With a Corporate Business Council (CBC) study showing that customer satisfaction is often driven by employee loyalty to the company, automotive dealers around the country have found that Marketplace Chaplains are a unique and innovative strategy that helps them achieve this elusive goal.

Michael Matetich, who runs a large, family-owned auto dealership in the Dallas area, Jupiter Chevrolet, says having  Marketplace Chaplains in his dealership has been an excellent management resource in his executive’s tool box to help his employees.

“In the beginning, our dealership and employees were always worrying about their jobs, not making enough money and didn’t really like the job environment,” he said. “That’s certainly something that could carry over to our customers and in turn hurt our income and overall customer experience.”

In the last eight years, Marketplace Chaplains have worked with Jupiter’s hundreds of employees and their family members, with the change in employee satisfaction and customer loyalty being measurable.

“Now, they are more about asking for advice on personal matters on things which matter to them,” he added. “They like working here more because of the family atmosphere and they know we care. That carries over as well to the customers,” said Matetich.

Roger Burdick’s, Driver’s Village massive dealership covers dozens of acres of land outside of Syracuse, New York, which means his 300-plus employees carry with them acres personal problems as well.

“Thank God for Marketplace Chaplains,” Burdick said. “I could not possibly do what they do in helping all of our employees. They make a significant impact in the emotional life of my employees, drawing us together as a family.”

CBC study organizers said there is a clear link between employee and customer satisfaction. “Employee satisfaction leads to added value and service which produces customer satisfaction.

“When internal customers (employees) are happy, they treat external customers well. Customers will keep coming back for more. This grows the relationship and leads to customer loyalty,” said Richard Federico, Vice President and National Work-Life Practice Leader at The Segal Company in “Survey Links Work-Life Programs to Employee Performance.”

Price Waterhouse Coopers reported in April of 2002 that 47 percent of surveyed executives from multi-national companies cite employee satisfaction and decreased turnover as major contributors to long-term shareholder return.

Ray Huffines, a multi-generational, multi-location North Texas car dealership owner-operator has seen Marketplace Chaplains make a huge difference in his employees’ lives and in the hyper-competitive local auto dealership business.

“I believe that by having the Chaplain service it has helped us attract the quality team members that are a good fit for our
organization.  It sets us apart from our competition.

“Turnover in team members is costly in a lot of ways; the Chaplain service helps to keep team members satisfied by the care they receive,” said Huffines.

Marketplace Chaplain Charlotte Turner says the recurring business theme she sees in the dealership is by helping employees, it leads to increased satisfaction, productivity and loyalty.

The powerful positive impact on employees because of our chaplains’ care is frequently evident to everyone around them – including the owners/leaders of the businesses who truly appreciate our unique chaplaincy service providing support and encouragement for their employees in ways that they simply could not otherwise offer,” said Turner.