Evaluation of quality of services provided by transport & logistics operator from pharmaceutical industry for improvement purposes

The article presents the results related to the evaluation of the quality of services provided by a transport & logistics operator from the pharmaceutical industry for the purposes of improvement. The quality of services was assessed with the SERVQUAL method and its tool – a survey conducted among 30 companies from the pharmaceutical industry, customers of the researched operator. A statistical evaluation of results was performed as a part of subsequent statements in the expectations and perception section along with their comparative analysis intended to determine the size of gaps. The results have been generalized for five dimensions of service quality. Unweighted and weighted SERVQUAL results were calculated. Expectations regarding the quality of services provided by the researched operator were higher than the actually obtained quality level – this concerned all aspects and dimensions of service quality under evaluation. The obtained results were the basis to determine the order which some improvement actions were undertaken in. When it comes to the examined operator, their service quality dimensions which must be improved first of all, is reliability, then tangible, assurance, responsiveness, while empathy gained the best scoring from the "worst" dimensions. It was suggested to take measures intended to improve the quality of services provided by the researched operator in relation to the verified five dimensions of quality. Application of the SERVQUAL method to assess the quality of services provided allows to identify any weak quality features and dimensions and provides a basis to set a direction for the improvement activities.