The perceived impact of successful outsourcing on customer service management

KokWei Khong1
1Monash University Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tóm tắt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the perceived impact of outsourcing on customer service management.Design/methodology/approachThe examination was conducted via a survey on 124 companies in Malaysia. Using the framework from Elmuti, factors manifesting customer service management were regressed on the key factors manifesting successful outsourcing. Hence a model was contrived. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to estimate the model.FindingsThe model was able to provide predictive implications on customer service management, given the activities of key factors manifesting successful outsourcing. In other words to improve customer service management, companies could control their outsourcing activities.Originality/valueThis paper offers an approach to measure the effects of multiple independent variables on multiple dependent variables. Using SEM, multivariate analyses were mathematically represented in a single equation. In this equation, companies could holistically compose strategies to optimise their management in customer service.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Aaker, D.A. and Day, G.S. (1986), Marketing Research, 3rd ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, pp. 443‐53.

Anderson, E.W. and Fornell, C. (2000), “Foundations of the American customer satisfaction index”, Total Quality Management, Vol. 11 No. 7, pp. 869‐82.

Arbuckle, J.L. and Wothke, W. (1999), AMOS 4.0 User's Guide, SmallWaters Corporation, Chicago, IL.

Barthelemy, J. (2003), “The seven deadly sins of outsourcing”, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 87‐99.

Bontis, N. (1998), “Intellectual capital: an exploratory study that develops measures and models”, Management Decision, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 63‐7.

Carmines, E.G. and Zeller, R.A. (1979), Reliability and Validity Assessment, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 59‐70.

Churchill, G.A. (1995), Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, 6th ed., The Dryden Press, London, pp. 661‐85.

Corbett, M.F. (1999), “Multiple factors spur outsourcing growth”, available at: www.outsourcing‐journal.com/jan1999‐analysta.html.

Ding, L., Velicer, W.F. and Harlow, L.L. (1995), “Effects of estimation methods, number of indicators per factor and improper solutions on structural equation modelling fit indices”, Structural Equation Modelling, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 119‐43.

Elmuti, D. (2003), “The perceived impact of outsourcing on organisational performance”, Mid‐American Journal of Business, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 33‐7.

Foster, T.A. (1999), “Lessons learned”, Logistics Management and Distribution Journal, Vol. 38 No. 4, pp. 67‐9.

Hague, P. and Jackson, P. (1999), Market Research: A Guide to Planning, Methodology and Evaluation, 2nd ed., Kogan Page, London, pp. 155‐7.

Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. and Black, W.C. (1998), Multivariate Analysis, 5th ed., Prentice‐Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Jones, W. (1997), “Outsourcing basics”, Information Systems Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 66‐9.

Khong, K.W. and Nair, M. (2004), “The effects of customer service management on business performance in Malaysian banking industry: an empirical analysis”, International Journal of Bank Marketing.

Khong, K.W. and Richardson, S. (2003), “Business process re‐engineering (BPR) in Malaysian banks and finance companies”, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 54‐71.

Kolawa, A. (2004), “Outsourcing is not the enemy”, Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), February 24, p. 2.

Kotler, P. (2000), Marketing Management, 10th ed., Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Brown, L. and Adam, S. (2001), Marketing, 5th ed., Prentice‐Hall, Sydney.

Lambert, D.M., Stock, J.R. and Ellram, L.M. (1998), Fundamentals of Logistics Management, McGraw‐Hill, New York, NY.

Lewis, S. (2000), “Customer‐centred business key to survival”, Asian Business, Vol. 36 No. 10, p. 63.

Quinn, B.J. (2000), “Outsourcing innovation: the new engine of growth”, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 41 No. 14, pp. 13‐23.

Ramarapu, N., Parzinger, M.J. and Lado, A.A. (1997), “Issues in foreign outsourcing: focus on applications development and support”, Information Systems Management, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 27‐31.

Sinderman, M. (1995), “Outsourcing gains speed in corporate world”, National Real Estate Investor, Vol. 37, pp. 42‐50.

Thomas, P. (2004), “Small business – case study: the time to diversify is before it's too late”, Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), March 2, p. B4.

Wright, R.E. (2000), “Survival analysis”, in Grimm, L.G. and Yarnold, P.R. (Eds), Reading and Understanding More Multivariate Statistics, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, pp. 363‐407.

Bank Negara Malaysia (2002), “BNM: about the bank”, available at: www.bnm.gov.my/en/About/index.asp (accessed 13 March 2002).

Guterl, F. (1996), “How to manage your outsourcer”, Datamation, Vol. 42, pp. 79‐83.