IMPACT OF RELIABILITY AND TANGIBILITY DIMENSIONS ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR: A CASE OF SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN MOROCCO
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and tangibility dimensions on customer satisfaction in higher education sector, taking into consideration the challenges faced by private universities in the country such as lack of funding among others.
Problem statement: Learning in some universities has been strongly challenged due to insufficient facilities and quality of the needed infrastructure and luck of lecturers in some faculties to handle the tasks and failure to attain the required curriculum standard set up by various regulating bodies. The quality of service on higher education has in the recent past sparked lots of concerns from different quarters in the bid of trying to foster an appropriate system that can align Morocco youths and learners to the global demands in the professional environments, which are entirely dependent on academic achievements.
Study methodology: The unit of the study was the registered students undertaking undergraduate studies in these universities. The target population comprised of undergraduate students in private universities in Morocco. The private universities considered for this study include HEM Institut des Hautes Etudes de Management, HIGH-TECH, ESCA École de Management, HEC Maroc and International Institute for Higher Education in Morocco A probabilistic technique was employed in which simple random sampling was used to identify the respondents. This was considered appropriate, as the numbers of students would be randomly obtained in respective universities. A sample of 384 was used and data was collected through structured questionnaires.
Results of the study: The result findings indicated that reliability and tangibility dimensions are closely linked to the level of student satisfaction. Customer service has to be easily accessible, knowledgeable, and reliable to deliver results.
Conclusion: Quality assurance identifies these requirements and measures how well customer service performs with respect to each one. A serene and attractive environment enhances the professionalism and ethical practices among staff members, and promoting diversity in terms of equipment and facilities.
Recommendations: The study recommends that decisions made by university leaders should be able to give students who are the main customers a sense of satisfaction and enable them to identify with their respective universities. Both university and the faculty members should ensure that students’ concerns are attended promptly, quicker and with responsiveness; Efforts should be made to ensure that reliability, tangibility and quality services are offered to students; and that issues concerning students should be handled in an emphatic way to help those with unique problems and challenges.
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