Is car ownership a smooth ride?

As a car purchaser there is a certain sense of pride in owning your vehicle. But is that enough or are you left wanting something more? There are several aspects involved, which define the concept of customer satisfaction.  Lets see how two separate researchers evaluated them.

RedQuanta recently generated an automobile industry report across the top 13 automobile brands in India. 500 mystery shoppers in the age group of 28-40, 60% male and 40% female in the income range of 10 lakh and above were engaged.

Key findings
Considering that automobile consumption in India is still considered a big investment, and a huge variety of choices at hand for every price segment it was surprising that the industry on an overall scale did not reflect excellence in dealer customer interface operations with a low score of 63 (out of a possible maximum score of 100) and there was a mere 9 point difference between the best and worst rated brands indicating opportunity for industry level improvement.

Metros had a much higher rating as far as ‘pre-visits and enquiry’ were concerned. This parameter along with closing and follow ups was given the lowest scores irrespective of the top or bottom ranked players, implying low attention being given to these areas.

Overall industry score was 79 indicating that outlet ambience has become a basic hygiene factor across industry. 

Test drive
The highest degree of performance variability across brands was observed in this parameter.
Brands that judiciously followed detailed processes and steps such as allotting sufficient time for a test drive; highlighting features of the car before and during the test drive; giving details about car features and controls, were rated far higher than those who didn’t.

Deal closure
While most dealers did well on asking potential customers when they would revert with their buying decision, they failed collectively as far as the follow-up call was concerned, as it was made only in 30% cases.

After sales
J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2013 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study findings showed  that proximity of automotive service workshops in India remains an issue for vehicle owners.
Establishment of workshops in key locations where vehicle owners often live or work is not aligned to customer needs, which means it still takes vehicle owners the same amount of time to reach a service workshop as it did in 2009. The study measured satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit an authorised dealership service centre for maintenance or repair work between the first 12 to 24 months of vehicle ownership. It measured overall satisfaction in five factors in order of importance: service quality; vehicle pick-up; service advisor; service facility; and service initiation. Overall customer satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction (see graph on left).

Major issue
New-vehicle sales have increased in areas that have fewer, or are farther away from, workshops.  As a result, the study finds that the time it takes vehicle owners to reach a workshop—25 to 30 minutes, on average—has remained largely unchanged during the past five years.

Scheduling maintenance
Auto makers and dealerships are attempting to manage their per day intake of service vehicles by encouraging customers to schedule an appointment. 70% of customers made an appointment for service in 2013, compared with 65% in 2012. However, these service volumes have not been sufficiently aligned to manpower and infrastructure planning. While 82% of customers are attended to immediately when they arrive, 18% still have to wait to get their vehicle in for service, an increase from 16% in 2012. Among customers who have to wait to get their vehicle in for service when they arrive at the workshop, 62% made an appointment for their service.

Bottom line
Overall customer satisfaction with the dealership service experience remains unchanged in 2013 from 2012 at 834 index points. While satisfaction with the service facility increases four points in 2013, the gain is offset by a four-point drop in the service initiation factor; all other factors remain unchanged from 2012. Given the mass market average of 834, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service for a 14th consecutive year, with a score of 876. Hyundai (833) and Honda (825) follow in the rankings. Hyundai is also the most improved brand in the study.

Customer feedback
The overall quality of service completed continues to show consistently strong performance across the industry year over year. While 93% of owners indicate that the work was done correctly the first time, which is consistent with 2012 results, 71% of owners indicate that their vehicles were returned cleaner after the service; a 7% increase from 2012. 88% of highly satisfied owners indicate they ‘definitely would’ purchase their next vehicle from the service dealer, compared with just 30% of those who are less satisfied.