Reverse Service Quality Gap of 3PL (Third Party Logistics) Market in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Third Party Logistics (3PL) plays a vital role in supply chain management. In supply chain each and every party is important and there should be an effective collaboration with each other to become successful. According to the famous SERVQUAL model, five service quality gaps have been identified but all are forward gaps. Therefore, in this research it is argued that not only forward gap but also reverse gaps are important for successful supply chain and the study was conducted using 3PL companies and their respective customers in Sri Lanka. Data collected using qualitative method and data analyzed using thematic approach. It is revealed that there are many reasons for forward quality gaps in 3PL market in Sri Lanka, as well as reverse quality gaps also plays a major role in effective operation of 3PL companies. Key Words: 3PL, Supply Chain, SERVQUAL Model, Quality Gap