Job conditions and customer satisfaction

Abstract

In this exploratory study, various facets of customer satisfaction (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) were related to a variety of job conditions and aspects of emotional labour, employees' strain reactions, and employees' big five personality variables. The study was based on a sample of kindergarten teachers and their customers (i.e., parents who had a child in the kindergarten). A unique feature of the present study was the possibility to individually assign each customer to his or her service employee, rather than using aggregated employee variables as in previous studies. A regression analysis of the five facets of customer satisfaction revealed relations with expected signs for task control (+), participation (+), emotional dissonance (-), job dissatisfaction (-), psychosomatic complaints (-), and extraversion (+). Unexpected relations were found for time control (-), supervisor support (-), colleague support (-), emotional exhaustion (+), and conscientiousness (-). Theoretical mechanisms, by which job conditions may affect customer satisfaction, are discussed.