Outbound Service Quality at Wan Hai Lines

After a long period of constant growth rate of 8-9% per year, world transportation demand decreased by 3% in 2009 and it is estimated increase at an average annual rate of 6-7% in 2010s. WHL was founded in 1965 and established an agent in Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) Vietnam in 1993. This research is conducted to help WHL to improve service quality of outbound service. Service quality is still a new concept to those who works in shipping lines services since it has not been identified as a mandatory factor to increase competitiveness. Most carriers are currently offering services at the same level of price, transit time, equipment, etc. Thus offering a high quality service is the best way for a carrier to differentiate itself from its competitors in the market. The research aims to conduct an assessment on service quality at Wan Hai Lines (WHL) outbound services based on the SERVQUAL model, form of dimension-bydimension analysis. The outcome is the service quality of WHL outbound services can be identified by three dimension(s): Empathy and Responsiveness, Assurance, and Reliability. It would help management to have an overall picture about the current service quality, and to find solutions to improve service quality following the recommendations.