A strategic marketing evaluation of customer service expectations from alcohol beverage suppliers

Abstract

This paper reports on the influence the volume an organisation buys from alcoholic beverage suppliers has on their service quality expectations. The primary alcoholic beverage focus areas used in this study in the North West Province were Rustenburg, Mafikeng and Potchefstroom. A non probability judgment sample method was used, and the sample size quantity was 220 respondents. The questionnaire requested respondents (high and low-volume) to rank their customer service expectations and opinions with reference to Parasuramans’s service delivery dimensions. Ranking was done using a five-point Likert scale. The findings of the study indicated that both the high and low-volume customers felt that alcoholic beverage supplying companies had to deliver on all five service delivery dimensions but failed to do so to full satisfaction. There were also differences between the high and low-volume customers’ opinions and expectations. Thus, the results indicated that there are differences between customers’ (high and low-volume) expectations and opinions of service delivery from alcoholic beverage supply companies. These findings, if used strategically and as a guideline, can improve an alcoholic beverage supply company’s retention and profit growth.