Toward a Multi-Sided Model of Service Quality for Logistics Service Providers

Philipp Wetzel and Erik Hofmann
Additional contact information
Philipp Wetzel: Institute of Supply Chain Management, University of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Erik Hofmann: Institute of Supply Chain Management, University of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland

Administrative Sciences, 2020, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: The aim of this research was to identify quality discrepancies in the existing service offerings of logistics service providers (LSPs). A multi-sided model of service quality (SERVQUAL) highlighting existing gaps in service provision was developed. A qualitative case study approach was employed, and the data were analyzed via a pattern-matching technique. The contribution to the literature is twofold. First, the study transferred the original service quality model developed in the 1980s from a business-to-consumer context to a business-to-business context that is specific to LSPs. Second, the results provide a means of closing the identified service quality gaps arising in an LSP context. Two internal gaps were found: non-homogeneous expectations between the sales and operations departments, and a communication and knowledge gap between these two entities. The three external gaps between LSPs and customers are a loyalty and corporate brand image gap, an innovation and information technology gap and an information asymmetry gap.

Keywords: LSP; logistics service; logistics service quality; SERVQUAL; service quality model; quotation bundling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/10/4/79/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/10/4/79/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:10:y:2020:i:4:p:79-:d:426345

Access Statistics for this article

Administrative Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Nancy Ma

More articles in Administrative Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().