Logistics Service Quality: Searching for New Drivers of 3PL Customers’ Satisfaction

Abstract

Despite a fairly rich research tradition dedicated to service quality and customer satisfaction in logistics, much of the focus has remained on service quality in buyer-supplier relationships, and only to a lesser extent has it addressed thirdparty logistics relationships. This study investigates perceived satisfaction, defined as the degree to which a logistics customer is satisfied with a third-party logistics provider's overall performance in the outsourcing relationship, and provides relevant insights for scholars and managers. Our study has advanced Logistics Service Quality beyond previous literature, adding two new relevant drivers (returns management and reputation) with significant impacts on perceived satisfaction among 3PL customers.

A hybrid e-logistics service quality approach: modeling the evolution of B2C e-commerce

“…The firm's goal generally is multi-objective and often moves beyond the simplified perspective of profit maximization but rather to also provides a continuous stream of services designed to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty and future purchase intention (Huma et al, 2019). The literature is replete with scholarly research that empirically ties customer satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions (Bouzaabia et al, 2013;Collier and Bienstock, 2006;Jayawardhena, 2010;Lee and Lin, 2005;Rao et al, 2011;Russo et al, 2015;Saura et al, 2008;Stank et al, 2003). Therefore, we posit:…”