What Makes Customers Satisfied with the Local Government Agency: A Case Study in Rural Michigan

The purpose of this paper is to report on how a local government agency in rural Michigan, USA, tried to understand residents' perceptions of the community features, facilities, and services available to them, in order to better leverage customer value to benefit its current and potential customers and increase customer satisfaction with the city as a whole. A total of 705 questionnaires were completed, collected, and analyzed using SPSS. The results suggested that although customers and residents were satisfied with most of the services currently provided, they had concerns about several amenities made available by the provider. In addition, bivariate correlation analysis showed that 13 variables were significantly related to overall satisfaction with the local authority. These findings have important implications for research and practice. Recommendations are to the local authority are offered for remaining relevant to customers in the provision of services.