Understanding Service Quality from the Islamic Consumer Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore service quality from the perspectives of the Muslim customers in Indonesia. There is growing evidence that culture influences buying habits and behavior of customers in a service context. The fact that most cross-cultural consumer research in Asia has focused on the dimension of Chinese-Confucian beliefs provides this research opportunity to investigate other religious-cultural aspects of Asian context and service quality. In this study, the key attributes/factors of quality of services according to Muslim customers are explored using the verbal protocol method. The verbal protocol is followed by in-depth probing of respondents. Interviews were conducted in Indonesia with a sample of Javanese-Muslim customers of airline, retail, hotel and restaurant industries. Preliminary analysis suggests some distinct outcomes and results in identification of this area as a fertile field for future research. The research provides important insights for service providers who will target the Muslim customers. This research also has potential to enrich service quality conceptualization, theory and measurement.