An investigation into customer satisfaction at a commercial bank in Botswana

Despite continued growth and relatively superior financial performance, the banking industry in Botswana is blighted by the problem of low customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has become so pivotal in the banking sector given the proliferation of banks in Botswana that brings with it pressures on banks to be competitive for survival.

The purpose of this research was to examine customer service at First National Bank Botswana (FNBB). This research was designed as a survey and was conducted in Gaborone. All the six FNBB branches in Gaborone were included in the research. All in all, 114 customers participated in the survey of which 52.6% were males and 47.4% were females.

For the purposes of this research a modified version of the servqual questionnaire with 20 items was utilized. All the five dimensions of the servqual model (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) were examined. A Five-point Likert scale was used to measure the customers’ expectations and perceptions. A gap analysis was performed to establish the difference between the perceptions and expectations of the customers.

The research established that there is pervasive customer dissatisfaction with the bank's services stemming from a gulf between customer expectations and the customer perceptions of service.