An Empirical Examination of the Overall Customer Satisfaction with the Service Delivery of Mobile Network Operators in South Africa

This study examines the overall customer satisfaction (OCS) with the service delivery of mobile network operators (MNOs) in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative method and followed a survey research design involving 2013 cell phone users located across various South African metropolitan cities. These cell phone users were conveniently sampled by means of structured questionnaires and the data collected were analysed using Stata, the Statistical Software Package. The findings from the Minnesota Customer-Satisfaction Index (MnCSI) reveal that there is a high level of customer satisfaction regarding the services received from MNOs. Despite the high rate of OCS, an alarming proportion of dissatisfied customers was also found. Such a proportion of customer dissatisfaction needs to be investigated and appropriate improvement measures are urgently needed. The study found a significant difference in perception regarding OCS, with respect to monthly income and according to the metropolitan cities in South Africa. On the other hand, no significant difference in perception was observed on the OCS in terms of gender and occupation. The study extends the current literature on customer satisfaction globally and in South Africa and provides some managerial implications.