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1. INTRODUCTION
Existing research has suggested that successful company overall performance is
derived from customer satisfaction and that the enhancement of customer satisfaction
is essential for firms. In this regard, studies especially in business-to- Consumers
settings has targeted on more than one attributes that definitely affect consumer
delight and satisfaction.
While assessing drivers of consumer satisfaction in a business-to-commercial
enterprise context, special types of drivers of customer pleasure can be recognized:
elements that have an effect on customers immediately and elements that have an
effect on personnel and therefore have an effect on customer pleasure.
We take a look at the business-to-enterprise context for two reasons. First and
much like research in the commercial enterprise-to-client placing, consumer
perceptions of the service provided influence typical satisfaction evaluations. Second,
studies in commercial enterprise-to-business have demonstrated the pivotal position
of the customer contact employee in securing business customer satisfaction. In
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particular, sales employees attitudes, skills, and traits had been shown to influence
customer satisfaction (Homburg and Stock, 2005; Bradford, 2009).
In this regard, three types of variables are particularly important. The first is
salesperson attitude and examine salesperson satisfaction, an area of considerable
research in the sales literature. Job satisfaction refers to an attitude that results from an
evaluative process of expected work environment with the perceived work
environment. In this regard employee satisfaction as satisfaction with the work
atmosphere as well as processes and procedures in the firm.
From a theoretical perspective, consistency theories suggest that attitudes of
related subjects, relationship between sales employee and customer satisfaction adapt
to each other. Thus, it can be expected that satisfied employees will positively
influence customer satisfaction. The second area of interest is the skill in the practice
of selling and utilizing the construct of adaptive selling, a concept that has been
extensively researched still now.
Adaptive selling has proven widely to be related to customer satisfaction, because
it helps reduce the gap between what customer exactly needed and what the sales
employee provide and deliver. The third important variable is salesperson behavior
and character. Another attribute role of dominance, has traditionally examined in sales
literature, positively related to sales performance. At times it can be expected that
dominance can be negatively influence customer satisfaction, because customer might
feel sales employees pushed to buy a particular product or service, which the
customer do not desire to buy.
For managers, it is very importance to understand two different kinds of
satisfaction drivers in order to help in resource allocation. Whether to directly invest
in customer by improving perceptions of service delivered or by indirectly investing
in sales employees? At present sufficient knowledge of customer level drivers
towards satisfaction are available, but very less is known ways to influence customer
satisfaction through employee level drivers. With these important issues this paper
will assess the effect of salespersons attitude, skills and characteristics on customer
satisfaction while controlling for customer perception of the servicer provider.
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To explore the relationship between Service qualities provides by the employee and
customer satisfaction.
To identify the impact of product quality and value for money towards customer
satisfaction.
Product quality and Value for money creates positive impact towards customer
satisfaction.
5. METHODOLOGY
The hypotheses formulated based on the objectives of the study are tested against a
matched sample of business to customers of a large sales and service provider HUL,
in Chennai city. HUL sale many products, out of which in this research considered
only the water purifier division. For instance, the customer who had purchased water
purifier from HUL, and received their first service was considered as the population.
The final questionnaires were sent through email to 1020 identified customers, out of
which only 521 questionnaires were returned. In which 509 questionnaire were fully
usable. The response rate is 50% out of the total response. Thus the sample size for
the study is 509.
6. ANALYSIS OVERVIEW
The collected primary data were analyzed with help of appropriate statistical tools like
statistical package for social science and partial least square. The study consists of
dimensions like service quality, Product quality, Value for money, Customer
satisfaction and customer orientation. The dimension service quality consists of 8
individual statements, product quality consists of 5 individual statements, and value
for money consists of 2 individual statements, Customer orientation consists of 5
individual statements and customer satisfaction consists of 5 individual statements.
All the items in the questionnaire are measured using a five point Likert Scaling
technique. The reliability and validity were ensured by checking the average variance
explained (above .5), Composite reliability (above .7 and less than AVE) and
Cronbachs Alpha (above .8). All the dimensions achieved the required cut off criteria.
To check the relationship among the dimensions correlation was used. To check
the cause and effect between the independent and dependent dimensions multiple
regression was used. To test the hypotheses formulated structural equation modeling
was used.
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Pearson Correlation
Customer
Sig. (2-tailed)
Satisfaction
N
Service
Quality
Product
Quality
Value for
Money
Customer
Orientation
.819**
.826**
.847**
.772**
.000
.000
.000
.000
509
509
509
509
The relationship between the dependent dimension and predictors were highly
positive and significant. Value for money was highly correlated with customer
satisfaction and significant at (.001) level. The dimension product quality was the
second highly correlated and followed by service quality. Among the four selected
dimensions for service evaluation, customer orientation found to be in the fourth
place, which also highly correlated and significant at (.001) level.
6.2. Cause and Effect between the predictors and dependent variable
6.2.1. Model Summary
Model
.868
.752
F (.Sig)
385.688
(.000)
.405
The model summary explains the relationship (R) among predictors, which is
highly inter-related. The R Square value explains that 75.4% out of the total variance
explained. The ANOVA table (F) value 385.688 shows there is significant
relationship between dependent variable and predictors.
6.2.2. Coefficients
Unstandardized
Coefficients
B
Std. Error
Model
Standardized
Coefficients
Beta
Sig.
-3.169
.002
(Constant)
-.431
.136
Customer Orientation
.230
.064
.183
3.590
.000
Service Quality
.124
.093
.091
1.978
.050
Product Quality
.193
.074
.176
2.594
.010
.601
.094
.464
6.387
.000
The above Coefficient table shows that Value for money (.464) has the highest
standard Coefficient beta loading and it is significant at (.001) based on the t-value
which above (1.96), the required criteria. The second highest beta loading found to
customer orientation (.183) and it is significant at (.001) based on the t-value above
(1.96). The third highest beta loading found to be product quality (.176) and it is
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significant at (.05) based on the t-value which is above (1.96). The dimension service
quality found to be the lowest, when comparing with other beta loading (.091) and it
is significant at (.05) based on the t-value which is above (1.96).
Estimate
S.E.
C.R.
Customer Satisfaction
<---
Customer Orientation
.230
.064
3.604
***
Customer Satisfaction
<---
Service Quality
.124
.092
1.343
.050
Customer Satisfaction
<---
Product Quality
.193
.074
2.604
.009
Customer Satisfaction
<---
.601
.094
6.412
***
The above structural equation modeling, path analysis regression weights shows
that, if one unit of customer orientation increases, Customer satisfaction will increase
by 230 units, also customer orientation is highly significant with customer
satisfaction. The dimension service quality increase by one unit, customer satisfaction
will increase by 124 units, but service quality is significant at 0.50 level. If the
dimension product quality increases by one unit, customer satisfaction will increase
by 193 units, and it is significant at 0.05 level. If the dimension value for money
increases by one unit, customer satisfaction will increase by 601 units, and its highly
significant at 0.001 level.
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6.3.2. Covariances
Hypotheses Statements
Estimate
S.E.
C.R.
Product Quality
<-->
.635
.043
14.871
***
Product Quality
<-->
Service Quality
.591
.040
14.690
***
Service Quality
<-->
Customer Orientation
.457
.034
13.639
***
<-->
Service Quality
.549
.036
15.466
***
<-->
Customer Orientation
.493
.036
13.843
***
Product Quality
<-->
Customer Orientation
.673
.045
15.086
***
The above covariance table explains that Product quality and value for money was
in positive direction and increase together 635 units and its positively significant. The
covariance between product quality and service quality is estimated to 591 units,
which positive and significant. The dimensions service quality and customer
orientation was positive and it is estimated to move in positive direction by 457 units
and it is significant. The dimensions value for money and service quality covariance
estimated to 549 units and its significant. The covariance between value for money
and customer orientation is estimated to be 496 units and it is significant. The
covariance between product quality and customer orientation is estimated to be 673,
which positive and highly significant.
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delivery, will create positive impact towards service quality and customer satisfaction.
Companies differ in level of customer satisfaction and trust. To increase both
customer satisfaction and trust to optimum level, customer orientation is the success
formula. Finally, Customer orientation and service quality are important in predicting
customer service evaluation. Proportionally customer service evaluation dimensions
like customer orientation and service quality secures better customer satisfaction.
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