Perceptions of managers regarding information management and client satisfaction in non-profit-organisations that care for the elderly

MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusThe aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of managers of non-profit organisations that care for the elderly regarding information management and customer service. The study also tried to determine if information management can increase the effectiveness of such a service organisation and help them to better utilise their resources. The study provided a thorough examination of non-profit organisations and their current performance and services delivered. The discussion on the performance of service delivery also addressed the issue of an ageing population and better care for the elderly, as well as opportunities and challenges as a result of the ageing population. Customers are the most important assets of a service organisation. These customers, however, are ageing at a rapid rate as a result of the decline in fertility and mortality. This creates an increasing demand for elderly care by non-profit organisations. Quality service is important as it can ensure client satisfaction in such organisations. As non-profit organisations are not focussed on profit, their success or failure cannot be measured by profit and their quality of service can sometimes determine their success or failure. Service quality can be measured by client satisfaction and can be improved by using the information available in the organisation. Good information management can assist a service organisation in getting a competitive advantage and deliver a higher level of service by knowing the needs and behaviour of their customers. The empirical study of the research included the research strategy, the research process as well as the data analysis. A qualitative research approach was used which consisted of semi structured interviews with managers of participating non-profit organisations to get their perceptions regarding information management and client satisfaction in their organisations. A list of possible interview questions was compiled that focused on client satisfaction, ageing population and information management. The first part of the interviews was dedicated to the level of client satisfaction, the different customer services delivered by the organisations, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of these organisations. In the second part of the interviews the ageing population was discussed to determine the potential opportunities and threats that the ageing population might pose in future on these non-profit organisations. The interviewer then focused on the use of information systems in the organisations, as well as the possible effect that it might have on client satisfaction and their support in future. The researcher probed the participants on each theme to get a better idea of the perceptions of each participant. The perception of managers regarding information management and client satisfaction in non-profit organisations that care for the elderly was established. The perceptions of the managers on the different levels of information management was established as well as the opportunities and challenges that the organisations experience. The perception of the participants on the possible relationship between information management and client satisfaction was also discussed, as well as the effect of population ageing. Atlas TI, a software program, was used to do the data analysis on the data gathered from the interviews and the software was used to increase the validity and reliability of the conclusions from the study. The interviews were transcribed and coded and with the use of the software, the data was structured into themes, categories and codes. Phrases from the interview transcriptions were used to link and support the codes. Analysis was also done on the differences in the perceptions of the managers between the different sizes of the non-profit organisations. The three main themes from the coding was Ageing population, Client satisfaction and Information management and a network for each of these themes was created. Relationships between codes from the three different themes were established to create an overall network on all the data. From this overall network it was clear to conclude that information management can be used to save time and money and to allocate resources more effectively in order to improve client satisfaction in participating organisations. The study established that it is the perception of the participants that with the effective use of information management, the current and future challenges can be reduced through more effective customer service and resource utilisation in non-profit organisations that care for the elderly.Master