Just so that we're all on the same page, J.D Power examines five factors that contribute to overall satisfaction of vehicle owners who visit an authorized service enter for maintenance or repair during the first 12 to 14 months of ownership. Listed in order of importance, they are service quality, vehicle pick-up, service initiation, service advisor, and service facility.
Scale Factor
As the study discovered, the service center's ability to provide accurate cost estimates and consistently meeting these estimates is one key factor in maintaining a high customer satisfaction level. Also, customers these days value efforts made by service advisors to conduct a physical inspection of their vehicle, both before and after service. And lastly, the study found out that 89% of customers who gave a perfect score to their dealer service have made at least one positive recommendation about their service dealer. Conversely, only 28% of disappointed customers have made at least one negative recommendation.
2012 numbers clearly show that overall satisfaction with authorized dealer customer service increased by 25 points in the Philippines. And of the 11 brands ranked, eight improved compared to 2011 scores. Biggest improvements for this year are Mitsubishi (+40), Hyundai (+37), and Honda (+35), who are now above the Industry Average of 821 points. On the other hand, last year's second and third placers, Suzuki and Ford, have fallen below the Industry Average.
“Service customers are particularly sensitive about the transparency of the service, notably through receiving accurate cost estimates and how well dealerships are meeting their initial commitments before service begins,” said Mohit Arora, Executive Director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “In 2012, 82 percent of customers received cost estimates, which is the lowest rate in the past five years, making this a critical-to-satisfaction area in which dealers may need to pay greater attention going forward.”
J.D. Power's 2012 Philippines Customer Service Index (CSI) Study is based on responses from 1,822 vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between February 2010 and May 2011 and took their vehicle for service to an authorized dealer or service center between August 2011 and May 2012. The study was fielded between February 2012 and May 2012, and comprised evaluations with 70 models.
