Can both Employees and Customers be Satisfied?

Focusing on the Cooperation among Sales Stuff

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to gain some implications for the management of Japanese automobile dealers to satisfy both employees and customers. The specific aim of this research is to discover the reason why the level of employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction sometimes do not correspond. Comparative case study is conducted at the two branches of a Japanese automobile dealer. In the branch A, employee satisfaction was low but customer satisfaction was high. In the branch B, employee satisfaction was high but customer satisfaction was low. Semi-structured interview to the branch manager of each branch is conducted. The data from an employee survey and a customer survey by the dealer are also referred. In the branch A, high evaluation of cooperation among sales staff from customer is considered to be the cause of high overall customer satisfaction. At the same time, leadership practices of the branch manager which emphasizes cooperation of sales staff and high service quality resulted in heavy burden of sales stuff. It is assumed that this burden resulted in low employee satisfaction of the sales staff. In the branch B, customer evaluation of cooperation among sales stuff was low, and this appears to cause low customer satisfaction and low sales of vehicle inspection and repair. However, customer evaluation of the sales stuff in charge was high, which appears to have resulted in high number of car sales and high employee satisfaction of sales staff. It is implied that to satisfy both employees and customers in Japanese automobile dealers, service delivery by cooperation among sales staff is important. At the same time, consideration and support to lighten the burden of sales staff is required. In addition, the strategy of satisfying customer by the cooperation among sales staff is assumed to be effective for increasing after-sales service.