Pengaruh Kegagalan Layanan dan Penanganan Komplain terhadap Kepercayaan Pelanggan PDAM Tirtanadi Cabang Medan Denai dengan Kepuasan Pelanggan sebagai Variabel Intervening

Abstract

Water is a basic necessity for human life, and every individual has the right to access clean water to support their livelihood. The government, in this case the Province of North Sumatra, has established a business unit with the aim of providing clean water to the community, known as PDAM Tirtanadi. PDAM Tirtanadi operates several service branches, one of which is the Medan Denai Branch. As the sole clean water provider in its service area, PDAM Tirtanadi Medan Denai Branch is required to consistently deliver optimal service to increase customer trust in the company. It is understood that customers will place trust in the company when it maximizes customer satisfaction, minimizes service failures, and is responsive in handling customer complaints. This study aims to analyze the influence of service failure and complaint handling on customer trust in PDAM Tirtanadi Medan Denai Branch, with customer satisfaction as an intervening variable. This research is associative in nature. The population in this study includes all customers who have used the clean water services of PDAM Tirtanadi Medan Denai Branch and have submitted at least one complaint. As of August 2022, this population numbered 16,925 customers. The sample size was determined using Malhotra's formula, resulting in a sample of 200 respondents. The sampling technique used in this study was non-probability sampling with an accidental sampling approach. Data analysis was conducted using PLS-SEM with the SmartPLS software. The results of the study show that service failure has a direct negative and significant effect on customer trust and customer satisfaction. Complaint handling has a positive and significant effect on both customer trust and customer satisfaction. Customner satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on customer trust. Furthermore, service failure has an indirect negative and significant effect on customer trust through customer satisfaction, while complaint handling has an indirect positive and significant effect on customer trust through customer satisfaction.