Is the Intensity of Continuous Improvement Practice a Matter for Customer Satisfaction?

This paper reports the customer satisfaction effect of continuous improvement at different intensity levels. The intensity levels were grouped into two, namely highly extensive and less extensive. Data for this study were collected from 205 departmental heads attached to local authorities in West Malaysia by using a questionnaire. Stratified random sampling was applied to select the samples. The findings indicated that there exists a significant difference in customer satisfaction between highly extensive and less extensive implementers. The highly extensive implementers scored a higher mean of customer satisfaction than less intensive implementers. This study contributes significantly to the literature by presenting evidence that the intensity of continuous improvement being practised can contribute to higher levels of customer satisfaction.