Madrasah Excellent Service Management in Improving Customer Satisfaction

Mukhamad Sukur¹. Akhyak. Ahmad Tanzeh²

^1,2 Postgraduate Program of UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung.

ABSTRACT : This research addresses the evolving challenges faced by Islamic educational institutions, emphasizing the crucial need for timely adaptation to technological advancements. Focused on MTsN 1 Tulungagung and MTsN 2 Blitar, the research investigates the impact of excellent services on customer satisfaction through planning, implementation, evaluation, and follow-up actions. Utilizing a qualitative multisite research design, data collection involves participant observation, interviews, and documentation, with single-site and cross-site analysis techniques applied.

The findings reveal that planning excellent services in Madrasah aims to align with educational policies, address student concerns, and meet customer needs. Implementation includes curriculum alignment, additional subjects, and diverse information services. Evaluation utilizes institutional and personal approaches, measuring success through increased public interest and institutional achievements. Follow-up actions involve collaborative decision-making and continuous improvement. This research contributes insights for Madrasahs striving to excel in providing dynamic and satisfying educational services.

KEYWORDS: Management, Excellent Service, Customer Satisfaction.

1. INTRODUCTION

The development of technology and information has a significant impact on the education sector, which is considered to be a crucial pillar for improving the quality of human resources. Society tends to choose excellent Islamic educational institutions that provide quality services. However, Islamic educational institutions face evolving challenges. Madrasah, as an entity of Islamic education, is expected to adapt to the changing times, align curricula with modern life developments, and respond promptly to emerging issues. Delays in addressing these challenges can distance Islamic educational institutions from public interest.

To respond to the dynamics of the times and competition among Islamic educational institutions, madrasahs are beginning to adopt innovations. One of them is the provision of diverse academic service products, such as acceleration programs, credit-based learning, Quran memorization (tahfiz), literacy programs, information digitalization, counseling, research, and more. This initiative demonstrates that Islamic educational institutions are competing to attract the interest of the public and students with various innovative services. Institutions that cannot keep up with these changes risk losing attractiveness to the public and struggle to attract students.

Society is given the freedom to choose Islamic educational institutions that are expected to meet their expectations. This freedom poses a challenge for the managers of Islamic educational institutions, who must compete to gain attention from users of educational services or potential customers. The main focus is on the quality of graduates and services. In response to this challenge, Islamic educational institutions strive to attract customer attention by providing excellent services, such as exceptional service in madrasahs.

The concept of service for an institution is an essential way to capture the nature of services so that customers know what they are getting and staff understand what they are providing. The service concept can also be used to help develop new services (Johnston et al., 2012). Nevertheless, the service concept is often not clearly articulated, shared, or understood. The service concept is something more emotional than a business model, more profound than a brand, more complex than good ideas, and more profound than what is visible; it is also something that can unite employees and customers and create business benefits.

According to Atep (2014), service excellence is the concern for the education of customers by providing the best services to facilitate ease of meeting needs and realizing satisfaction so that customers are always loyal to the institution. Achieving excellent service is not as easy as turning the palm. Many factors need to be carefully considered because efforts to improve service quality have a significant impact on the overall organizational culture. Among these various factors are identifying service quality, managing customer expectations, developing service quality, following up on services, and developing service quality information systems (Tjiptono, 2008, p.99). The focus of service excellence is how to satisfy, improve loyalty, achieve institutional goals/benefits, and create a positive image.

The quality of educational services is considered an assessment of the comparison between the services received and the expectations of education service customers, especially students. The close relationship between the quality of educational services and customer satisfaction motivates students to form strong relationships with educational institutions. Intense competition among educational institutions compels them to provide the best services to students and their parents. Leaders or heads of madrasahs in quality Islamic educational institutions are expected to have new ideas and concepts, ready to serve subordinates and education customers.

A visionary leader is needed to translate the goals of Islamic educational institutions into practical programs that can bring progress and change for the better, such as developing the quality of the institution from input, process, and output to outcome. One indicator of the quality of Islamic educational institutions is the fulfillment of the expectations of the community or education customers. Customer satisfaction with the services of Islamic educational institutions will create trust and shape a positive image.

1. LITERATURE REVIEW

The passage delves into the fundamental aspects of management, quality in education, customer satisfaction, and the service concept within the context of Islamic educational institutions. It begins by defining management as an endeavor to facilitate an organization’s high performance by efficiently utilizing human and material resources through planning, organizing, motivating, implementing, and evaluating processes (Terry, 1977). These management functions need to integrate specific elements tailored to the context of madrasahs or organizations, as outlined by Agustini’s concept, encompassing man, money, materials, machine, method, and market (Agustini, 2013).

Human resources are highlighted as crucial factors, emphasizing the role of individuals in designing, setting objectives, and executing goals. Materials encompass the tools and infrastructure used, while machines represent tools aiding human elements in goal achievement. Methods refer to the approach used in carrying out work, and money is a crucial tool that must be strategically employed to achieve desired goals. The market is identified as the target for selling produced goods or services.

Quality, as defined by the Department of National Education (2002), is a comprehensive description and characteristic of goods or services, indicating their ability to satisfy specified or implied needs. Sallis (2012) further details quality standards, including conformity to specifications, benefits, defect-free services, and customer satisfaction. The operationalization of total quality management involves continuous improvement, determining quality standards, organizational change, maintaining customer relationships, and cultivating a quality culture (Sallis, 2012).

In the educational context, quality is described as a comprehensive characteristic of internal and external educational service delivery, influencing input, process, and output. Dzaujak emphasizes the school’s ability to operate operationally and efficiently, They were adding value to components per applicable norms/standards. Sudrajat echoes this sentiment, stating that quality education produces graduates with academic and non-academic competence underpinned by life skills (Suderadjat, 2005).

Customer satisfaction, meeting needs, and pleasing customers vary based on the dynamics of education in each region. Internationally prestigious standards may not align with community preferences influenced by factors beyond quality, such as student quantity, parental cost considerations, or geographical position. Education quality is intricately linked to institutions or managers, influenced by internal and external factors outlined by Syafarudin (2002), including the curriculum, human resources, facilities, leadership, and socio-cultural elements.

Education providers are mandated to meet quality standards for the service products they produce. While educational quality management focuses on producing quality products, the central concern of educational marketing management is understanding and addressing customer interest in education products.

The concept of service within an organization involves a shared understanding of services given and received. It encompasses organizational ideas, services provided, and customer experiences. Distinguished from organizational vision, the service concept pertains to present organizational activities, with potential implications for future mission services. Unlike a mission statement, which prioritizes organizational values, the service concept provides detailed insights into services provided and received (Putri et al., 2017).

The service concept is distinct from ideas about services and more detailed than a brand. Excellent service, characterized by high-quality standards, consistently aligns with evolving customer needs. Pasrizal et al. (2020) argue that excellent service reflects an organization’s caring attitude toward customers, whether profit-oriented or nonprofit-oriented.

Tjiptono and Wyckof emphasize that service quality is determined by customer perceptions, with the expected excellence and control over that excellence to meet customer desires (Tjiptono, 2008). Customers consume and feel the services provided, positioning them as key assessors of service quality.

In the realm of Islamic educational institutions, managers are likened to shepherds or servants, with a responsibility to direct and mobilize for success. The notion that every position in an educational institution is held accountable by Allah emphasizes the importance of motivation and commitment among employees, echoing the sentiments of the hadith that “the leader of a people is their servant” (HR Abu Na’im).

In essence, the passage navigates through the intricacies of management, quality in education, customer satisfaction, and the service concept in the unique context of Islamic educational institutions. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring these principles to the specific needs of madrasahs or organizations while upholding high standards of quality and service.

1. RESEARCH METHOD

This research is intended to understand and comprehend the behavior of individuals, specifically school principals, teachers, educational staff, students, and customers. The study employs a qualitative research method with a multisite study design that describes, depicts, and reports on a condition, object, or event. Another definition of qualitative research is to systematically analyze and present facts about the actual condition of the object. The facts and realities of life as a whole constitute a natural or normal setting that cannot be understood separately. This research is essentially aimed at describing the phenomena in the field in accordance with the real conditions related to the management of madrasah services at MTsN 1 Tulungagung and MTsN 2 Blitar.

According to the researcher, these two research locations have advantages and uniqueness compared to other educational institutions and are in line with the research title proposed by the researcher. The indicators that serve as strengths and uniqueness in these two educational institutions include the increasing enthusiasm of the community to enroll their children in these two state Islamic educational institutions. Additionally, both madrasahs have achieved numerous achievements, both academic and non-academic, at the district, provincial, and national levels.

From a spatial perspective, this research falls under the category of field research, where the focus is directed towards understanding phenomena related to the research. Qualitative research aims to describe and analyze phenomena, events, social activities, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and thoughts of individuals or communities. Description is used to find principles and explanations leading to conclusions.

Data collection in this research utilizes three techniques, aligning with those offered by Bogdan and Biklen, namely participative observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003).

As the research employs a multisite study design, data analysis is conducted in two stages: (1) single-site data analysis and (2) cross-site data analysis (Yin, 2014). The research adopts a multi-case study design, and the analysis is carried out in two stages: (1) single-site data analysis and (2) cross-site data analysis.

1. DISCUSSION

The community or customers of educational services hold the belief that service quality is a form of assessment of the received service against the expected service. The quality of educational services motivates educational customers, in this case, students and the community, to establish strong relationships with educational institutions. The intense competition among educational institutions drives each institution to manage educational services to achieve the best results for its customers.

Based on the research findings at MTsN 1 Tulungagung and MTsN 2 Blitar, the researcher identified the theory of madrasah excellent service management applied to enhance customer satisfaction in madrasah institutions. It comprises a set of interconnected concepts that provide a systematic view related to the phenomenon by determining the relationships between each variable, aiming to explain the natural phenomenon.

The management of madrasah excellent services in enhancing customer satisfaction is the awareness and action of madrasah management in providing excellent services to customers, whether or not there are complaints from madrasah customers. The researcher supports the concept of Jagtap & Teli, stating that the essence of excellent service management is a process of planning, implementation, evaluation, and follow-up to improve quality and satisfy customers. The concept of Agustini emphasizes that management performance is closely related to the availability of man (human), money (finance), materials (resources), machine (equipment), method (methods), and market (market) possessed by the institution or organization.

The researcher aligns with Johnston’s opinion that the concept of a madrasah’s excellent service is closely related to the core of the provided service, service processes, outputs, customer interpretations of services, and their interaction in the service process. excellent service is different from a business proposition that defines how an organization wants its service to be perceived by all stakeholders and how to achieve its financial goals. Also, the concept of service differs from vision and mission.

1. Planning Madrasah Excellent Services to Enhance Customer Satisfaction

The types of services in a madrasah typically consist of learning services, security services, health services, guidance and counseling services, administrative services, financial services, and information services. Meanwhile, the quality management of educational services requires four fundamental functions: planning, implementation, evaluation, and follow-up, as articulated by Deming in Total Quality Management (TQM). Planning in this context encompasses quality planning, including the establishment of quality policies, the definition of quality objectives along with their achievement indicators, and the establishment of procedures to achieve quality goals. Planning is understood as the activity of selecting and connecting facts and using assumptions about the future by describing and outlining the necessary activities to achieve desired outcomes. Planning is also the process of setting goals or objectives to be achieved and determining the most efficient and effective ways and resources needed to achieve those goals.

The planning of excellent services in a madrasah to enhance customer satisfaction, as found in research, can be carried out concurrently with the planning of semester or annual programs. This is based on the consideration that educational planning activities in madrasahs are always associated with these timings. Specifically, in the field of learning services, where each teacher has the obligation to develop semester programs (prosem) and annual programs (prota).

1. The Implementation of excellent Services in a Madrasah to Improve Customer Satisfaction

The implementation phase involves efforts to establish effective behavioral relationships among individuals so that they can work together efficiently. This enables them to achieve personal satisfaction in performing specific tasks in certain environmental conditions to reach specific goals. In Deming’s concept, as quoted by Nanang, “do” is the execution of what has been planned. Therefore, to ensure the quality of education, the entire educational process, including educational administration services, must be carried out in accordance with the predetermined educational operational standards (SOP).

Research findings reveal that the implementation of learning services is manifested in the form of improving teacher professionalism through workshops, the implementation of the national standard curriculum (K-13), credit programs (SKS), guidance for olympiads and self-development (25 types of self-development), additional lessons for subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English, and Arabic, guidance for reading, writing, and Qur’anic memorization (tahfiz), research activities, inculcation of ubudiyah (devotion to God) and noble character, instilling environmental awareness and providing TOEFL and TOAFL services.

The implementation of administrative services takes the form of a new student admission system through online and direct methods, financing during education, ensuring EMIS data, graduation administration, and BSM management. The implementation of security services includes providing parking spaces within the madrasah, madrasah security personnel, implementing madrasah regulations, and collaborating with the police and BNN.

In the field of information, passive information services include administrative information and madrasah program information, as well as the publication of madrasah profiles, activities, and achievements through print and electronic media. Counseling and self-development services are implemented through the provision of 25 types of extracurricular activities and the intensification of counseling components.

Madrasah management, as a provider of public services regulated by the Regulation of the Minister of Administrative Reform of the Republic of Indonesia concerning Service Standards, explains that every provider of public services must establish and implement service standards for each type of service. In the context of excellent services, the services provided by the madrasah ideally exceed the standards to increase customer satisfaction and competitiveness.

The development of various programs as the basic elements of excellent madrasah services not only demonstrates the superiority of the madrasah compared to its competitors but also provides profit-oriented opportunities by attracting more customers. Smith suggests that educational institutions need to build a dimension of diversification by pursuing diverse education programs aimed at increasing student admissions, academic freedom, legitimacy, and reputation. The diversification agenda focuses on the education market from a specific religious perspective.

Regarding information service development, Usman states that several things need to be done in this information service, including: a) managing an adequate management information system to support effective, efficient, and accountable educational administration; b) providing effective, efficient, and easily accessible information facilities. For example, providing information services through websites, brochures, radio, providing email addresses, and more; c) assigning a teacher or educational staff to serve requests for information or provide information or public complaints related to school or madrasah management, both verbally and in writing, with everything recorded and documented; d) reporting documented school or madrasah information data to the education department or ministry of religion for madrasahs.

1. The Evaluation of excellent Madrasah Service Management in Enhancing Customer Satisfaction

The evaluation stages involve monitoring, examination, measurement, and assessment of the implementation and outcomes, including internal quality audits. Evaluation or control is the act of observing and measuring the conformity between the implementation and results of work with the established plans. In educational institutions, supervisory stages include 1) setting performance standards; 2) conducting assessments; 3) taking corrective actions.

Research findings reveal that the evaluation of excellent madrasah services utilizes an institutional and personal approach in accordance with job descriptions. Program evaluation is conducted through an incidental evaluation approach, semester evaluations, and annual evaluations. The indicators (achievements) of customer satisfaction are demonstrated by: a) increased public interest in educational services; b) institutional achievements, such as receiving the adiwiyata predicate, being a model for health education units (UKS), and being a national research school; c) numerous achievements by students in various local and national events.

Kotler mentions that customer satisfaction is the feeling of pleasure or disappointment that arises from a person’s comparison between perceptions and the performance (results) of a product and service against their expectations. Meanwhile, according to Lerbin, customer satisfaction is the result of a customer’s assessment of what they expected when purchasing or consuming a product. It can be concluded that a madrasah that has been able to meet expectations and create a positive impression of educational service has provided satisfaction to its customers. Customers of educational services will feel satisfied if the management of the Islamic educational institution has provided excellent educational services and successfully developed high-quality education. Customers who are satisfied with madrasah services will decide to enroll their children in that Islamic educational institution. Moreover, satisfied customers are likely to help market educational service products to other customers.

1. Follow-up to Madrasah Excellent Service in Increasing Customer Satisfaction

The follow-up stage (action) is the follow-up and improvement of the evaluation results, preparing improvement plans, and preparing educational program reports. Research findings that receive follow-up or improvement at the institutional level are decided through joint meetings where each teacher and employee can make improvements independently. Follow-up is carried out with an approach to maintaining excellent service from the previous period and a continuous improvement approach to services that have been provided previously. The target for excellent service follow-up is to improve service quality compared to the previous period.

Customer satisfaction is basically oriented towards five indicators, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangible. Improvement or follow-up is in principle, a follow-up to the madrasah in realizing these five indicators in every educational service provided. Customers must be the organization’s top priority. Reliable customers are the most critical customers, namely customers who buy repeatedly, and customer satisfaction is guaranteed by producing high-quality products with continuous improvement.

The 14 principles of quality development also state that service providers must stabilize all systems (administration, design, production, and marketing), carry out continuous improvements of various systems to reduce deviations, and better meet customer needs, creating constant usability. towards improving products and services, and training in all areas of work for all employees, as well as developing education and continuous self-improvement for all employees.

1. CONCLUSION

From the data found above, it can be concluded that:

1. Madrasah excellent service planning in increasing customer satisfaction is carried out simultaneously with annual program planning. Plans for the learning sector include increasing the competency and professionalism of madrasa personnel, developing learning strategies, improving IT-based learning infrastructure, a conducive teaching and learning environment, guidance towards favorite secondary schools, special programs for high-achieving students, achieving academic and non-academic achievements in the form of the highest NUN and minimum KKM. 80. Administrative service plan to realize sustainable quality service management and implement participatory management. The security service plan is to implement madrasa regulations, provide parking lots, recruit security personnel (security guards), collaborate with the National Police and BNN, and involve student elements. Information service plans in the form of increasing online publications and information; website, Youtube, IG, Facebook, and magazines. The counseling and self-development service plan takes the form of developing a learning model approach for high-achieving students and problematic students, developing various extracurricular activities, increasing activities for habituating ubudiyah and noble morals, getting used to environmental culture, optimizing KIR, getting used to Arabic and English and the tahfiz
2. The implementation of excellent learning services in improvement is basically the form, implementation, and process (SOP) of the madrasah policy that will be implemented. The implementation of learning services is realized in the form of increasing teacher professionalism through workshops, implementation of the national standard curriculum (K-13) and SKS program, olympiad guidance and self-development (25 types of self-development), additional lessons for Mathematics, Science, English, and language subjects. Arabic, tutoring in reading and writing and reciting the Al-Qur’an, research activities, the habit of ubudiyah and noble morals, the habit of caring for the environment, and TOEFL and TOAFL services. Implementation of administrative services is realized in the form of a system for accepting new students online and directly, financing during education, ensuring emission data, graduation administration, and BSM management. Implementation of security services in the form of providing parking spaces within the madrasah environment, madrasah security personnel, implementation of madrasah regulations, and collaboration with the National Police and BNN. Implementation of the information sector: Passive information services with types of information in the form of madrasa administration and program information and publication of madrasa profiles, madrasa activities, and achievements through print and electronic media. Implementation of the field of counseling and self-development in the form of providing 25 types of extracurricular activities, and increasing (intensifying) the components of guidance and counseling.
3. Evaluation of madrasah excellent service can use institutional and personal approaches according to main tasks and functions with incidental evaluation systems, semester evaluations, and annual evaluations. Indicators show the success of excellent service in satisfying customers; a) increasing public interest in educational services; b) institutional achievements with the title of Adiwiyata Madrasah, UKS pilot, and national research school.
4. Follow-up to excellent madrasa service at the institutional level is decided through joint meetings where each teacher and employee can make improvements Independently. Follow-up is carried out with an approach to maintaining excellent service from the previous period and a continuous improvement approach to services that have been provided previously.

Suggestions

1. Madrasah managers of MTsN 1 Tulungagung and MTsN 2 Blitar should give as much trust and space as possible for teachers and education staff to carry out excellent service management according to their respective duties and functions. In principle, each element of the madrasa is the party that best understands and is responsible for the work area and customer needs.
2. Madrasah elements, especially teachers and education staff at MTsN 1 Tulungagung and MTsN 2 Blitar, should creatively utilize the potential of experience, both reasoning (rational empirical) and system experience (normative educational), to take the initiative to make improvements to the educational services provided.
3. Students and guardians should provide input regarding the best quality of educational services for madrasas because the quality of madrasa services is, in principle, a shared need and responsibility.
4. For future researchers, this research has limitations in terms of the scope of excellent madrasa services and indicators of customer satisfaction. Of the six types of madrasa services, this research only focuses on learning services, guidance and counseling services, and information services. Meanwhile, from a number of indicators of customer satisfaction, this research only takes indicators of institutional and student achievement as well as the strength of prospective students and those accepted in the last three years.

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