The Nature Perception

Agent Performance and Customer Satisfaction
Introduction
Given the importance of ensuring program relevance, quality, and impacts, as well as the use of customer satisfaction surveys in accountability, understanding the relationship that exists between employee performance and customer satisfaction is critical to identifying how well an organization is fulfilling its mission. Thus, Cooperative Extension must deliver relevant, high-quality programs that, in turn, help improve the lives of clients (Ladewig, 1999).
In Florida, these attributes (relevance, quality, and impact) are measured, in part, using a statewide customer satisfaction survey. The survey includes questions about clients' experience with quality of service, short-term outcomes, and overall satisfaction with Extension. The survey was initiated in 1988 in response to the Florida Board of Regents' recommendation that Florida Cooperative Extension survey their clients to assess the quality of services delivered to the citizens of Florida (Florida Board of Regents, 1988). 
With the passage of the Government Performance and Accountability Act in 1994, Florida joined Oregon, Texas, and the federal government in requiring agencies to establish measurable performance objectives as part of the budget processes. Since 1997, the annual customer satisfaction survey has been used annually as part of the overall organizational evaluation system for the University of Florida. For Florida Cooperative Extension, the survey serves as the primary indicator of organizational performance. Specifically, the performance standard for Florida Cooperative Extension is that 98% of clientele will indicate that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of service received.
In the study discussed here, we combined Florida customer satisfaction survey data with Extension personnel data to explore the relationship between customer satisfactions and agent performance.
Background
The causes and consequences of...