Customer Service Deficits in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Cameroon’s Telecommunications and Transport Sectors

Abstract

Customer service has become a strategic determinant of organizational competitiveness, customer retention, and sustainable business performance. Despite the growing body of research on service quality, limited empirical attention has been devoted to customer service deficits as a distinct phenomenon, particularly within emerging economies. This study addresses this gap by examining the influence of customer service deficits on customer satisfaction, customer trust, and customer experience in Cameroon’s telecommunications and transport sectors. Guided by the positivist research philosophy and a deductive approach, the study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to consumers of telecommunications and transport services using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. A total of 150 valid responses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The analysis comprised reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. The measurement instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency (overall Cronbach’s α = 0.935) and satisfactory construct validity, confirming its suitability for subsequent statistical analyses. The findings reveal that customer service deficits remain a widespread concern, with respondents reporting only moderate levels of service responsiveness, complaint handling, staff attitude, and communication quality, alongside low levels of customer satisfaction, customer trust, and customer experience, and a high overall perception of poor customer service. Regression results further indicate that customer service quality significantly predicts customer outcomes. Specifically, service responsiveness and staff attitude emerged as significant positive predictors of customer satisfaction and customer experience, while complaint handling did not exert a statistically significant independent effect on customer trust. Communication quality contributed positively to customer trust and customer experience but did not significantly predict customer satisfaction. The study contributes to the customer service literature by conceptualizing customer service deficits as measurable organizational phenomena within an underexplored emerging economy. It also provides evidence-based managerial and policy insights for strengthening customer-centred service delivery and improving organizational competitiveness. Overall, the findings underscore that improving customer responsiveness, staff conduct, and communication practices is fundamental to enhancing customer experiences and promoting sustainable service performance in Cameroon and comparable emerging economies.