A Dissertation submitted in partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Award of
the Degree of Master of Business Administration-Corporate Management (MBA-
CM) of Mzumbe University. Morogoro, Tanzania.
The study mainly assessed the factors leading to customer mobility among commercial
banks in Tanzania using selected National Bank of Commerce Limited as a case study.
The specific objectives included to identify factors that make customers to shift from
NBC Ltd to other banks; and to determine strategies that the bank can use to retain its
customers. The sample size of the study was 80 respondents. The research tools used
were questionnaires, interviews and documentary reviews.
The study found the major factors for customer mobility in NBC were based on
dissatisfaction in high interest rates charged for loans; low interest rates on savings;
Islamic banking; unpromising services; rude staff and management; insufficient
promotion and marketing strategies; and inaccessibility of NBC branches. The study
also found that to retain customers, NBC needs to increase the number of employees; to
increase the number of bank branches especially in the district towns; to effectively
motivate the employees; and to improve services to the customers. It was also found that
the impacts of customers shift to other banks were unmet NBC objectives; increased
institutional administrative costs in NBC; and reduced institutional competitive
advantage in NBC.
The study concludes that the factors responsible for the customer shift from NBC to
other banks were external and internal. However, the major factors were factors that
need to be controlled by the bank itself in order to increase its performance and
competitive advantage in the banking industry. The study also concludes that impact of
the customer shift from NBC to other bank was a negative aspect that would lead to
decreased performance, productivity, lessened competitive advantage and unfavorable
corporate positioning in the banking industry. The study also concludes that the bank
management needs to take action early by improving working banking environment,
working conditions and services in order to retain old customers and to attract new ones.