Toyota regains no-1 spot in satisfaction

Toyota regains no-1 spot in satisfaction By the nation

Published on July 7, 2008







Carmaker ranks highest in Thailand says JD Power Asia Pacific 2008 report

Toyota ranks highest in customer satisfaction with authorised dealer after-sales service in Thailand for the first time since 2003, the JD Power Asia Pacific 2008 Thailand Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study said.

Now in its ninth year, the study measures customer satisfaction with maintenance and repair service at authorised dealer service centres. Seven factors are examined to determine overall satisfaction.

In order of importance, they are: service quality; problems experienced; service delivery; user-friendly service; service adviser; service initiation; and in-service experience. CSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale.

The report said that among the eight brands examined in this year's study, Toyota ranks highest with an overall CSI score of 853, performing particularly well in the in-service experience and user-friendly service factors. While ranking below the industry average, Isuzu follows Toyota in the rankings with a score of 846, performing particularly well in the service-quality factor. Honda improves considerably since last year's study and follows Isuzu in the rankings with a score of 844, performing particularly well in the service initiation, in-service experience and service delivery factors.

Overall satisfaction this year averages 847 - up four points from last year's study. The industry also improves slightly in all factors. This year, 94 per cent of customers, regardless of their service requirements, said service was completed the same day they brought their vehicle to the dealer - an increase from 92 per cent last year.

Among these customers, the time needed to service the vehicle averaged two hours and 20 minutes.

"Interestingly, a growing proportion of customers report waiting at the service centre while their vehicle is being serviced - an average of 72 per cent in 2008, compared with 69 per cent in 2007," JD Power and Associates, Singapore country manager Lo?c Pean said. "As a result, customers are becoming more demanding regarding service-centre amenities, particularly in the waiting area. Manufacturers and dealers may need to quickly adopt new strategies to match these rising customer expectations."

The study finds that the proportion of customers who say they schedule an appointment for service rather than simply dropping in at the dealership is quickly increasing. This year, 29 per cent customers have reported making an appointment, as against 22 per cent last year and 20 per cent in 2006.

"The increase in the number of customers scheduling their visit is probably the result of manufacturer efforts to gain better control of the service process, which can improve management efficiency and operational costs, as well as potentially reducing servicing and waiting time for their customers," Pean said. "In past years, customers with service appointments had lower overall-satisfaction levels than did drop-in customers.

"However, in 2008, overall satisfaction is nearly equal for these two groups, demonstrating that dealers are making strides in improving customer satisfaction among customers with appointments.

The future challenge for manufacturers and dealers will be to maintain or improve that level of satisfaction and proactively manage growing numbers of scheduled service visits."

The study also finds that vehicle owners report spending more money on fuel - an average of Bt5,000 per month this year, from Bt4,500 per month last year.

"As rising fuel costs are whittling away household budgets, existing or prospective car owners may become more sensitive to maintenance and service costs in the near future," Pean said.

The 2008 Thailand CSI Study is based on evaluations from 3,316 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between July 2006 and April 2007. The study was fielded between January 2008 and April 2008.

      At a glance

n Toyota is No 1 among eight brands with an overall CSI score of 853, performing well in the in-service experience and user-friendly service factors.

n Isuzu follows Toyota in the rankings with a score of 846, performing well in the service-quality factor, followed by Honda with a score of 844.