Measuring Air Force Contracting customer satisfaction

Abstract

This research gathers background information to identify which customer satisfaction elements should be included in a standardized tool that measures the level of customer satisfaction for AF Contracting’s external and internal customers. This research conducts a comprehensive literature review of the prominent customer satisfaction trends, while exploring the idiosyncrasies of customer satisfaction that are unique to AF Contracting. For this research, two customer-specific questionnaires were used to interview AF Contracting’s external and internal customers, in order to better understand their experiences. Based on the results of the interviews, it is apparent that AF Contracting’s customers believe customer satisfaction is a critical component in enabling effective communication and strengthening customer relations. Although AF Contracting does not currently use a standardized approach for collecting customer satisfaction information, this paper recommends the development of a customer satisfaction mechanism as an essential tool to fully capitalize on the benefits of improved communication and enhanced customer relations. This paper also proposes a six-step system for developing a customer satisfaction system and specifically focuses on incorporating the customer satisfaction elements as identified by the customers who participated in this research. Finally, this research concludes with suggestions for areas of further study.