Customer Perceptions on Service Satisfaction with Third Party Logistics (3PL) Service

Abstract

Today, more firms are focusing on core competencies and turning to external specialists (Third Party Logistics – 3PLs) for sophisticated logistics solutions. The 3PL service industry is characterized by customer relationships that can extend over several years, involving multiple instances of service delivery. Customers’ satisfaction level has a profound impact on attracting new customers and customer retention. This research investigates customer perceptions regarding the service offered by a medium-sized 3PL operating in Greece. Results indicate that customers are satisfied with the outfit of personnel, adequacy of knowledge, speed of service, quality of services offered, and politeness of personnel at the point of sales as well as during the delivery. The major problem stated by the respondents was the long hold on time at the call center, which causes intensity and confusion among the customers.