Service quality in pharmaceutical supply chain - A study with reference to three major cities of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the critical factors affecting service quality at the retailer-customer and retailer-distributor interface in the pharmaceutical supply chain and to study the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction. A sample of 350 druggists and 300 customers from three major cities of Andhra Pradesh, India were purposively selected. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression tests were conducted using SPSS. This research provides a baseline for pharmacists and distributors for assessing quality of service provided to customers and it serves as a framework for improving the performance of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Service quality has impact not only on suppliers/distributors, employees and customers, but also it affects the overall business and growth of the organisation.