Jamil Bojei

Service quality: gaps in the Malaysian telemarketing industry

Abstract Facing many rapid changes and challenges in the dynamic information technology environment, and the ever-increasing competitive pressures, many firms in telemarketing services have employed service quality as a principle competitive weapon. This study investigates the discrepancy between customers expectation and perception towards the quality of services. Using the SERVQUAL instrument, this study uses simple random sampling to collect data from 100 users of telemarketing services throughout Malaysia. The results indicate that the sample population has perceptual problems with their telemarketing service experiences. Finally, strategic implications for the telemarketing companies involved and suggestions for future research are provided.

Discriminant Analysis of Antecedents of Customer Retention in Malaysian Retailing

This article examines the applied dimensions of relationship marketing, namely, customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, personalization, customization, and brand/store community with different customer retention levels in three retail stores in Malaysia. The relationship between customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, customization, personalization, and brand/store community with customer retention were examined via an empirical investigation of 450 loyalty/reward program members of three retail stores in Malaysia. The survey was personally administered but self-completed. All variables, namely, customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, customization, personalization, and brand/store community, were able to significantly discriminate between high and low customer retention levels. Retail managers in a developing country like Malaysia must be aware of the importance of these applied dimensions of relationship marketing (i.e., what can be done or practiced by the retailer to manage and enhance customer relationships) and how they impact customer retention levels.

Investigating the antecedents to the adoption of SCRM technologies by start-up companies

Despite their fairly recent emergence, start-up companies now play an important role in the economic development of countries around the globe. These companies have fewer tangible assets and capital, and therefore, the efficient delivery of services and products is a key business priority for them. Customer relationship management (CRM) technologies, which are designed to facilitate customer engagement during the design, development and delivery of services and products may play a significant role in the success or failure of start-up companies. Developments in new communication technologies have transformed traditional CRM into electronic CRM (eCRM), mobile CRM (mCRM); and more recently, social CRM (SCRM). However, there remains very little understanding of the factors affecting SCRM adoption in start-up businesses. The relative newness of SCRM technologies, coupled with the swiftly evolving nature of start-up companies: which has made them difficult cases to study – has limited the amount of research undertaken in this area. This paper aims to close this gap by proposing a framework that depicts the factors affecting start-up companies’ intention to adopt SCRM applications, and explores the relative importance of these factors. Inspired by an extended Technological, Organisational and Environmental (TOE) framework, this paper investigates effects of technological characteristics (TC), organisational characteristics (OC), environmental characteristics (EC) and managerial characteristics (MC) on start-up companies’ intentions to adopt SCRM applications. The results outlined in this research indicate that the observability, compatibility and trialability of SCRM solutions positively affect SCRM adoption in start-up businesses. Moreover, the availability of internal financial resources has a similarly positive effect. When considering environmental characteristics, it was found that support from venture capitalists, crowd funding support, governmental support, business angels support and external pressure all positively affect the intention to adopt SCRM applications within start-up businesses.

Dynamics of loyalty programs in Malaysian retailing: a strategic marketing perspective

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to consider the development of research in loyalty programs and relationship marketing in international retailing and review their application in specific retail stores in Malaysia, namely, AEON, Parkson, the Store Corporation, and Metrojaya. The article reviews the development of the relationship marketing and loyalty programs literature and its application in Malaysia and suggests how relationship marketing and loyalty programs have emerged over the years and their significance to retailing in Malaysia. The article also emphasizes the importance of relationship marketing and loyalty programs in retailing and discusses where research needs to go with respect to loyalty programs to enable them to continue to offer a competitive advantage to retailers. At the moment most loyalty programs are too similar to provide any real differentiation advantage to the retailer. Furthermore, the article highlights the loyalty programs that have been successful in Malaysia, why they have been successful, and their contribution to the success of the respective retail outlet. Finally, it explores the current understanding of relationship marketing and loyalty program activities and processes within the international retail firm in a developing country context. The achievements and limitations of loyalty programs in the area of international retailing are examined over the past 20 years and issues are addressed surrounding the future of loyalty programs in retailing that require further research.

Empirical Investigation on the Determinants of Marketing Sarawak’s Heritage as Tourists Destination

If the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Sarawak’s heritage as tourism product could be identified, marketers (planners) of the industry would be more efficient in the development of a more concerted strategy in the tourism market. The study reveals that the strengths of Sarawak as a tourist destination are the marketing of “Mother Nature” (the heritage) which includes heritage appeals, facilities and services, unique sites, cultural and food, special appeal, cost and environmental considerations, and information center.

The Relationship between Service Guarantees, Empowerment, Employee Satisfaction and Service Quality in Four and Five Star Hotels in Malaysia

Despite the numerous benefits of the implementation of service guarantees in service organizations, there is a dearth of studies that explore the relationship between service guarantees, empowerment, employee satisfaction and service quality, particularly in the hotel industry. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between service guarantees and employee empowerment and to investigate the correlation between empowerment and employee satisfaction and establish its links to service quality. This study employed the quantitative methodology based on survey questionnaires distributed to frontline employees in various four and five star hotels in Malaysia. The empirical findings provide evidence that service guarantees have a positive relationship with empowerment. However, the study found that empowerment has an insignificant relationship with employee satisfaction. Notably, it was found that employee satisfaction has a significant relationship with service quality. The study’s limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.