Evaluating logistics service quality of third-party logistics (3PL) service providers in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The market for third party logistics (3PL) service has expanded hugely over the past few years. It is expected that the industry will grow substantially and became increasingly complex. As the industry matures, a number of authors have recognised that logistics service quality is becoming a vital tool for delivering superior logistics service performance and thus creating customer satisfaction. However, empirical research investigating the effects of the relationships between logistics service quality and customer satisfaction has received relatively little attention in the literature in field of logistics industry. This study attempts to fill this by investigating customers satisfaction w ith 3PL providers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the relationship it has with logistics service quality. It empirically tests the validity of Mentzer et al's (2001) Logistics Service Quality (LSQ) scale for measuring customer satisfaction. Data is collected by mail survey from 225 logistics-related customers of big 3PL providers in Ho Chi Minh City. The result of this study shows that dimensions included in LSQ model has influence on customer satisfaction; and from this result, the author is able to make recommendation for 3PL providers to improve satisfaction level of customers.