Training and Development, a Strategic Tool for Service Quality Improvement in the Zambian Banking Sector: Analysis of Communication and Service Assurance
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Training and development are globally acclaimed determinants of employee performance and organizational success, particularly for service sectors such as banking. Despite the prominence of T&D in the banking sector, empirical studies attempting to quantify the influence of training and development on service quality have yielded mixed results .This research aims to reconcile these conflicting findings in the literature by redressing the existing knowledge gap and the limited body of literature by examining the effect of Training and Development programs on communication and service assurance as the specific service quality dimensions at Indo-Zambia Bank. The Quantitative study was grounded by a positivism paradigm with a descriptive research design. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using a structured questionnaire administered to 100 Indo-Zambia Bank employees who were chosen using stratified random sampling. Descriptive and Pearson correlation coefficient using SPSS were conducted to establish the statistically significant relationship between T&D and communication and assurance. Results reflect a statistically significant relationship between the T&D and communication (p < .002) and assurance (p < .001). The most implemented T&D programmes included KYC Training, Induction/Onboarding, Ethics & Confidentiality, Customer Service Excellence, Service Recovery/Complaint Handling, Digital Systems & IT Training, Communication & Interpersonal Skills, and Leadership/Coaching. The study concluded that T&D improves communication (r=.279) and assurance (r=.271). The study concludes that T&D programs at Indo-Zambia Bank significantly and positively influence communication and service assurance. At a policy level, the findings inform regulatory emphasis on continuous professional development as a mechanism for sustaining competitive service standards in Zambia’s financial sector.