ABSTRACT
The study determined the effect of employee soft skills on customer service in fast food operation in Umuahia metropolis, it was a descriptive survey research in which 5 specific objectives. 5 research questions and 5 research hypotheses guided the study. The researcher purposively use 135 employees of fast food establishment as its sample size. The research instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire on a 4 point scale of preference, which was subjected to a reliability test that produce a reliability coefficient of 0.81, proving the usability of the instrument. Convenience or assessibility sampling technique was used in the administration of the instrument, Descriptive and Inferential statistics on SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data generated. Findings revealed that there is no significant relationship between teamwork as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service of fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis. Secondly, there is a significant relationship between problem solving as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service of fast food establishment in Umuahia metropolis. There is significant relationship between communication as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service of fast food establishment in Umuahia metropolis. Next, there is no significant relationship between critical thinking as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service of fast food establishment in Umuahia metropolis. Finally, there is no significant relationship between emotional intelligence as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service of fast food establishment in Umuahia metropolis. Following the positive but insignificant relationship between team work as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service, the study recommended that human resource departments should design operations to emphasize and educate employee on the importance of team work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page - - - - - - - - - - i
Approval Page - - - - - - - - - - ii
Declaration - - - - - - - - - - iii
Certification - - - - - - - - - - iv
Dedication - - - - - - - - - - v
Acknowledgements - - - - - - - - - vi
List of Figures - - - - - - - - - - vii
List of Tables - - - - - - - - - - viii
Table of Content - - - - - - - - - ix
Abstract - - - - - - - - - - xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 3
1.3 Objectives of the Study 4
1.4 Research Questions 4
1.5 Research Hypotheses 5
1.6 Significance of the study 6
1.7 Scope of the Study 7
CHAPTER
2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.0. Introduction 8
2.1 Conceptual Literature 8
2.1.1 Concept of Soft Skill 8
2.1.2. Evolution of soft skills 11
2.1.3. Importance
of soft skills 12
2.1.4. Concept of customer service 15
2.1.5. Importance of customer service 17
2.1.6. Roles of employees in customer service 20
2.1.7. Soft skills for effective customer service 21
2.2.
Theoretical review 31
2.2.1. Human
capital theory 31
2.2.2 Equity theory 32
2.3 Empirical review 33
2.4. Summary
of reviewed literature 39
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research
Design 41
3.2 Area
of Study 41
3.3
Population for the Study 42
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Techniques 43
3.5 Instrument
for Data Collection 44
3.6
Validation of Instruments 45
3.7
Reliability of the Instrument 46
3.8
Data Collection Techniques 47
3.9
Data Analysis Technique 48
CHAPTER 4: DATA
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 Questionnaire Administration 45
4.2 Demographic Characteristics of the
Respondents 45
4.3 Inferential
Statistics and Hypotheses Testing 51
4.4 Discussion
Findings 57
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary of Findings 59
5.2
Conclusion 59
5.3
Recommendation 60
REFERENCES 62
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Questionnaire Administration and collection 45
Table 4.2: Distribution of Respondents According to Age Range 45
Table 4.3 Distribution of Respondents According to Marital Status 45
Table 4.4: Distribution of Respondents According Educational Level 47
Table 4.5: Distribution of Respondents According Position 49
Table 4.6: Distribution of Respondents According Department 50
Table 4.7: Distribution of Respondents According Experience 51
Table 4.8: Descriptive Statistics 52
Table 4.9 Regression Estimates for the Influence of Employee Soft Skills on
Customer Service of Fast-Food Establishments in Umuahia Metropolis 53
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.I: Research Frame work 6
Figure 4.1: Questionnaire Administration and Collection 45
Figure 4.2 Distribution of Respondents According to Age Range 45
Figure 4.3: Distribution of Respondents According to Marital Status 47
Figure 4.4: Distribution of Respondents According to Educational Level 48
Figure 4.5: Distribution of Respondents According to Position 49
Figure 4.6: Distribution of Respondents According to Departments 50
Figure 4.7: Distribution of Respondents According to Experience 51
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study
In today's competitive environment,
excellent customer service is becoming the core competitive advantage in fast
food operations. Skills refer to the
level of performance of an individual on a particular task or the capability to
perform a job well, which can be divided into technical elements and behavioral
elements” (Noe & Gerhart, 2015). Technical elements measure “hard”
technical skills while the communication elements measure “soft” skills. Soft
skills are the personal character traits or qualities each of us has. Soft
skills make us who we are, generally encompassing our attitudes, habits and how
we interact with other people. Soft skills refer to capabilities that make
people better employees and open doors for many opportunities that are not
directly related to the subject matter of their jobs. In other words, soft
skills refer to a person’s ability to relate to others, to get him/her and
others organized, to communicate in written, spoken or other forms (Manmohan, 2017).
Soft skills are also known as People Skills. These are desirable qualities for
certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge, rather
they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, a positive flexible
attitude, communication, critical and decision-making, negotiation, ability to
work together as team, self-management, self-confidence ( Williams, 2015). The
fast food industry faces a myriad of pressing labour force challenges,
especially shortage of employees skilled for effective business outcome
specifically soft skills. Many authors, including Cardy and Selvarajan (2006);
Poretla and Thanassoulis (2005) and Ally and Cleveland - Inner, (2008), have
pointed fingers to the primary and secondary institutions for dismally failing
to aptly prepare future employees with these skills. With international
business becoming highly competitive, soft skills have become a key strategy
not only to lower the cost of human capital but also to improve the growth of
service organisations (Ibrahimkhan, 2006).
Pereault (2014) sees soft skills as
personal qualities, attributes or the level of commitment of a person that set
him or her apart from other individuals who may have similar skills and
experience. James and James (2004) agreed that soft skills are a new way to
describe a set of abilities or talents that an individual can bring to the
workplace. Soft skills characterize certain career attributes that an
individual may possess such as the ability to work in a team, communication
skills, leadership skills, customer service and problem solving skills. James
and James (2004). Communication and interpersonal skills for instance enable
one to communicate effectively, get along with others, embrace team work, take
initiative, and have a strong work ethic.
In the fast food industry, the success of
service providers depends on the level and quality of service delivery and
relationship with customers and this influences customer satisfaction and
customer loyalty (Panda 2003). Customer service involves making the customers
the epicenter of the operations, it is a customer-centric ideology that has the
potential of making customers to begin to develop positive association towards
a brand. Kotler and Keler (2012) sees customer service as the organization’s
ability to perform all the processes and activities needed to enable customers
to reach the right parties in the company, receive quick and satisfactory
service, and solve their problems properly. Research by Newman (2008) and
Caruana (2002) shows that employee soft skills are related to customer loyalty
through repurchase. Thus, delivering quality service through professional soft
skills to customers is a must for success and survival in today's competitive
business environment. Mohamud (2015) defined customer service as processes
adopted by firms in order to present a
product or service to a customer in a manner that can exceed his or her
expectation. Research findings have shown that customers treasure quality
service and expect business organizations to meet or even surpass their service
expectations. This explains why customer service has become topical in the
business world, and is being used as a marketing strategy by companies. In
service organizations where the products traded are strikenly similar, and
differentiation seems difficult, it therefore becomes imperative for service
companies to focus on customer service to remain competitive.
Therefore, this present study determined
the influence of employees’ soft skills on customer service in fast food
establishments in Umuahia.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
Fast food
establishments are facing very intense competition such that many of these
organizations are merely struggling to break even and remain afloat. A struggling business organization is hardly
competitive. Businesses struggle on account of many factors; one of the factors
being quality of the human resources available for operation. In service industry and particularly in fast
food operation employees/service providers form part of the product and this
can make or mar the drive towards the actualization of customer service. Soft
skills rather than hard skills are believed to make more impression on the
customer in as much as service delivery is concerned. But despite the
importance of soft skills in service delivery, it does appear that most
operators of fast food companies in Umuahia seem not to know or understand the
importance of having employees that posses soft skills in their employment.
Ultimately, the changes in business environment, in consumer education and
knowledge, antecedents of consumer choices, preferences and expectations
require a pragmatic and empirical evaluation of the need for soft skills
(Dadzie & Boachie, 2011). In fast food operations, customers often complain
of poor service delivery and in some cases unprofessional attitude of service
providers and thus seem to have developed the penchant of wanting to switch to
rival companies with ease. Unfortunately, the operators of these companies may
not have the privilege of getting these complaints and might concentrate on
non-issues in the running of their business thereby paying lip service to core
issues. Therefore, this study is carried out to investigate the relevance of
soft skills within competency requirements of service providers in fast food
companies in achieving customer service.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
The main objective of this study was to
investigate the influence of employee soft skills on customer service in fast
food establishments in Umuahia metropolis.
The specific objectives of the study
included:
1.
The influence of team work as a dimension of employee soft skills on
customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis.
2.
The influence of problem-solving as a dimension of employee soft skills on
customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis.
3.
The effect of communication as a dimension of employee soft skills on
customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis.
4.
The influence of critical thinking o as a dimension of employee soft
skills n customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis.
5.
To what extent that Emotional-intelligence as a dimension of employee
soft skills influence customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia
metropolis.
1.4 Research
Questions
The following research questions guided
the study
1.
What effect has team work as a dimension of employee soft skills on
customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis?
2.
What influence has problem solving as a dimension of employee soft skills
on customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis?
3.
To what extent does communication as a dimension of employee soft skills
influence customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia Metropolis?
4.
What effect has critical thinking as a dimension of employee soft skills
on customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia metropolis?
5.
To what extent does emotional intelligence as a dimension of employee
soft skills influence customer service in fast food establishments in Umuahia
metropolis?
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated
to focus the study.
HO1: There is no positive relationship between
team work as a dimension of employee soft skills customer service in fast food
operations in the study area.
HO2: There is no significant relationship between
problem solving as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service in
fast food operations in the study area.
HO3: There is no positive relationship between communication
as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service in fast food
operations in the study area.
HO4: There is no significant relationship between
critical thinking as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer service
in fast food operations in the study area.
HO5: There is no positive relationship between
Emotional intelligence as a dimension of employee soft skills and customer
service in fast food establishment in the study area.
Independent Dependent
Variable Variable
Employee Soft Skill Customer Service
|
Team
work
|
|
Problem
solving
|
|
communication
|
|
Critical
thinking
|
|
Emotional Intelligence
|
Ho1
Ho2
Ho3
Ho4
Ho5
Figure
1.I: Research Frame work (Researcher’s
Desk, 2021).
1.6 Significance
of the study
The findings of
the study is of great benefit to the following groups of people; fast food
organizations, fast food workers, customers, students and researchers.
The knowledge of
employee soft skills and customer service will help fast food organizations to
know the relevance of soft skills in service delivery, the impacts of soft
skills on customer satisfaction and the need to employ candidates that posses
such soft skills and in the alternative, design a training session for soft
skills acquisition and improve customer service.
The customers
will benefit as they will receive improved customer service during their
purchases on account of the implementation of the findings of this study by
fast food organizations.
The findings of
this study will enlighten fast food workers on the required skills for customer
service and the need to develop and utilize these skills for effective service
delivery.
The findings of
this study will add to the body of existing knowledge as students and researchers
alike may use the work as a reference material or review it in the course of
their studies and future researches respectively.
1.7 Scope
of the Study
In terms of
content, this study centered on employee soft skills such as team work, problem
solving, communication, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and customer
service in fast food operations in Umuahia metropolis.
Geographically,
the study was carried out in Umuahia metropolis and only registered fast food
organizations in Umuahia were used for the study.
In terms of
scope, employees of registered fast food organizations in Umuahia metropolis
were used as respondents.
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