Carpet Cleaning, Presentation, and Employee Happiness.

I've been a carpet cleaner for both [large well-known carpet cleaning company, henceforth labeled "Company A"] and [small local carpet cleaning service, henceforth labeled "Company B"]. It's an interesting experience, and I actually learned a thing or two about business and presentation between those two. Company A treats their employees very well, at the expense of treating the customer like nothing but a paycheck. Uniforms were new, vans were clean and shiny, and equipment was well-tended.
However, I noticed that very often, the equipment just didn't get the carpets very clean. Despite this, the customers smiled and often tipped us. I could never figure out why they acted like we had done an excellent job until I worked for Company B.
At Company B, we were given uniforms that were old and occasionally had holes in them. The vans were drove were old and dented, and our equipment was decades old. The employees were treated horribly in comparison to Company A, and we were enforced with a "Customer is always right" business style. This showed. Instead of the two smiling carpet cleaners with bright new uniforms greeting a customer at their door, there would be one guy in a ratty uniform forcing a smile at best. Behind him would be the carpet cleaning van, engine sputtering and smoke coming from the tail pipe. ( I would like to point out that this was due to the manager, not the owner of the company.)
The owner of Company B knew what he was doing as far as chemicals went. Company B was able to get carpets much cleaner than Company A, with half the manpower and in less time, while charging half the price. However, customers were always grumpy and never seemed satisfied with the job, no matter how good it was. It made me realize that people apparently are more impressed with presentation than the quality of work they receive, and their perception of presentation affects their perception of the job itself. It also made me realize that a company that focuses treating the employees well is more likely going to succeed. A happy employee will be more inclined to greet a customer cheerfully and treat them well. Meanwhile, a company that focuses only on the customer while ignoring an employee's needs is counter-productive. It is the employee that interacts with the customer, and if the employee is not happy, it shows.