IMPACT OF EMPLOYEE COMPETENCIES ON SERVICE PERFORMANCE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Customers and employees are playing important role in determining the level and quality of performance of the services. The competent employee has been considered as more likely to succeed in satisfying customers and providing good service. However, the relationship between employee competencies, service performance, and customer experience is still in need of more study and investigations. This research has a purpose to study the eventual impact of employee competencies on service performance and to find if there is a mediating role for customer experience in this relationship. This study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A self-completion questionnaire was developed by the researcher. By using the convenient sampling technique the questionnaire has been distributed to the customers of Sudanese telecommunication companies (Khartoum State is study area), to test the relationship between employee competencies and service performance from the standpoint of customers based on customer experience. Findings confirm that the level of service performance is positively influenced by the employee competencies. Furthermore, we find that this relationship between employee competencies and service performance is not only positive but it is also significant. The general statistical analysis revealed the presence of a mediating role for customer experience in the relationship between employee competencies and service performance but confirmatory factor analysis indicates that this role is not significant. It is important to know that the success in the service performance is strongly related to the level of employee competencies. Managers in the services business should pay attention to the employee competencies and customer experience. xvii Previous studies have used employee self-reports or manager reports of employee competencies, both of which have major weaknesses when used to predict customer outcomes. This research investigates employee competencies from the customer standpoint. We adopted a customer perspective of employee competencies and used customer experience to predict the customer outcomes.