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In the behavioural science areas of psychology and consumer behaviour, the means‐end value hierarchy model has often been applied to understand individuals’ values structures ‐ in particular, the value of a company’s product/ service offering to its customers. Applying the means‐end value hierarchy model in a logistics context, logistics customer value can be thought of as a higher‐order evaluative standard for customers’ satisfaction and service quality evaluation processes. As such, it is important for a firm to know what its customers value when seeking to build a competitive advantage. Attempts to advance our understanding of logistics customer value through the application of the means‐end value hierarchy model to logistics. More specifically, investigates the customer value of logistics service in a business‐to‐business setting using the means‐end value hierarchy model. Uses focus group interview data for developing the customer value hierarchy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the quality factors influencing customer satisfaction in the electronic commerce (e-commerce) context using a triadic view of customer-e-retailer-third-party logistics provider, and to investigate the impacts of service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty in the e-retailing supply chain.

A literature review is used to determine the conceptual model and develop the measurement scales. Data are collected through a web survey mainly conducted in China. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the collected data and test the research hypotheses.

The results verify the proposed service quality framework, consisting of two dimensions (electronic service (e-service) quality and logistics service quality), in the e-commerce context. The results indicate that e-service quality and logistics service quality are strongly linked to customer satisfaction; that is, with e-service and logistics service, respectively. e-Service quality positively impacts customer satisfaction with logistics services, but logistics service quality negatively impacts customer satisfaction with e-services. Moreover, customer satisfaction with e-services is positively associated with customer loyalty for both e-services and logistics services. However, customer satisfaction with logistics services has no direct impact on related customer loyalty, and negatively impacts customer loyalty with e-services.

The survey focusses only on China; future data should verify whether different cultural backgrounds will impact the research results.

The results show that e-retailers should not only focus on e-service quality, but also logistics service quality, which is critical to the success of e-commerce.

A two-dimensional (e-service and logistics) service quality framework is proposed and empirically assessed in the context of the e-retailing supply chain. These impacts of the path of service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty are highlighted.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the body of logistics customer service (LCS) research published in leading logistics journals from 1990 to 2017. Specifically, the paper presents a call to arms for logistics and supply chain researchers to address new and emerging issues impacting customer service in the age of omnichannel and e-commerce retailing.

The authors reviewed academic journals to identify articles focusing on LCS from 1990 through 2017. The authors noted trends in academic research activity/focus and supplemented the findings by examining more recent trends covered in trade publication articles.

The authors observed a large amount of LCS research in the early 1990s and 2000s, but noticed a substantial decline in coverage within academic journals since the late 2000s while industry continues to give customer service issues even greater attention. The difference between the level of coverage within academic journals and the increased importance firms place on customer service represents a critical gap and opportunity for scholars. This research represents a “call to arms” to address this gap. With particular emphasis on observed customer impatience and escalating requests, within omni- and e-commerce channels of distribution, we suggest greater theoretical insights into customer service strategies and their role in successfully navigating today’s changing logistics service environment are needed.

The review serves as a call for more attention to customer service issues within leading logistics journals. Suggestions for research into new and emerging topics are offered.

Service modularity promotes efficiency at the provider end of the supply chain and customisation at the customer end. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how logistics service modularity contributes to sustainable development through the means of energy efficiency. This is analysed in the context of logistics services for household waste collection.

A single case study methodology with embedded units is adopted where semi-structured interviews were conducted with a waste service provider (WSP) and buyers (municipalities) in Sweden, focussing on five types of logistics services for waste collection: collection of food and residual waste at apartments and one-family houses, as well as collection of gardening waste. Service modules are identified and analysed by blueprinting the service.

The findings show different service modules – standardised or customised – and their contribution to sustainable development operationalised through energy efficiency. Principles for an energy-centric service design are proposed.

The research is limited to Swedish household waste collection setting. Promising efficiency through standardisation, logistics service modularity has a potential to improve energy efficiency as well. This neglected link between sustainability and service modularity offers fruitful research avenues.

This research is of practical relevance to waste logistics service providers and the municipality by suggesting principles for energy-centric service design. The service blueprint enables using logistics service modularity for improving energy efficiency in different logistics service settings.

This research incorporates an environmentally sustainable development perspective into logistics service modularity and contributes to the literature by exploring how energy efficiency is improved by modular design of logistics services. Furthermore, the study is one of the first to use service blueprinting to analyse logistics service modularity, providing a methodological contribution to that field in general and logistics in particular.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate logistics service quality using the Kano’s service quality model in the logistics-triadic context.

This study undertakes a survey research in semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) industry. Logistics service quality is categorized using Kano’s classification and a comparison is made of the perception of three sample groups who are SME firms, semiconductor manufacturers (SMs) and third-party logistics (TPL) providers.

Several attributes of logistics service quality are evaluated as “Must-be” quality which does not contribute to customer satisfaction, indicating existence of the non-linear relationship between some logistics service quality attributes and customers’ satisfaction. The group comparison reveals that TPL firms perceive most quality attributes as “Attractive” and “One-dimensional” whereas SMs and SME firms perceive more attributes as “Must-be.”

Logistics service quality elements should not be used in the same way assuming the same effect of logistics service elements on customer satisfaction. It should be also noted that logistics service quality attributes have different effect on satisfaction according to the positions in the logistics triad.

This paper provides SME firms with useful information on how to manage their logistics service quality to improve customer satisfaction. SME firms and TPL providers need to arrange a collaborative format where logistics service quality is regularly monitored and three members discuss solutions to improve their quality performance.

This study is a rare empirical investigation to actually assess and compare perception on logistics service quality among the entities in a logistics triad. This study applies the Kano model to the triadic relationship in logistics service provision, which may be the first attempt to the authors’ best knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to explore key challenges of adopting, designing and managing performance-based contracts (PBC) for advanced logistics services, as seen by providers. The shift toward performance-based solutions has proved challenging since providers often struggle to link performance to their payment. Despite such managerial challenges, empirical research in this area has been limited.

A multi-case design was adopted. Three cases of logistics service providers were selected based on purposive sampling. Data were collected through 38 semi-structured interviews and review of 43 documents such as contracts and customer target letters.

Key PBC adoption challenges include customer and provider intention to align their goals and incentives as well as their views on risk and reward sharing. Contract design challenges center around performance metric definition and weighting, designing performance monitoring systems that consider service co-production effects and help improve customer relationship and designing incentives with appropriate intensity levels. Contract management challenges include fostering provider pro-activity, provider changes in terms of processes and resource investments, perceived fairness of designed incentives and contract re-design to allow for win-win relationship outcomes.

The study empirically contributes to extant logistics service provider literature by identifying specific challenges that extend also beyond PBC adoption and design and cover contract management (and potential contract re-design). It also unpacks the notion of performance attributability by analyzing its role also in terms of contract and performance management as well as its potential effects on customer relationship management.

The study presents implications for logistics provider managers regarding how the observed PBC challenges can be overcome.

The study unearths several challenges of PBC for advanced logistics services, particularly in connection to contract management and re-design.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how service-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWSs) contribute to logistics performance and the mediation mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Employees and their managers from logistics departments and/or business departments of manufacturing firms in the Vietnamese business setting were recruited as participants in the data collection. Structural equation modeling was employed for the data analysis.

Service-oriented HPWSs demonstrated the positive effects on logistics performance via serving culture. Serving culture was found to have the positive link with logistics performance via the mediating roles of collective role breadth self-efficacy and collective customer knowledge.

The current research extends the logistics management research by identifying service-oriented HPWSs as an antecedent of logistics performance as well as the mediation mechanisms underlying this effect.

The automotive industry has been studied extensively, but few studies focus on outbound logistics in automotive supply chains, or on the logistics service provider’s (LSP’s) point of view. Furthermore, there is hardly any research on service model innovation in LSPs. The purpose of this paper is to narrow these research gaps.

The analysis is based on a single-case study – an LSP that specializes in services for the automotive industry. The paper examines the company’s service models and their development over time.

The findings show how the case company has moved towards multifaceted service models through a number of radical and incremental innovations. Moreover, it has used the same methods in developing all its new service models, and has applied modularity principles in service innovation to achieve better process efficiency and service effectiveness.

The rather narrow focus of this study – automotive logistics in a specific area – decreases the generalizability of the findings beyond this context. However, the single-case approach offers in-depth insights, and the analytical frameworks developed herein for service models is applicable in other contexts.

The analysis may help LSPs and service companies in their service design and development. The use of modularity principles makes it easier to offer mass-customized services and to develop efficient processes.

This study narrows a research gap in examining outbound logistics services in the automotive supply chain and focussing on the LSP’s perspective.

Customer service levels are seen as the linchpin of an effective marketing logistics strategy for any company. Careful consideration is given to the components of customer service and each element is examined to identify its cost and revenue aspects. Segmented customer service policies are reviewed and taxonomic criteria proposed. The trade‐offs within the total logistics mix which are concomitant with changes in service offered are examined. Equally, a distinction is drawn between subjective service levels (i.e., displayed availability at point‐of‐purchase/use) and objective service levels. Control procedures to monitor the operational management of service levels decided upon are enumerated and procedures for interpreting customer complaints described. Experimental approaches are proposed by which managements can seek to move towards more cost effective service policies.

Academicians and practitioners alike recognise that logistics services and operating systems are an integral part of the overall marketing strategy of firms. Consequently, there is a need for an ongoing, interactive review of actual logistics system performance, so that firms can achieve operating systems improvements as well as select and implement the most profitable corporate strategies.