Managing Footwear Manufacturers’ Logistics Customer Service:
An Australian supplier-retailers’ context case study
鞋业制造商的物流客户服务管理：
澳大利亚供应商零售商上下文案例研究

School of Management
Business Portfolio
RMIT University
September 2007
管理学院
业务组合
墨尔本皇家理工大学
2007年9月

ABSTRACT
摘要

Purpose – This paper aims to explore a strategic approach to customer service management and apply it to a footwear manufacturer in Australian market that distributes its products to retailers. The main goals of this study are: (1) identifying key customer service measurements and related items; (2) discussing the relationship between key customer service measurements and overall customer satisfaction; (3) discussing the relationship among logistics process, manufacture flexibility and customer satisfaction.
目的 - 本文旨在探讨客户服务管理的战略方针，并将其应用到鞋类制造商在澳大利亚市场上销售其产品给零售商。这项研究的主要目标是：（1）确定关键客户服务测量及相关项目;（2）讨论关键客户服务测量和整体客户满意度之间的关系，（3）讨论物流过程之间的关系，制造灵活性和客户满意度。

Design/methodology/approach – Case study approach is applied to gather comprehensive, systematic, and in depth information of study area. To manage customer service, the requirements are: the identification, evaluation and selection of customer service measurements and the establishment of measures as well as performance standards. To identify service measurements, previous research on customer service management, the Australian TCF manufacturers as well as the retailers’ viewpoints were taken into consideration. To evaluate key service measurements, 112 retailers were asked to rate the level of satisfaction to service items the footwear manufacturer provided. Statistic analysis like factor analysis and regression analysis were conducted. Measurements and related items were then evaluated by applying Impact-Satisfaction model. In addition, interview with the management, accessing the secondary data was conducted to get deep understanding of the footwear manufacturer’s logistics processes and current customer service management system.
设计/方法/方式 - 案例研究方法应用于收集全面，系统，研究区域的深度信息。为了管理客户服务的要求是：识别，评估和选择的客户服务测量和措施以及性能标准的建立。标识服务测量，以前的研究，客户服务管理，澳大利亚TCF制造商以及零售商的观点考虑。为了评估主要服务测量，112家零售商被要求评价鞋履制造商提供的服务项目的满意程度。进行因子分析和回归分析等统计分析。测量及相关项目，然后施加影响满意度模型评估。此外，接受采访的管理，访问辅助数据进行鞋类制造商的物流流程和目前的客户服务管理系统的深刻理解。#p#分页标题#e#

Findings – Sales & promotion, order & delivery efficiency, post-sales support, and product were identified as key measurements of customer service satisfaction. The results of regression analysis and Impact-Satisfaction model suggested that “sales & promotion “and “order & delivery efficiency” had high impact degree but less satisfaction. Improvement on them could be helpful to develop the footwear manufacturer’s competitive advantages. In addition, increasing of satisfaction on service item “response to problem” will have significantly positive effort on improvement of measurement “sales & promotion”.
调查 - 销售与推广，订单&交付效率，售后支持，产品被认定为关键的客户服务满意度的测量。回归分析的结果和影响满意度模型提出，“销售及推广”和“订单交付效率高的影响程度，但满意度较低。改进他们可以帮助开发鞋类制造商的竞争优势。此外，增加的满意服务项目“问题的反应”将有显着的积极努力改进的测量方法“的销售和推广”。

Stock and order systems, accuracy of order, completeness of order, ability of advise on product non-availability and order status tracking service were identified as the key areas to improve measurement “order & delivery efficiency”.
Discussion of Crocs current logistics processes, manufacturing flexibility, and customer service quality provides evident how logistics processes determine customer service quality delivered while expected customer service level requires related logistics processes.
Practical implications – The results can help the manufacturer under study pinpoint which service quality measurements need to be measured and in which of them its performance should be improved or maintained. It is of immediate benefit to the manufacturer for its customer service policies and its customers are being researched. Furthermore, lessons and experiences gained would http://ukthesis.org/dissertation_sample complete practical example in academic paper. Insights from such descriptive studies may suggest fruitful directions for additional, more in-depth research.

实际影响 - 结果可以帮助制造商根据研究指出哪些需要来衡量服务质量的测量，和他们改善或维持其性能应。这是其客户服务的政策和它的客户正在研究向制造商直接的好处。此外，教训和经验将完成实际的例子，在学术纸。这种描述性研究的见解，从丰硕的方向可能会建议额外的，更深入的研究。
 
INTRODUCTION
简介

Introduction to customer service management
客户服务管理介绍

Under fierce marketing competition, companies are trying to improve competitive advantages to survive and get further development. Deliver what customer exactly needs on the right time in right condition is the goal of supply chain management. Customer driven supply chain strategy is being adopted by more companies as they believe that customer satisfaction leads company profitability which is the final objective of business. The service management and the marketing literatures suggest that there is a strong theoretical foundation for an empirical exploration of the linkages among customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability (See Nelson, Rust, Zahorik, Rose, Batalden, and Siemanski 1992; Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser, and Schlesinger 1994; Storbacka, Strandvik, and Grönroos 1994). Hallowell (1996) tests the hypothesis of relationship between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and company profitability in bank industry. The results encourage the inference of relationships between customer satisfaction and customer retention, and between customer retention and profitability. Hallowell concluded from the data results that the direct satisfaction --> profitability relationship is significant. Although the test is subject to bank industry, the findings could be extended to other industries. Customer satisfaction seems a powerful weapon in intense marketing competition.#p#分页标题#e#
在激烈的市场竞争中，公司都在努力提高竞争优势，生存，并得到进一步的发展。提供客户到底需要在正确的时间正确的条件是供应链管理的目标。客户驱动的供应链战略正在越来越多的企业所采纳，因为他们认为，顾客满意公司的盈利能力，这是企业的最终目标。

Customer service is a basis for customer satisfaction. Companies deliver a level customer service to maintain the customer satisfaction. The process and performance of customer service offering determine the degree of customer satisfaction. Since it has been proven (Hallowell 1996) that customer satisfaction is related to profit, some people might concluded that companies should provide customer service to satisfy every customer to maximize profit. Hallowell (1996) disagreed with that. He mentioned that the target customer should be those who are most likely to remain with that company for long periods, which will purchase multiple products and services, who will recommend the product to their friends and relations, and who may be the source of superior returns to the companies’ shareholders. In addition to the concept of target customer segmentation, the total cost concept has gained great attention. A trade-off between customer service requirements and the costs of that service must be considered carefully before setting the level of customer service. And it must be based on accurate information on customer needs (Norman 1994). Furthermore, there is good support that there is a gap between perceived services and customer expectations (Gilmour, George, Peter, Nigel, Limbek, and Shaw 1994; Norman 1994; Parasuraman 1998; Seth, Deshmukh, and Vrat 2006). Analyzing customer expectations and finding out what level of service they want are critical before developing customer service standards and performance measurements.
客户服务是客户满意度的基础。企业级客户提供服务，保持客户满意度。客户提供服务的过程和表现，确定顾客的满意度。
分析客户的期望，并找出他们想要什么样的服务水平，是开发前的客户服务标准和性能测量的关键。

In supply chain management area, several studies suggest that efficiency of logistics process and the company’s flexibility determine service quality, then lead to particular customer satisfaction (Tracey 1998; Bolumole, Michael Knmeyer, and Lambert 2003). Identify critical customer satisfaction attributes and improve related logistics process are becoming extremely important when companies manage their customer service. Several management models like creative customer service management, segmenting customer service management, and quality service management could be found in marketing and logistics literatures (see Tuker 1994; Zinszer 1997; Seth et al. 2006). Gap analysis, customer tolerance zone, and Importance-Satisfaction model are proposed to find service attributes that need improvements (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry 1994; Yang 2003; Seth et al. 2006). An effective customer service management strategy then can be established based on accurate understanding of customer expectation.#p#分页标题#e#
一个有效的客户服务管理策略，那么可以建立在准确理解客户期望基础上。