Abstract
M.Com. (Business Management)
According to popular opinion, happy employees lead to happy customers. Many businesses are realising having great products and services are no longer enough. How organisations service their customers is as important as the products or services provided. Customer experience is therefore more than just managing customer interactions. It is putting customers at the centre of everything an organisation does, supported by a culture of engaged employees. Engaged employees are considered an important and influential factor in creating superior customer experiences. Despite of the increased attention, there is a lack of empirical research on customer experience and employee engagement in the academic literature on aspects relating to the drivers, measurement and value to organisations.
This dissertation investigated the proposed relationship between employee engagement and customer experience in a South African financial services company. This study advances the current knowledge in the employee engagement and customer experience field of study by combining the constructs into a theoretical model. Employee engagement and the influence on customer experience of the service interaction are postulated to influence total customer experience and business success.
Data was collected using two surveys from 386 customer respondents and 82 employee respondents. The collective data was empirically tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The conceptual model examines various pre-requisites of employee engagement, linking resources to customers' perceived level of service employees’ performance (service interaction). The model further examines employee engagement as a dynamic and important variable influencing total customer experience. The results indicate a positive relationship exists between climate and culture, employee engagement and customer experience of the service interaction.