CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND CLIENT RETENTION AMONG SELECTED TIER 1 CORPORATE BANKING SEGMENT OF COMMERCIAL BANKS, KENYACUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND CLIENT RETENTION AMONG SELECTED TIER 1 CORPORATE BANKING SEGMENT OF COMMERCIAL BANKS, KENYA

In an increasingly competitive financial sector, retaining high-value corporate clients has become critical, and effective customer experience management is emerging as a key strategic focus for achieving this objective. The general objective of the study was to establish the effect of customer experience management strategies on client retention in Tier 1 corporate banking segment in Kenya. The precise objective was to ascertain how service quality management strategies affect client retention in tier 1 corporate banking segment in Kenya. Research was underpinned by SERVQUAL model theory and Customer loyalty theory. The target population consisted of five tier 1 corporate banks in Kenya. The respondents were 100 corporate relationship managers within these selected five tier 1 corporate banks who were sampled utilizing stratified random methods. Data was gathered utilizing feedback form that was in a structured form. Ten relationship managers from KCB Bank Kenya limited were involved in the pilot study. Expert Opinion Method was used to measure content validity. Cronbach’s alpha was adopted to measure instruments’ reliability at 0.7 threshold. Data analysis tool was SPSS Ver. 26. The study employed a linear regression model to analyze the connection amongst variables and the results were displayed in form of tables and charts to facilitate easy interpretation and communication of findings. The results show that Service Quality strategy exhibited a positive and statistically significant effect on Customer retention in selected tier 1 banks in Kenya. The study concludes that, adhering to high-quality service will foster customer trust that are essential in bank management for continual improvement. It is recommended that banks should invest in Service Quality strategy by responding to corporate clients’ requests and building high level trust through expertise. Keywords: Service Quality, Interpersonal Relationships, Personalization, Feedback Mechanisms, Client Retention, Customer Experience Management Strategies.