Isuzu ranked highest in customer satisfaction with authorised dealer after-sales service in Thailand, according to the JD Power Asia Pacific’s 2005 Customer Satisfaction Index.
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Of the 12 makes covered in the study, two were newcomers: Thairung and Kia.
Isuzu earned an overall satisfaction index score of 823 — up 14 points from 2004 — and led on three of the seven CSI factors: problems experienced, user-friendly service and service advisor. Isuzu and six other makes performed at or above the industry average. Mazda ranked second with a score of 819.
Luxury brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz showed great improvement over their 2004 rankings. While both brands ranked below the industry average in 2004, each posted above-average scores in 2005, ranking third and fifth, respectively. BMW outperformed all other makes on service quality while Mercedes-Benz received the highest ratings in service initiation.
The study also found that Thai customers are defecting to aftermarket service facilities in increasing numbers. While just 20% of owners had their vehicle serviced at an aftermarket facility in the inaugural 2000 Thailand CSI study, 38% did so in 2005. Dissatisfaction with the authorised dealer’s performance was evident among this group as defectors recorded CSI scores nine points below non-defectors (801 vs. 810, respectively).
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By GlobalData“The greatest difference seen in average scores between defectors and non-defectors is in the factors dealing with problems experienced and service delivery,” said a JD Power spokesman. “Although lower performance in service delivery tends to result in service defection, the main reasons to defect to the aftermarket centre around speed and price.”
The 2005 Thailand CSI also monitored the service standard implementation rate, a measure of dealer service consistency. Among the 24 service standards measured in the study, BMW recorded the highest average number of standards provided (18.7).
“Customers expect certain things to be done when they take their vehicles in for service, such as the work being done correctly the first time,” said the spokesman. “When this doesn’t happen, there can be a huge negative impact on satisfaction. Other services are less common and thus help improve customer satisfaction when they are received.”
As a measure of overall satisfaction, CSI scores showed a relationship to customer loyalty and advocacy intentions.
Seventy-two percent of customers with the highest levels of satisfaction (above 877) said they definitely would revisit the service dealer for post-warranty service, compared to only 31% of relatively dissatisfied customers (with CSI scores below 749).
The 2005 study was based on evaluations from more than 2,900 vehicle owners at 12 to 18 months of ownership and included those who purchased their vehicles between August 2003 and April 2004.
