Lojistik Servis Sağlayıcılarının Hizmet Kalitesi Boyutlarının SERVQUAL Temelli Best-Worst Yöntemi Kullanılarak Önceliklendirilmesi
Ertuğrul AyyıldızTalebin her geçen gün arttığı lojistik sektöründe hizmet kalitesinin ölçülmesi kritik önem taşımaktadır. Firmaların pazarda rekabet edebilmeleri ve hizmet kalitelerini artırabilmeleri için müşterilerini iyi tanımaları ve beklentilerini doğru analiz ederek iyileştirmeler yapmaları gerekmektedir. Bu bağlamda SERVQUAL modeli hizmet kalitesi ölçümünde sıklıkla tercih edilen etkili araçlardan biridir. Ancak dünyayı etkisi altında pandemi, gelişen teknoloji trendlerin gelişimi ve dönüşümü gibi köklü değişimlerin etkileriyle geleneksel SERVQUAL modeli ile müşterilerin tüm beklentilerini sürece dahil etmek mümkün değildir. Bu yüzden bu çalışmada, SERVQUAL modeli lojistik servis sağlayıcılara yönelik beklentiler dikkate alınarak dört farklı boyutla genişletilmiş ve böylece daha kapsamlı bir çerçeve sunulmuştur. Daha sonra her bir boyutun önem derecesinin belirlemek için çok kriterli karar verme yaklaşımı benimsenmiş ve Best-Worst yöntemi kullanılarak boyutların önem dereceleri belirlenmiştir. Önerilen yöntemin tutarlılığını test etmek için karşılaştırmalı analiz yapılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre en önemli hizmet kalitesi boyutu “yanıt verebilirlik” olarak belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca “yeterlik” ve “güvenilirlik” hizmet kalitesini artırmaya yönelik dikkate alınması gereken boyutlardandır.
Prioritizing the Service Quality Dimensions of Logistics Service Providers Using SERVQUAL-Based Best–Worst Method
Ertuğrul AyyıldızThe level of service quality for airline transportation, where demand is increasing daily, is vital and must be determined. For companies to compete in the market and increase their service quality, they must know their customers well, analyze their expectations correctly, and make improvements. In this context, the SERVQUAL model is one of the most preferred and effective tools for measuring service quality. However, customers’ expectations cannot be included in the process using the traditional SERVQUAL model, especially with the effects of radical changes, such as the pandemic, and the development and transformation of emerging technology trends. Therefore, this study extends the traditional SERVQUAL model with four novel dimensions considering the expectations for logistics service providers, thereby providing a more comprehensive framework. Subsequently, the importance level of each dimension is determined and modeled through a multicriteria decision-making problem. Furthermore, the importance levels of the dimensions are determined using the best–worst method. A comparative analysis is conducted to examine the consistency of the proposed method. The results reveal that the most important service quality dimension is “responsiveness.” In addition, the “competence” and “reliability” dimensions should be considered to increase service quality.
Quality expresses the customer satisfaction level; it can be elucidated by examining certain service quality indicators. In terms of the service sector, increasing customer satisfaction is a primary goal of quality management. Customer satisfaction is often an expression of subjective feelings arising from the difference between the customers’ expectations of the service and their actual experience. Service-producing businesses must analyze the demands and expectations of their customers appropriately and make improvements accordingly to gain a competitive advantage in the market. However, analyzing and implementing quality expectations are not enough. After providing the service, businesses must monitor whether customer expectations are met and how customers perceive the service using the suitable methods. The level of service quality is measured by evaluating the perceptions of the customer. In particular, in recent years, logistics service providers (LSPs), whose demand has further increased, should handle the demands described as the “voice of the customer” with the proper techniques and update their quality characteristics accordingly. Today, numerous LSPs give more importance to customer satisfaction by providing greater customer service. Therefore, customer satisfaction and service quality evaluations are becoming essential for companies. Thus, improvements determined because of the evaluation of service quality can encourage more customers to use the services provided. Hence, companies must evaluate, monitor, and develop strategies for service quality to increase their service quality and keep customer’s interest vigorous. The logistics service industry focuses on essential services, such as organizing, planning, and controlling the transport of physical goods and additional value-added services. LSPs should evaluate their processes to maintain their current market position and reach more customers. Service quality is a vital element in creating customer satisfaction; hence, it plays an important role in maintaining the companies’ profitability levels. Therefore, measuring service quality is important for companies. This study investigates which dimensions should be considered in this process by focusing on the service performance measurement of LSPs. The SERVQUAL model is employed to gather the dimensions under certain headings and to create a decision hierarchy. In this study, the SERVQUAL model, which is one of the most widely used service quality methodologies, is extended from five to nine main dimensions to adapt to current changes and customer expectations. By adding “Competency,” “Technology,” “Environmental affects,” and “Cost,” we can provide an evaluation framework for the service quality of LSPs. In this study, LSPs’ service quality is evaluated using the SERVQUAL model without ignoring the current problems of the world and digital technological competitive environment. To prioritize the proposed nine new dimensions, this study considered the problem a multicriteria decision-making problem and applied the best–worst method to determine the weights of each service quality. Among the evaluated dimensions, the dimension with the highest weight is “Responsiveness,” whereas the least important dimension is determined as “Environmental impacts.”
