AN ASSESSMENT OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY AT CITY ADMINISTRATIONS LEVEL OF SIDAMA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to assess customer satisfaction on public service delivery at the city administration level in Sidama regional state, Ethiopia. Relevant research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide this study. The research design employed was descriptive and explanatory and was applied with mixed methods—qualitative and quantitative data. The SERVQUAL model was adapted and integrated into a comprehensive questionnaire to gather data from customers, and in-depth interviews were conducted with top public sector officials. Focus groups and observations were conducted. The study sectors, which encompassed public services such as healthcare, transportation, water supply, and municipal services for sanitation and waste management, were selected because of the magnitude of the challenges and the significance of these institutions in serving society. The sample for this study comprised 392 customers selected using Gorden’s (2004) formula. The collected data were analyzed using MAXQDA version 20 and SPSS version 26. The findings show that all dimensions of service quality are strongly and positively correlated with customer satisfaction. This suggests that all dimensions of service quality are determinants of customer satisfaction and that improving all dimensions leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction. The study also revealed a poor status of public service quality, a low level of customer satisfaction, and a substantial negative service quality gap between customer expectations and perceptions of the city administration in the Sidama regional state. The major challenges that impede effective public service delivery in city administration include limited resources, a lack of advanced technology, bureaucratic practices, corruption, the struggle to adapt to evolving dynamics, insufficient citizen engagement, difficulties in ensuring service accessibility and reliability, poor employee competency, the pursuit of continuous quality improvements, the inadequacy of initiatives aimed at enhancing service delivery, and the absence of clear priorities for service improvement. Therefore, it is recommended that city administrations invest effort in all service quality dimensions that have been found to be substantial determinants of customer satisfaction