The Role of Customer care in bringing Customer Satisfaction in Private Universities. A case of University of Arusha, Tanzania

This study sought to investigate customer care in bringing customers satisfaction at the University of Arusha. Its specific objectives included; to determine whether the University of Arusha is practicing customer care and customer satisfaction, to identify challenges of customer care and customer satisfaction at the University of Arusha and to identify mechanism to improve customer care and customer satisfaction at the University of Arusha. The study employed qualitative approach in collecting and analyzing data at the University of Arusha. Open ended questionnaires were used to collect data from 79 respondents. Findings revealed that respondents had a view that the University of Arusha is practicing customer care and customer satisfaction. Although, the study revealed that, employees in the office have less knowledge on customer care and skills that hindered effective provision of good customer care to customers and lack of commitment to offer a quality customer care service was also found to be a problem. Findings also indicated that there were mechanisms to remove the challenges such as training of customer care skills among the staff. The study concluded that, the customer satisfaction between main and town campus differed. It was also concluded that, inadequacy of facilities such as computer lab equipment were among the source of dissatisfaction. It was recommended that, training the staff on the customer care skills is essential in improving the customer care, the University should balance the services between the main campus and Arusha extension center which seems to be ignored.