Banking Service in Albania: Satisfied… from what?

Abstract

Purpose-This article examines the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction from the banking service in Albania. Design/methodology/approach-For the realization of this study, the authors relied on primary data. The population, taken in the study, are the clients of a commercial bank operating in the city of Durrës. The questionnaire is structured with questions on a five-point psychometric scale, grouped for each dimension of quality and the dependent variable of customers' satisfaction. To prove the consistency of the indicators within each factor, the Cronbachs' alpha test was performed, while for the analysis of the functional relationships between the dimensions of service quality and customers' satisfaction, the correlations were tested and the Enter/Stepwise methods were used. The software used for data processing is SPSS V.21. Findings-Customers' satisfaction for the sample taken in the study is dependent on two factors, assurance and responsiveness. Other factors do not directly affect customers' satisfaction with banking services, but are statistically significant related to the independent variables included in the study. Originality/value-This paper tests previously found relationships, but the socio-economic developments, the level of financial culture, and the extent of banking sector in Albania, seem to affect consumers' perceptions of quality and what makes them satisfied. Passing two major financial crises (pyramid schemes in 1997 and the 2008 financial crisis) with a poor financial culture, the Albanian customers expect a quality service in a service that makes them feel safe and is being offered specifically to their expectations.