Improving Customer Satisfaction for SMES in Emerging Countries: A Comparative Study of Hungary and Indonesia

Improving Customer Satisfaction (CS) is a key strategical goal for companies, especially for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The objective of this research is to find and rank the major factors supporting CS. We focus on SMEs in two emerging markets located in two countries with different geographical and supply chain environments. We test a conceptual framework that includes several factors supporting CS. The data were collected from Hungarian and Indonesian SMEs by online questionnaire. We used statistical analysis such as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Model (SEM) to test our model and hypothesis. Based on the survey of the top management of the SMEs, the three factors that have a significant positive effect on CS in both countries are Market Pressure (MP), Organizational Culture (OC), and Corporate Strategy (CStra). The rank order is MP followed by OC and CStra in Hungary; MP, CStra, and OC for Indonesia. Even though many scholars discussed CS, a few studies have shown the connection between CS and the successful implementation of SCM. Evaluating and ranking the supporting factors contributes to the literature and business practice of SME decision-making related to SCM.