ANALYSIS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH WAITING LINES IN TWO SEVERSTAGE SERVICE.

A CASE STUDY OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN KOFORIDUA By Godfred Kwame Abledu and Owusu Acheampong(Dr.) ABSTRACT A basic fact of life is that we spend a great deal of time waiting in queues. In our service economy, we wait in lines every day, from driving to work to checking out our balances at the banks, at the supermarket, at fast food restaurant and many other situations. The central problem in virtually every waiting line situation is a trade-off decision. The manager must weigh the added cost of providing more rapid service against the inherent cost of waiting in order to satisfy the demands of the customers. Organizations and institutions owe their existence to the customers they serve .Their survival and growth depend on their orientation to customer satisfaction(ChauKuang & Hughes, 2004).Total Quality Management spreads from business to

education. The total quality initiatives also recognises the changing conditions in our service economy, e.g. a considerable increase in customers' requirements and needs, increasing demands from business and industry, increasing demands from governing boards and the public sector, decreasing funds, and increasing competition among institutions and organisations. Focusing on the customer is an essential principle of Total Quality Management. Without perceived value there is no reason for customers to choose a particular financial institution over an increasingly large number of similar institutions. To raise that value, customers' perceived quality and satisfaction should be measured and managed. On this background it is essential to measure customers' perceived quality and satisfaction within financial institutions Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and apply a queuing model and an associated measurement instrument of customers' perceived quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Three financial institutions in Koforidua would be selected at random for the study. Managerial implications are discussed and the proposed model and measurement instrument is used for tracking and benchmarking, Keywords: queuing model, total quality, satisfaction, benchmarking