater than
35
0.05. Similarly, customer satisfaction is expected to increase by .140 when the weekly
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
Model Summary
Coefficients
36
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Purchase of Recharge Cards
In table 12, a variation of .029 was seen in the dependent variable (customer
the predictor variable of weekly recharge is significant because its p-value is 0.039.
The result demonstrates that there is a very weak and inverse relationship between
expenses on recharge cards and customer satisfaction and hence. This insignificance
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
telecommunication services.
Table 12: Result of Regression between Customer Satisfaction and Mobile Expenses
Model Summary
37
Coefficients
38
Chapter V: Summary, Discussions, and Implications
5.1. Summary
This study was initiated with the intention to examine the level of satisfaction of
contentment with the mobile service providers and the extent of association with
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
socioeconomic variables seem to have low influence on satisfaction because even the
these factors.
39
Among the mobile service features that were identified to have impact on the level of
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
order to take maximum advantage out of customer satisfaction which in turn can help
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
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
40
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
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
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
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 student’s
expectations of their service offerings. Such strategies help businesses to match their
41
performance against customer standards, compare consumer standards against internal
call quality and exposure, offer rational appraising and price reductions, offer
reasonable period of validity and enhance customer care through routine personnel
Lastly, for the improvement of customer satisfaction, particularly for students, in the
42
References
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/customer-perceived-value.html
Research.
edition ed.).
326-339.
43
Samuel, D. E. (2006). Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Telecommunications Industry
in Nigeria. Nigeria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_quality
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socioeconomic+status
http://www.ntc.net.np/companyInfo/ntBrief.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_Nepal
http://totalqualitymanagement.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/customer-focus-
and-satisfaction/
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6401656_complaint-management-system_.html
44
Appendix
The amount of money you either receive from your parents as pocket money or you
earn as income.
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.
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
45
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
46
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
47
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
Ncell 38 25 95.33%
UTL 1 1 96.00%
SmartCell 6 4 100.00%
51
Appendix 6: Frequency Table of Customer Satisfaction
52