Enhancing Customer Service through Prompt Service Delivery: The Case of the Forest Services Division in the Northern Region

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Date
2011-03-14
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Abstract
The on-going Ghana Forestry Commission institutional drive to ensure staff step up the practice of good customer service for its numerous clientele was studied. The customer service delivery in Northern Region of the Forest Services Division of the Ghana Forestry Commission was evaluated. The study was carried out in the Northern Region of Ghana and the specific objectives the Researcher investigated were to: determine the waiting time of customers for service delivery, assess the factors that contribute to delayed service inclusive of the effects such delays have on the clientele and evaluate the perception of the customers on the general delivery of service of the forestry institution. For three (3) months, one hundred structured questionnaires were administered to respondents by simple random sampling and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held for the management staff of the Forestry Commission in the Northern Region. The results indicate that 19% of the respondents were dissatisfied and 30% hold a bad perception about the services they currently access while 70% think otherwise. Poor staff performance rating and a prolonged length of time for service delivery were revealed by the investigation. Securing permits to harvest trees for charcoal production, the purchase of seeds and tree seedlings, payment of fees for squatting at the fringes of the twenty four (24) forest reserves, provision of technical advice and royalty payments are the most sought after services in the Northern Region. Loss of customers and revenue, threats from some loyal customers to switch, battered reputation, trauma and disappointments were some of the customer worries impacted by the delayed access to service from the Forestry Commission. Finally, the respondents’ thoughts on areas that require improvements have been espoused. It behoves the Forestry Commission to address these gaps to secure a satisfied clientele base.
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A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration.
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