THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELECTED SERVICE QUALITY FACTORS IN TURKISH MUNICIPALITIES AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Salih Kenan Şahin

Ercan Ergün

Gebze Technical University

ABSTRACT

Quality, in perspective of municipalities as public organizations, means to understand

expectations and perceptions of customers who enjoy services and to meet their expectations. Efforts

to meet customer expectation as the customer is perceived can be done if municipalities employees

have proper service quality dimensions. This study suggests ten service quality factors that will meet

customer satisfaction, such as proper physical appearance, trust, active planning, business quality

knowledge level, willingness and eagerness to serve, proper communication, accessible to customer,

politeness, delivery of the right information, and understanding customer. This study examined the

impact of selected ten service quality factors on the customer satisfaction in four municipalities

(Pendik, Sultanbeyli, Üsküdar and Ümraniye) located in the Anatolian Side of Istanbul, Turkey.

Utilizing a national sample of customers from areas where the four municipalities provide services

to customers, the results of this study suggested that It is remarkable that politeness, trust and

physical appearance are at lower positive levels when we compare them with other factors, also

informing is the most important factor for both citizens and workers.