HOW TO ACHIEVE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? PERSPECTIVE OF LOGISTICS OUTSOURCING PERFORMANCE

Background: The inspiration to undertake research in the field of logistics customer service was formed by the strong relationship between service performance and customer satisfaction, observed within a study of the needs of logistics service providers’ (LSPs) customers. The paper aims to understand which elements of service performance are important to customers purchasing logistics services in Poland and are worth investing in by LSPs.

Methods: The study was conducted among 112 production and trade enterprises – customers of LSPs selected in a targeted manner. A questionnaire method was used. Based on the respondents’ answers, a model was built in the form of a classification tree with customer satisfaction as a response variable and features of service performance as predictors.

Results: The results show that two main characteristics affect customer satisfaction levels, namely logistics costs and shorter delivery times. According to the respondents, improving the level of customer service and increasing flexibility turned out to be less significant. However, the discriminant analysis has shown that high satisfaction with logistics outsourcing can also be achieved with the assumption of longer delivery.

Conclusions: In order to stand out in the logistics services market, LSPs should not only invest in reducing costs and improving service times, but also in factors that will cause above-average customer satisfaction, like improved operational flexibility and service levels, including pro-environmental activities.