Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2010. / The necessity for organisations to deliver exceptional service to customers remains a primary factor for sustainability. Organisations continuously seek differentiation from their competition to realise their strategic goals. The main aim of organisations is to satisfy their employees, customers, stakeholders and regulators, and in doing so they would continue to prosper and reflect a positive return on equity. Organisations strive to be market leaders in the area of customer service by ensuring that employees remain engaged and motivated at all times to ensure that a competitive advantage is evident. This study was conducted in the retail banking environment of Nedbank which investigated the link between employee motivation and how this would affect external customer service. The research results were illustrated by means of qualitative and qualitative measurement frameworks, thereby illustrating the effects of employee motivation on the levels of customer service. The study displays that employee motivation determines the outcome of service levels and the delivery of exceptional customer service by satisfied and informed employees.