Exploring the Dynamics of Customer Satisfaction : - the Emerging Role of Perceived Sustainability

Exploring the Dynamics of Customer Satisfaction – the Emerging Role of Perceived Sustainability, aims to advance the understanding of the dynamics of customer satisfaction by examining both its drivers and the use of customer satisfaction measures. This thesis describes the user-based quality management perspective and the emergence of customer satisfaction measures. Customer satisfaction is highlighted as a key organizational indicator, showing a positive relationship with financial indicators, and the ability to facilitate value in use. The use of both customer satisfaction, and the user-based perspective, in fields such as quality management and innovation, is also described. Sustainability is further highlighted as a concept to which the user-based perspective could be extended. Thus, potentially transforming organizational sustainability initiatives from a regulatory obligation, a license to produce, into a driver of customer satisfaction, and a source of competitive advantage. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this thesis explores customer satisfaction models’ drivers, examined the use of customer satisfaction measurements, investigated how an extended customer satisfaction model may be established, and to what extent the model is influenced by adding a construct of perceived sustainability. Both data and structural customer satisfaction model are appended from the Nordic market research agency EPSI Rating. Estimation of customer satisfaction drivers is mainly performed by using the Partial Least Squares Path Modelling technique. The findings show how a construct of perceived sustainability may be developed and add empirical data exploring the drivers of customer satisfaction. A customer satisfaction model is further evaluated by adding the developed construct of perceived sustainability, showing favourable fit and increased predictive power in the manifest customer satisfaction items. Especially regarding items considering the customer’s view of an ideal actor. Insights about how organizations may utilize measures based on customer perceptions are also discussed. Further highlighting the importance of focusing on the recipient’s needs and wants when planning to engage in measuring customer satisfaction. For scholars, this thesis shows how a construct of perceived sustainability may be developed and add empirical data clarifying the drivers of customer satisfaction. This thesis also shows how customer satisfaction measures are being applied in practice and the importance of considering all direct and indirect interactions within the customer experience. Simply stated, the importance of considering the dynamics of customer satisfaction. For practitioners, this thesis provides insights about how organizations can enhance customer satisfaction and shows that sustainability, when analysed as a part of the customer experience, may be transformed from a strict regulatory obligation, into a source of competitive advantage. Future research is suggested to examine how the results of this thesis could be enhanced by adding a time perspective and how the results could be applied in different fields of research. For example, as tools to examine market disruptions. New ways to estimate drivers of customer satisfaction are further suggested to advance the understanding of the customer experience and to extend the findings of this thesis.