The Quality of Outsourced Logistics Service: A Collectivist Culture Perspective

The purpose of the study is to explore on the elements of outsourced logistics service quality and how the users’ satisfaction was formed within the Malaysian culture context. This qualitative study was based on five semi-structured interviews which were carried out with the executive officers and department managers of four logistics providers firms and one manufacturer. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis method. Rather than the organization’s performance-related factors, the results revealed that, within the Malaysian national culture context, there are influence of the cultural element towards customer satisfaction. There are four (4) logistics service quality elements identified include timeliness, task accuracy and the condition of the product, and the quality of key contact personnel. There are eight (8) other elements leading to satisfaction which is not within the original logistics service quality theory. They include efficient, consistent service, responsiveness, ensuring customers’ reputation, sensitive to other people feelings, taking blame to ensure satisfaction, emotional closeness between personnel and the family as a base of identity. The emerging elements provides the key insights on the elements which lead to satisfaction in the context of Malaysian logistics service users. Rather than the organization’s performance-related factors, the results revealed that, within the Malaysian national culture context, there are influence of the cultural element towards customer satisfaction.