Outsource the Clients Management? A Study about the Impact of the Facilities Management Activity Outsourcing in the Satisfaction of Organizational Clients

Satisfaction is the subject of several studies because of the managerial implications related to customer loyalty and business sustainability. This study aims to assess the satisfaction of organizational clients of Shopping Centers (SC) with the technical and environmental services that provide the necessary conditions for the retail practice denominated facilities management (FM). FM involves a wide range of services to retailers to ensure normal operation (HR and finance management, real estate and Legal advice, IT repairs ...). The services can be managed and/or performed by internal or external staff. FM activities are quite subject to contractual and environmental problems. Although most of the time they are invisible to consumers attending the SC, when they are poorly performed, the effects can be devastating, causing dissatisfaction among consumers and retailers. Data collected at two big SC in Rio de Janeiro were statistically analyzed. Results show evidence that this management option has significant relevance in customer satisfaction and there is also evidence that the shopkeeper satisfaction is lower when the FM is outsourced. This work aims to contribute to retail management, specifically SC management, by analyzing the satisfaction of organizational clients with services of FM and may provide more information for better decision making.