Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: A Case of Islamic Banks in Bahrain

Abstract

The quality of service plays a vital role in any service related economic sector including the banking services industry. In service providing companies, improving service quality is now regarded as the most significant act in attaining a competitive edge in the market. Bahraini Islamic banking services quality is the focus of this study. Hence the objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between service quality and customer satisfaction. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from 237 customers of six retail Islamic banks in Bahrain. The current study is likely to recognize the accomplishment of customer satisfaction through the measurement of service quality and to prouide recommendations in developing an effective Islamic banking service quality. The outcomes of the present study, apart from bridging the gap in the literature, also provide practitioners with ingenious ideas for improving service quality with the intention of accomplishing a competitive advantage in the Islamic retail banking sector in Bahrain.