Abstract
This study distributed on-site surveys to examine customer satisfaction
with the counter services provided at a local government branch office
(Shisho ) in Higashihiroshima City, Japan. This survey was
conducted at the place where the target government service is
provided—the Kurose branch office of the Higashihiroshima City
government. The questionnaire was designed to assess factors
(explanatory variables) and items related to customer satisfaction with
the counter services provided at the branch office. We obtained a total
of 240 responses over six weekdays (from August 24–31, 2020). The
participation rate was approximately 60%. The largest percentage of
participants were in their 70s, at 22.9% of the total. Breaking this
down by gender, however, the largest percentage of male participants
(23; 27.7%) were in their 70s, but the largest percentage of female
participants were in their 60s (25; 20.7%). The multiple-choice
questionnaire items were divided into three groups, including A)
hardware (e.g. physical office aspects), B) software (e.g. staff
responses), and C) services (e.g. administrative practices). Results
were then subjected to both a principal component analysis and multiple
regression analysis. The sample for this analysis was composed of 205
valid questionnaires. Among all the explanatory variables comprising
groups A through C, the regression analysis showed that group B’s
dependent variables were the most influential, followed by groups C and
A (adjusted R 2 value of .51; Model 2). The most
important variables were staff responses and explanations (group B).
Keywords: Customer Satisfaction, Counter Service, Principal
Component Analysis, Local Governments, Urban Management
Introduction
A government evaluation system was implemented in Mie prefecture, Japan
during the 1990s. This was followed by the implementation of government
evaluation systems in municipalities throughout the nation, thus
influencing the central government to enact a law requiring all
ministries to carry out policy evaluations in 2002. In this context,
several surveys have shown that large municipalities are more proactive
in introducing evaluation systems (Author, 2015; Tabuchi, 2010).
In Japan, government evaluation systems are typically introduced from a
business administration standpoint, thus emphasizing the Plan, Do,
Check, Action (PDCA) cycle. While the PDCA acronym is widely used in
many areas of Japanese governance, the term originated in the private
sector as part of the business improvement (Kaizen ) movement.
Adherents of this notion usually highlight the Check (C) function, which
places extra importance on the need for evaluation in many public
organizations. As such, government evaluation systems are commonly found
in smaller municipalities, but some larger municipalities have abolished
their systems after successfully using them to improve specific
programmes. Recently, more emphasis has been placed on methods
diversification as well as the development and exploration of specific
methods, including programme satisfaction surveys targeted at citizens,
selective project analyses that use logic models, and systems designed
for evidence-based policymaking. Under these circumstances, an
increasing number of local governments are now focusing on customer
satisfaction by offering specialized counter services and conducting
on-site office surveys to improve their operations.
This study conducted a questionnaire survey to gauge the level of
customer satisfaction with the counter services provided at a local
government branch office, specifically by following the method
implemented in the business management field when investigating private
companies (for details, see Takahashi and Kawasaki, 2019). Noda (2013)
and others have already used relevant academic concepts to examine the
overall satisfaction levels reported by residents when dealing with
local governments, while many local governments in Japan (including the
Higashihiroshima City government) have conducted their own citizen
satisfaction surveys, which are typically focused on policy issues
(Sesaku Manzoku-do Chosa [Programs Satisfaction Survey]).
More specifically, municipal residents are asked to respond to
questionnaires concerning a variety of local government programmes.
Their answers are then used to analyse each programme based on four
categories that cover elements related to both importance and
satisfaction.
On the other hand, some municipalities have conducted more specific
surveys concerning the level of customer satisfaction with their counter
services. In Hiroshima prefecture, for example, Kumano Town implemented
an on-site survey over a two-month period in 2009, the results of which
were published on their official website (Kumano Town, 2009). Ogaki City
(2014) in Shiga prefecture also conducted a mail-based questionnaire
survey among its 2,000 residents to aid in the construction of a new
municipal building (response rate of 47.7%). Respondents were asked
about a variety of relevant items, including whether they had previously
visited the city hall, the purpose of their visit, means of
transportation used, and their experiences while there.
Following the above literature, this study examined customer
satisfaction with the counter services provided at a local government
office by implementing an on-site survey at the physical branch location
(Shisho ). Based on local ordinances, Shisho are usually
located in the same areas as former local municipality offices prior to
amalgamation. While there, residents may apply for and consult with
servicepersons about the available administrative services.
This study’s author arranged the questionnaire items across three factor
groups, including those for hardware (e.g. physical office aspects),
software (e.g. staff responses), and services (e.g. administrative
services)i (see Mansor and Razali, 2010). Then,
questionnaire items belonging to four categories (A, B, C, and Y) were
individually condensed into two principal components via principal
component analysis. Following this, two principal components in each
category were used as explanatory variables in a multiple regression
analysis. The first component from question items in the Y category was
set as the dependent variable. This type of two-stage analysis was
previously referred to as ‘the selective principal component regression
analysis’ by Kawasaki et al. (2014)ii.
Here, it is appropriate to outline and provide a brief history of the
Kurose branch office of the Higashihiroshima City government, where the
research was conducted. In February 2005, the five towns of Kurose,
Fukutomi, Toyosaka, Kawachi, and Akitsu merged with Higashihiroshima
City to form the new city of Higashihiroshima, which contained a
population of 188,966 as of August 31, 2020 (Higashihiroshima City
Government, 2016; 2020a). It is now the fourth most populous city in
Hiroshima prefecture. Spanning an area measuring 635.16 square
kilometres, it covers land from the inland Kamo plateau to the
sea of Akitsu , which was referenced in songs from the ancientMan’yoshu anthology compiled by Abe no Tsugumaro in 736CE
(Higashihiroshima City Government, 2020b). The second-class Kurose River
is fed by a mountain in the former Saijo Town area and flows through
what is now Kurose Town before reaching the sea in Kure City. At
present, Kurose Town (Kurose cho ) is part of Higashihiroshima
City. Before the merger, Kurose Town was in the process of forming a
large-area administrative union [Koiki Gyosei Kumiai ] with
Higashihiroshima City, Fukutomi Town, Toyosaka Town, Daiwa Town, and
Kawachi Town (Kurose Town, 2001, p. 23), and was also engaged in a
cooperative relationship with the former Higashihiroshima City. Each of
the five towns that consolidated in 2005 now has their own branch
offices that can perform nearly all the same functions that the
individual towns handled before the merger. The first four towns that
merged in 1974 also have satellite offices (Schuccho-sho ), which
have limited administrative functions. Branch offices were often
established in areas that were occupied by the former municipalities
prior to the merger, thus maintaining the same quality of government
services for some time. Some municipalities have even established
general branch offices (Sogo Shisho ), thereby expressing that
they hold particularly strong administrative powers and functions when
compared with normal branch offices in other municipalities.
In sum, this study conducted a questionnaire survey among residents of
Higashihiroshima City, specifically covering four main categories
related to their level of satisfaction with the counter services
provided at a local government branch office. The affecting factors thus
obtained were statistically analysed through a selective multigroup
principal component regression analysis developed by Professor Emeritus
Takahashi, a combined principal component analysis and multiple
regression analysis (Takahashi and Kawasaki, 2019). This study,
therefore, explored the determinants of customer satisfaction for the
purpose of improving administrative practices, providing policy
recommendations concerning the functions of branch offices, and
determining the desired state of those offices in older areas within the
merged municipalities mentioned earlier.
Literature Review
In the field of public administration research, Wagenheim and Reurink
(1991) focused on customer satisfaction. Their study divided customers
into internal and external customers, proposing the hypothesis that the
satisfaction of internal and external customers’ service needs leads to
organisational efficiency and effectiveness, based on the discussions of
previous studies. Noda (2013) published information on citizen
satisfaction from a general perspective in the Japanese context and has
since continued to publish administrative research on citizen
satisfaction (Noda, 2014; 2019). More specifically, this includes a
study that investigated statements made by politicians and photographs
of road management practices to analyse the relationship between
expectations, performance, and customer satisfaction (Noda, 2019).
Additionally, he examined 2,997 responses from residents of cities in
the Tokyo Metropolitan area based on an internet survey designed
considering populational and age ratios (Noda, 2014). Meanwhile, Yamaoka
(2015) focused on the Program Satisfaction Survey, from which data were
used to calculate satisfaction and importance indexes for municipal
programmes. Yamaoka and Hideshima (2012) employed an information
management perspective to analyse the process by which customer
satisfaction was improved at the local government level.
In the context of the Total Quality Management and Kaizenmovements, customer satisfaction surveys and related research have
become increasingly popular throughout the Japanese private sector. In
this regard, Ono (2010) published work through affiliates of theNihon Keizai Shimbun (a daily leading newspaper specializing in
economic and business fields) showing that customer satisfaction
knowledge was highly important for corporate employees in Japan. These
studies specifically detailed notable customer satisfaction initiatives
implemented by companies, such as Komatsu (a construction
equipment manufacturing company), and are outlined in the annually
conducted cross-industry survey of customer satisfaction (Japan Customer
Service Index), which is managed by Nihon Seisansei Honbu (the
Japan Productivity Centre). Indeed, customer satisfaction surveys are
not only common throughout the corporate sector but have also become
popular in the public sector. Many of these surveys have focused on the
field of hospital management, with reference to examples of foreign
practices. Notably, Maeda (2005) provided an overview of the field and
presented the results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted in
hospitals where this study’s author has practised. Researchers and
practitioners in the field have recently shifted to a mindset focused on
improving the customer experience, which is specifically referred to as
the patient experience as it is based on actual events experienced at
hospitals.
Many studies have focused on customer/citizen satisfaction in the
context of governments in other countries. The current study
specifically referred to the framework developed by Mansor and Razali
(2010) who conducted research in Malaysia. Furthermore, a similar study
was performed on customer satisfaction in the Malaysian public sector
(Agus et al., 2007), which involved two different surveys targeted at
customers and managers in government branches, revealing
co-relationships among service quality dimensions, service performance,
and customer satisfaction. Surapto (2014) conducted a survey in
Indonesia among 200 residents from urban villages in South Tangerang.
Cripps et al. (2004) led a similar study in Australia, implementing a
mail-based survey among 1,500 residents under three local governments
comprising the city of Perth. Results showed that customer satisfaction
was higher in newer, smaller municipalities. Akinboade et al. (2012)
used the allocation method, which considers the populational ratios of
municipalities, to survey 1,000 citizens about the delivery of various
public services (e.g. health, housing, and water). Their questionnaire
used a seven-point grading method to measure satisfaction, ranging from
completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied.
As for academic research on the Kurose-cho area, Higashihiroshima City,
this article’s target research area, Abe (2004) conducted a study from
the perspective of agricultural economics, especially Japanese
agricultural history. He revised and published a collection of
previously published journal articles on agriculture, farming villages,
and agricultural policy in Kurose Town these studies mainly focused on
the Edo periodas a book (Abe, 2004). Chapters 2–4 discuss water
control projects using reservoirs in the Kurose-gumi, an administrative
unit of the Hiroshima-han clan during the Edo period consisting of 18
villages, and the rural economy, including teppou (gun) trading.
In addition, several studies have recently been conducted on the
remaining historical buildings in Kurose Town. One such study by Hojo
and Tanigawa (2019) is an architectural study of the Kanemitsu Sake
Brewery buildings in the Kurose town area. As for research on
administrative services in Kurose Town, a study by Kitano and Uda (2003)
can be highlighted. They are researchers at Hiroshima International
University, which has a campus in Kurose-cho, and in their research,
they use a GIS application to study the service delivery system of
kindergartens and nursery schools, focusing on the distribution of
facilities. For the official history of Kurose-cho, which was compiled
before the merger with Higashihiroshima City, series of official history
books called Kurosecho-shi (2000) exists, which is still sold at
the Culture Division of the Lifelong Learning Department of
Higashihiiroshima City government. This formal historical narrative
shares information about events before and up to the Edo period.
To summarize the related studies so far, although there are many studies
on Kurose Town based on other academic disciplines, the author cannot
have found any studies on the government services of the Kurose Town
area after the municipal merger in the field of public administration.
The present study provides new insights into research on customer
satisfaction based on the managerial perspective, especially regarding
the satisfaction of counter services provided in municipal government
offices.
Methods
Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to customers at the
Kurose branch office of the Higashihiroshima City government after
finishing their business at the counter. There were four total pages to
each questionnaire. The author and research collaborators (third-year
students majoring in public administration) conducted the survey on six
business days (August 24–31, 2020). As such, desks were placed on the
opposite side of the office counter so that respondents could complete
their questionnaires on the spot. This resulted in a total of 240
respondents. Approximately 510 flyers containing survey outlines and
thank you gifts for participating in the survey were submitted to the
branch office. Of the 510 flyers, around 110 remained after the survey
period, thus indicating that close to 400 were distributed. Based on
these data, the survey participation rate was approximately 60%.
As discussed in the previous section, the questionnaire presented items
based on respective concept groups designed to assess customer
satisfaction across four categories (A–C and a group of questions
related to dependent variable Y; a list of these questions is shown in
Table 1). The questionnaire also asked respondents for some personal
information (e.g., age and gender) and posed some general open-ended
questions about both the survey and the city government.
Figure 1 shows the assumed relationships between customer satisfaction
with the counter services at municipal branch offices based on the
abovementioned questionnaire categories (A–C), the explanatory
variables, and the items in group Y; the explained variable and the
first and second principal components were synthesised in the principal
component analysis based on each category.