Australian car servicing continues to improve, says J.D. Power
According to the J.D. Power 2017 Australia Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia topped the chart when it came to customer servicing satisfaction.
SERVICE QUALITY IN AUSTRALIA is improving, according to J.D. Power which released its 2017 Australia Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study this week. According to the study, there was an increase of 48 points on the 1000-point scale based on results last year which continues the trend of improvement in local dealer-based servicing experience since 2013.
In its statement announcing the results, J.D. Power said: “The quality of maintenance or repair work is a vital aspect of the overall customer experience. Fixing the vehicle in the first service visit is now a basic expectation, in addition to receiving communication from the dealership post-service. Although more than 9 in 10 customers have their vehicle returned fixed right the first time, only 48% of these customers were contacted after their service. In contrast, 73% of customers whose vehicle was not fixed right the first time indicate that they were not contacted post-service”.
“With more than 50 automotive brands to choose from, customer loyalty has become even more crucial in this increasingly competitive industry,” said Loi Truong, Senior Country Manager at J.D. Power. “It is vital to contact every customer after their visit to the service centre, regardless of the nature of their visit, and let them know that their feedback is valued. With most brands offering consistent and high levels of service quality, building on the relationship with each customer is becoming an even more crucial component of the vehicle ownership journey.”
The 2017 Australia Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study is based on responses from 4,646 owners who purchased their new vehicle between August 2012 and September 2017 and took their vehicle for service to an authorised dealership service centre between August 2016 and September 2017. The study was fielded from August through September 2017.
Interesting. The points spread is not great from lowest to highest. The staff at the local VW dealer fall over themselves to get me back. It would be interesting to know what areas were marked down for the below average performers. That would be more helpful than an overall score.
I can’t understand why my car – in Australia “needs” 6 month and 10,000km services. But the exact same TOYOTA in USA or Canada is 12 months or 16,000 kms. Every 6 months is just a pain.
I didn’t realise this when I bought my car last year – I assumed all brands were all every 12 months like my last 4 or 5 cars – I’ll certainly check next year when I replace it.