Benchmarking the implantation of Total Quality Management and customer satisfaction in general automotive repair shops in Iowa

The automotive repair industry was perceived by the American customers as an industry with high cost and low customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the level of total quality management (TQM) implementation and the level of customer satisfaction in the general automotive repair shops in Iowa. This information promised to enable the general automotive repair shops to increase service quality and customer satisfaction.;A Total Quality System Implementation Assessment Instrument (TQSIAI) with 35 items was developed to measure the level of TQM implementation in the general automotive repair shops. A Customer Satisfaction Assessment Instrument (CSAI) with 25 items was developed to measure the level of satisfaction regarding the customers' automotive repair experience. A census of 834 Iowa general automotive repair shop service managers was conducted. Each service manager was asked to select ten randomly chosen customers and have them respond to the CSAI. A total of 31 usable TQSIAI and 107 usable CSAI were returned and coded.;The findings of this study revealed that the total hours of service managers' quality management training had a positive relationship with the level of TQM implementation, while the years of service managers' managerial experience had a negative correlation with the level of TQM implementation in the general automotive repair shops. The number of full-time employees in the general automotive repair shops had a positive relationship with the level of customer satisfaction, while the cost of the repair service and the ages of serviced vehicles had a negative relationship with the level of customer satisfaction. In addition, there was a positive relationship between the level of TQM implementation and the level of customer satisfaction in the general automotive repair shops.;Recommendations include: improving the sampling procedure by "on-site" interviews with the service managers and customers, and using qualitative techniques to study highly successful automotive repair shops. Initiation of TQM training programs in general automotive repair shops is encouraged.