Service quality of the Sports Department at the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

Service quality is a vital concept for managers in the sports industry. The key to ensuring its survival is to listen to and design services according to its users' requirements. On the other hand, detecting weaknesses establishes the necessary remedial actions, thus starting the path to continuous improvement within the organisation. Implementing and maintaining high levels of sports service quality will enable the University of Technology’s sports department to attract the best athletes to join its sports clubs. This may enhance the profile and increase the competitiveness of the university’s sports clubs. Hence, the service quality levels of the various sports codes offered at the University of Technology must be able to satisfy sports club members’ desired needs. The aim of this study was to assess the service quality and customer satisfaction of sports club members at the Durban University of Technology Sports Department. This study was a cross-sectional and descriptive study that employed a quantitative research methodology. The SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to assess customers’ expectations and actual experiences of customer satisfaction, measuring expectations and perceptions according to five quality dimensions. These quality dimensions include tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. A census survey method was used to collect data from 322 respondents, out of a total population of 1200 sports club members. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 2.5 was used to analyse data with descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study showed that customers’ expectations exceeded their actual experiences in all the service quality dimensions used in the SERVQUAL questionnaire. Tangibles had the largest gap of 0.10. The dimensions of assurance and empathy had the smallest gaps of 0.01 each. This study, therefore, indicated that the dimension of tangibles required more interventions. In the university sports department, tangibles include sports equipment, physical facilities, and staff appearance. Modern-looking sports facilities are imperative for effective and successfully administered sporting programmes. In conjunction with this, high-quality and technologically up-to-date sports equipment also enhances sports participation and improves the quality of service. This study, therefore, recommended that to attract elite sportspersons to the university and enhance the image of university sport, it is imperative that the university sports department invest in upgrading sports facilities that are both aesthetically pleasing and satisfy the demands of high performance sports programmes. An engagement with university management, corporate affairs, and the finance department was recommended to brainstorm the proposal for sports facility upgrades. The upgrade of sports facilities also potentially serves as an avenue for third-stream income for the sports department by hiring out high-quality facilities to local and national sports federations. The recommendations discussed in this study suggested some of the possible measures that could be taken by the management of the university sports department to improve customer satisfaction levels. Providing superior service quality that leads to customer satisfaction can give the university sports department a competitive advantage. It was envisaged that this study may have a positive impact on the delivery of good service quality, which in turn will assist the management of the DUT Sports Department to achieve superior customer satisfaction.