Is a Global Customer Service Policy Desirable?

Customer service has long been recognised as the output of an organisation′s logistics effort. There is some evidence that suggests that the types and levels of customer service desired are contingent on a particular industry or position within the marketing channel. Most of these investigations, however, have emphasised only regional or national relationships. Logistics by its very nature has a significant international orientation and therefore it is necessary to understand the role of customer service from an international perspective. However, it is not clear whether an international customer service policy is feasible or for that matter even desirable. This article develops a framework for studying customer service across national boundaries. While it may be desirable to print warranties in local languages, measurable factors such as average delivery time and product tracing retain their traditional importance.