THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYEES' EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY AT PT POS INDONESIA (PERSERO) SUNGGUMINASA BRANCH OFFICE, GOWA REGENCY

Abstract

This study examines the effects of employees’ emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication on customer loyalty at PT Pos Indonesia (Persero), Sungguminasa Branch Post Office, Gowa Regency. A quantitative approach was employed using questionnaire data from 91 customers. The sample size was determined using the Slovin formula from a population of 1,000 customers with a 10% error rate, followed by accidental sampling. Multiple linear regression was applied. Because the regression residuals were not normally distributed, coefficient and hypothesis testing used 5,000 bootstrap samples with BCa 95% confidence intervals. Emotional intelligence showed a positive coefficient of 0.273 but no significant partial effect on customer loyalty (p=0.171; BCa 95% CI −0.034 to 0.483). Interpersonal communication had a positive and significant effect (B=0.574; p=0.013; BCa 95% CI 0.219 to 1.091) and was the dominant predictor (standardized beta=0.641). Simultaneously, both predictors significantly affected customer loyalty (F=228.745; p<0.001). The model produced R²=0.839 and adjusted R²=0.835, indicating that 83.5% of the variance in customer loyalty was explained by the two predictors. The findings highlight interpersonal communication as a practical priority for strengthening customer loyalty.