USIKOROMOGHA Boloubele1
OKWANDU Gabrial A.2
IKEGWURU Mac-Kingsley3
1, 2 Department of Marketing, Faculty of Administration and Management
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt
3 Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Faculty of Administration and Management
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt
Corresponding email: boloubeleusikoromogha@gmail.com
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between customer interaction and operational performance of courier services firms in Rivers State. Customer interaction was the predictor variable, while operational performance was the criterion variable with cost minimization, delivery speed and flexibility used as its measures. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with a correlational method of investigation. The population of the study consisted 13 courier services firms in Rivers State. The study adopted a census. 4 questionnaire were given to managers (operations, logistics, customer relation and delivery). The Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses with the aid of the Statistical Packages for Social Science, version 23.0. The study found that customer interaction has positive and statistically significant relationship with measures operational performance. The therefore concluded that a significant positive relationship exists between customer interaction and operational performance of courier services firms in Rivers State; and recommends that courier services firms in Rivers State that intend to enhance their operational performance in terms of cost minimization, delivery speed, and flexibility should adopt and encourage interaction with customers.
Keywords: Cost Minimization, customer interaction, delivery speed, flexibility, operational performance.