Business Commons^™

Understanding The Interfaces: How Ocean Freight Shipping Lines Can Maximize Satisfaction, Srinivas Durvasula, Steven Lysonski, Subhash Mehta

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Physical distribution services are becoming increasingly important as supply chains strive to become more efficient in the logistical flow of goods to industrial customers. Performance of these services, however, takes place during encounters that customers have with various interfacing departments within the firm. These encounters may ultimately determine the level of satisfaction clients have with the service and the concomitant perceived quality. While previous research in this area has focused on service quality assessment, little attention has been given to determining the pattern of interfacing departments that maximize service satisfaction. This study examines a sample of shipping managers in Singapore …