Abstract:

Customer service is currently one of the tools for competing companies providing logistics services. The saturation of the market with logistics companies means that the determinant of competition is not so much the availability of services, but the provision of them at the highest possible level. The quality of the services offered and the care for the needs and preferences of the client determine the competitive position of modern enterprises. The role of the final recipient and the importance of customer service are becoming increasingly important in business practice. Companies are trying to outdo each other in providing services at the highest level, at the best possible adjustment of the offer to the growing expectations of buyers.

The article is devoted to the logistic assessment of customer service provided by companies providing logistic services. The first part of the article focuses on the theoretical aspects in which the authors synthetically (based on a systematic review of the literature) explain the essence and elements of logistic customer service. The second part is devoted to the empirical analysis of the 3 surveyed companies providing logistic services. The article aims to present and evaluate the elements of logistic customer service according to division into pre-trade, transactional and post-trade elements in selected companies providing logistic services. The following companies were selected for the analysis: DHL, UPS, DB Schenker. The choice of these companies was dictated not only by the need to compare individual elements of customer service. It was also checked whether the methods of accepting orders / orders from recipients differ in the surveyed companies, as well as the methods and forms of measuring customer service and communication channels (information flow) between the company and the customer in the analyzed cases. The following research questions were asked to achieve this research objective:

• Are there indicated departments / units dealing with customer service in selected companies?
• How is customer opinion research carried out in the surveyed companies?
• What other solutions in customer service should the company introduce?