An Insightful Assessment on Customer Satisfaction from Contemporary and Islamic Perspective

Abstract

All organizations emphasized on the assurance of ‘customer satisfaction’. It is not just socially provocative concept but it has become the gold standard by which every organization is measured and judged. In contemporary business dealing customer satisfaction should always come first in whatever situation and a business can achieve success only by understanding and fulfilling the needs of customers. Whilst in Islamic business transaction, customer satisfaction is considered as an attitude of appreciation and gratifying towards the sustenance that has been bestowed by Allah SWT. Islam views that customer satisfaction underscores due to the welfare of the consumers and the community at large. This conceptual paper intends to do an in-depth study on the differences of assessments and perspectives of customer satisfaction between the contemporary and Islamic business values. Secondary data collection was gained from the library research and web based materials and readings. The comparative opinion was assessed based on the scholars’ opinion from the contemporary and Islamic thoughts. The findings revealed that the contemporary scholars hold on the understanding that customer satisfaction is crucial and prior in order to sustain the business and the customer loyalty in the competitive market. On the other hand, Islam opined that customer satisfaction does not count on the physical attributes and material aspects only but it goes beyond that, to the totality of the subservient of man as a servant of Allah SWT, the Creator.

Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Islamic perspectives, Contemporary perspectives