Logistics customer service and customer satisfaction: Importance‐based segments for motor carriers

The current research presents a middle‐range theorization of logistics customer service attributes predicting overall customer satisfaction for motor carriers. Latent class regression (LCR) analysis was employed to identify importance‐based segments by examining the relationships between logistics customer service attributes and overall satisfaction as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. LCR analysis identified three importance‐based segments, including a segment focused on basic logistics services, a segment focused on sustainability, and a segment focused on security. Correlated components regression analysis was employed to refine the models of each segment to better understand what logistic customer service attributes were most important to each segment. Following an abductive reasoning process, these research results are compared with the theory of strategic purity.