Using Fuzzy Set Theory in the Comparison of Customer Satisfaction Levels

Abstract

Customer satisfaction is the key to the survival and profitability of all businesses. In the ever-changing business world, this concept has gained more importance. In particular, in industries where new firms based on new business models emerge, the traditional firms find it more difficult to compete with the new business models in terms of customer happiness. Sharing economy, which is defined as “renting non-frequently used resources (e.g. houses, cars, various commodities) in return of a certain price via digital platforms”, is one of these new concepts that have inspired new business models. A sharing economy-based company, Uber, has gained popularity in a short time. In this study, customer satisfaction levels of Uber and classical taxi firms are compared and the performance of each firm in various service dimensions is measured. Data is collected via questionnaires and analyzed using the fuzzy set theory models. According to the results, Uber performs much higher in all service dimensions with respect to the classical taxi firms. By evaluating the results from a managerial perspective, recommendations are developed for Uber and similar sharing economy-based firms, and the classical firms who want to compete with these new business models.