A case study of internal customer commitment and satisfaction
Nummijoki, Henna (2019-06-14)
A case study of internal customer commitment and satisfaction
(14.06.2019)
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
suljettu
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2019061921379
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2019061921379
Tiivistelmä
Committed employees are a valuable asset to a company. For a company to successfully compete in the global markets, satisfied and committed employees are in significant position in creating superior value to the customers. The significance of internal customers in creating value for external customers has been acknowledged in the case company of this research and thus it was decided to conduct further research on the topic. The aim of this study was to examine how the case company of this research, Sandvik Tamrock TORO Loaders Division, can develop the commitment and satisfaction of its internal customers.
Existing theories on organisational commitment emphasise its multidimensional construct reflecting a person’s relationship with an organisation whereas satisfaction is formed based on expectations and how those expectations are met. This study is qualitative in nature and the empirical data was collected by using semi-structured interviews. The internal customers selected by the case company were interviewed regarding different quality dimensions that were chosen based on previous theory and discussions with the case company.
Findings suggest that commitment and satisfaction can be identified among the internal customers. The type of commitment, however, is yet to be defined. The internal customers are especially satisfied with product quality and functional quality such as friendliness, know-how and willingness to provide service, leaving room for improvement regarding availability of support and training provided. Three internal customer types were identified from a basis of the interviewees’ own perceptions of their work and of the motivational factors: pioneers, achievers and conformists. The categorisation could offer useful information to a case company in its efforts to strengthen organisational commitment and satisfaction of its internal customers. The empirical findings support existing theories in acknowledging that for a company to successfully manage its internal customer relationships, internal marketing and process management offer tools for enhancing organisational commitment and satisfaction.
Existing theories on organisational commitment emphasise its multidimensional construct reflecting a person’s relationship with an organisation whereas satisfaction is formed based on expectations and how those expectations are met. This study is qualitative in nature and the empirical data was collected by using semi-structured interviews. The internal customers selected by the case company were interviewed regarding different quality dimensions that were chosen based on previous theory and discussions with the case company.
Findings suggest that commitment and satisfaction can be identified among the internal customers. The type of commitment, however, is yet to be defined. The internal customers are especially satisfied with product quality and functional quality such as friendliness, know-how and willingness to provide service, leaving room for improvement regarding availability of support and training provided. Three internal customer types were identified from a basis of the interviewees’ own perceptions of their work and of the motivational factors: pioneers, achievers and conformists. The categorisation could offer useful information to a case company in its efforts to strengthen organisational commitment and satisfaction of its internal customers. The empirical findings support existing theories in acknowledging that for a company to successfully manage its internal customer relationships, internal marketing and process management offer tools for enhancing organisational commitment and satisfaction.