INNOVATIVE CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES AND CUSTOMER RETENTION IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper explored the relationship between innovative customer care services and customer retention in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria. The study employed the correlation survey research design. Data were collected from 321customers (network subscribers) of the four telecommunication service providers in Rivers State. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). The SPSS version 22.0 was used to correlate the data collected on the study variables. The findings revealed that innovative customer enquiry services have a significant relationship with customer retention in telecommunication industry. The study also found a significant relationship between innovative customer support services and customer retention in telecommunication industry. The study equally found a significant relationship between innovative customer complaint processing services and customer retention. Based on the findings, it was concluded that innovative customer care services significantly enhance customer retention in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria. Based on the conclusion, it was recommended that telecommunication companies in Nigeria should continuously innovate their customer care services in line with the changes and developments in the industry as it would enhance customer retention