Maruti Suzuki Ranks Highest in Automotive Customer Satisfaction in India for an Eighth Consecutive Year

Maruti Suzuki Ranks Highest in Automotive Customer Satisfaction in India for an Eighth Consecutive Year

Customers Particularly Delighted by Doorstep Vehicle Pickup and Delivery

J D Power Asia Pacific 2007 India CSI Study

For an eighth consecutive year, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in customer satisfaction with authorised dealership service, according to the J D Power Asia Pacific 2007 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study^SM released on November 14, 2007 at Singapore.

The study, now in its 11th year, measures the overall satisfaction of vehicle owners who visited their authorized dealer/service centre for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 18 months of ownership. Overall satisfaction is determined by utilising seven measures. They are (in order of importance): problems experienced; service quality; user-friendly service; service advisor; service initiation; service delivery; and in-service experience.

Recording only a single-point increase since 2006, overall satisfaction in the industry remains stable. Maruti Suzuki leads the industry in customer satisfaction with a CSI score of 838 points on a 1,000-point scale and continues to set the industry benchmark in all measures of the CSI. While ranking below the industry average, the remaining eight nameplates included in the study have improved since 2006. Honda, Skoda and Hyundai, respectively, demonstrate the greatest improvement.

"The steady improvement in industry-wide CSI performance during the previous three years reflects the success that many manufacturers have had in enhancing the customer experience at their dealerships," said Mohit Arora, senior director at J D Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. "The improvement in performance is especially encouraging, given the sharp increase in the service volumes for most dealer networks."

The study finds that vehicle pickup and delivery before and after service has a strong impact on customer satisfaction. In particular, customers who say that their vehicle was picked up from their doorstep before service and delivered to the same point after service are notably more delighted with their after-sales service experience, compared with customers who do not receive this service. Although this value-added service is utilised more frequently over the past two years, fewer than one of 10 customers report receiving it.

"Picking up and delivering vehicles provides greater convenience to customers, who travel an average of nine kilometres each way to reach their authorised service centre," said Arora. "With increasing traffic congestion in cities and consumer preference of delivering their vehicle for service during peak morning hours, it is not unexpected that customers are delighted with this gesture from their dealerships."

The study also finds that customers who service their vehicles only at authorised service centres report higher overall service satisfaction, compared with those who have also used non-authorised service centres in the past. In 2007, just 13 per cent of customers report visiting a non-authorised service centre, a figure that has steadily declined in the past two years.

"Most customers who use a non-authorised service centre do so for routine maintenance or repairs - both of which are revenue generating opportunities for dealerships," said Arora. "Customers use the services of a non-authorised service facility mostly due to its convenient location or speedy service. Automakers can benefit by optimising their network reach and providing quicker service to maximize revenues for their aftersales network."

The study also examines the cost of operating new vehicles, both in terms of actual costs and owner satisfaction with those costs. The overall cost of operation is an aggregation of three components: fuel; repair and maintenance; and tyre expenses. With lower fuel prices in 2007, the cost of new-vehicle operation has decreased since the 2006 study - down 7 per cent for petrol vehicles and 2 per cent for diesel vehicles. This year, diesel models such as the Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Indica and Tata Indigo/Marina post strong performances in the diesel segment in terms of cost of operation. Maruti models continue to lead the petrol segment, both in terms of actual costs and overall satisfaction with the cost of operation.

The 2007 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) study is based on responses from more than 5,300 owners of nearly 40 different vehicle models. The study was fielded from May to August 2007 and includes customers who serviced their vehicles at authorised service facilities between November 2006 to August 2007.