With the progress of science and technology, the continuous development of economy and China's entry into WTO, China enterprises are facing enormous competitive pressure. As the main component of enterprise customer service, logistics service has become the key to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. This paper first introduces the concept and characteristics of logistics service, and points out the importance of logistics service to enterprises. On this basis, by analyzing the problems existing in enterprise logistics service, this paper puts forward the ways to improve the level of logistics service and the steps to realize rationalization.
Logistics service, customer service, enterprise competitiveness
order
Since 1990s, with the progress of science and technology and the continuous development of economy, consumption has shown the characteristics of individualization and diversification. Enterprises are facing the pressure of shortening delivery time, improving product quality and reducing costs. After the commodity enters the mature stage, the customer's comparison of the commodity is not only the quality, but also the service that comes with the purchase of the commodity, and the service has occupied an important position in the customer's decision-making. In the face of fierce market competition, more and more enterprises begin to attach importance to customer service, approach customers actively, focus on customers' needs and interests, and meet customers' needs to the maximum extent. Customer service has become an important performance of enterprise competitiveness. As the main component of customer service, logistics service has become the key to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. Especially with the development of network technology, the competition between enterprises has broken through the geographical restrictions, and the center of competition has gradually shifted to the competition of logistics services. At present, many large manufacturing and retail multinational companies regard logistics service as their competitive advantage in order to compete for the global market. At the same time, they also get huge profits from efficient and high-quality customer service. In the increasingly fierce market competition environment, how to improve and determine the logistics service level of enterprises and ensure their long-term competitive advantage has become a major issue that enterprises need to pay attention to.
First, the connotation of logistics services
Logistics service is the result of a series of logistics activities carried out by enterprises to meet the logistics needs of customers (including internal and external customers). The essence of logistics is service, and service itself does not create the physical utility of goods, but produces spatial utility and time utility. Standing on different business entities, logistics services have different contents and requirements.
1. Logistics service is a part of customer service.
From the management point of view of industrial and commercial enterprises, logistics service is the output of enterprise logistics system and the process of ensuring customers to obtain goods. Enterprise logistics service belongs to the category of customer service and is the main component of customer service. Here, logistics services mainly include the following three elements:
(1) Goods expected by customers (inventory guarantee)
(2) Delivery within the time expected by customers (delivery guarantee)
(3) Meet the customer's expected quality (quality assurance)
Professor A Baorong, a Japanese logistics scholar, believes that the "distance theory" used to explain the concept of logistics emphasizes the role of logistics in overcoming spatial distance, which is difficult to reflect the real purpose of logistics. The "theory of arrival" should be used instead of the "theory of distance". "Arrival theory" emphasizes that the essence of logistics service is to deliver goods to users, so that they can obtain the "utilization possibility" of goods. The utilization rate is equal to the product of inventory service rate and distribution service rate. If the inventory can meet the order demand at any time, the inventory service rate is100%; If the ordered goods are delivered to users accurately within the specified time, the delivery service rate is 100%. If the two service rates are 100%, the user's commodity utilization possibility will reach 100%. This view actually embodies the connotation of logistics system. The service requirements of modern logistics can be expressed by 5R (five "fits"), that is, delivering the right products to the right place at the right time, with the right quantity and price.
2. Logistics services are products of logistics enterprises.
From the perspective of logistics enterprises that provide logistics services, logistics services are products of enterprises, and the content of their products is the content of logistics services. The service of logistics enterprises should meet the needs of shippers to provide logistics services to their customers, and the goal should be the satisfaction of shippers, whether it is service ability or service quality. The ability to meet the needs of shippers is mainly manifested in moderation, multi-batch, universality (scattered places) and so on; To meet the quality requirements of shippers, mainly in terms of safety, accuracy, speed and economy. The service market of logistics enterprises comes from the logistics demand of industrial and commercial enterprises. Therefore, in order to improve the competitiveness and open up the market, logistics enterprises must first grasp the content and characteristics of the logistics needs of industrial and commercial enterprises, integrate logistics services into the logistics system of industrial and commercial enterprises, and establish a service concept centered on shippers.
Second, logistics services and the competitiveness of industrial and commercial enterprises
As a part of enterprise customer service, logistics service is ultimately reflected by customer satisfaction. Customer's evaluation of enterprise logistics service is mainly reflected in the inventory retention rate, order cycle and distribution level of goods.
Not long ago, Japan's Nikkei BP published a long serial titled "Beating Made in China-Five Aces for Japanese Enterprises". This paper puts forward that Japanese manufacturing enterprises can make a comeback in the confrontation with China manufacturing, and can enhance their potential in advanced production methods, timely response to customers, patented technology, quality brand, product design and development, etc. Retailer Ito Yokado believes that Japanese buyers should not only focus on foreign markets, but ignore the advantages of Japanese manufacturing. Although the clothing made in Japan is much more expensive than that made in China, the supply cycle of clothing products from China to shelves is as long as three weeks, while Japanese products only need one week, which is very attractive to Japanese Yanghuatang (China Business News, June 30, 2003).
The above examples show that in the environment of rapidly changing market, shortened product life cycle and increasingly obvious personalized demand, the length of supplier's supply cycle is directly related to the operating efficiency of downstream enterprise retailers. Retailers expect manufacturers to respond to orders quickly, so as to provide the required goods when the final consumers need them most, thus seizing every business opportunity. Shortening the supply cycle also helps the demand side to reduce inventory and save money. Similarly, for the final consumers, they hope to buy all-round goods from retailers and enjoy good delivery services. Supply cycle, distribution service and inventory retention rate are the main contents of enterprise logistics service. Logistics service is an important factor to enhance the difference of goods and improve the competitive advantage of goods. It directly affects the overall operation level of enterprises and becomes an important means for enterprises to improve their market competitiveness.
The level of enterprise logistics service depends on enterprise logistics system, and the work of logistics system involves many aspects such as sales forecast, node network design, raw material procurement and supply, inventory management, transportation and distribution. The quality of each job will be regarded as the output of the system, which will affect the level of logistics service. Therefore, to improve the level of logistics services, we must first improve the quality of every job in the logistics system.
Modern enterprise logistics system is not only the integration result of "logistics functions" such as transportation, warehousing and distribution, but also a logistics system based on the integration of procurement, production, sales and logistics (PD), or a commodity supply system. This system is equivalent to the enterprise's rear support system, and the front is the market. In addition to providing qualified, acceptable and functional tangible goods to the market, enterprises mainly provide logistics services. Tangible products are produced by the production system, while logistics services are produced by the logistics system. Therefore, the work involved in modern enterprise logistics system is far from being covered by transportation and warehousing activities. In a sense, transportation and storage are only means and tools to realize the output of logistics system.
Third, the determination of logistics service level.
For an enterprise, it is very important to ensure the superior logistics service level and provide the best logistics service at an appropriate logistics cost, so as to maximize the interests of the enterprise. The level of logistics service is not static, and it should be adjusted accordingly with the change of market and enterprise operation. Therefore, the determination of reasonable logistics service level is a dynamic process, which mainly includes the following steps:
1. Investigate customer service. Collect logistics service information through questionnaires, interviews and discussions. Understand whether the service elements proposed by customers are important, whether they are satisfied, and whether they have advantages compared with competitors.
2. Customer service level setting. According to the results of customer service survey, the grades of all aspects of customer service are clearly defined, and the grade standards are initially established.
3. Benchmark cost induction experiment. The sensitivity of benchmark cost refers to the degree of cost change when the customer level changes.
4. Implement logistics services according to customer service level.
5. The establishment of feedback system. Customer evaluation is the basic measure of logistics service quality, and customers are generally reluctant to provide their own evaluation of service quality. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a service quality feedback system to know customers' responses to logistics services in time, which is helpful to improve the quality of logistics services.
6. Performance evaluation. After a probation period, the relevant departments of the enterprise should evaluate the implementation effect and check whether there are claims, delays, accidents and damages. Understand whether the service level is up to standard through customer opinions; To what extent the cost is rationalized, whether the profit of the enterprise increases, whether the market expands, and so on.
7. Check the benchmarks and plans regularly. Logistics service level is not a static standard, but a dynamic process, that is to say, once the initial customer logistics service level is determined, it is not static, but should be checked and changed regularly to ensure the efficiency of logistics service.
8. Revised standard. Through the analysis of the implementation and effect of logistics service standards, if there are problems, the standards need to be revised appropriately.