A customer’s experience with service quality affects whether that person will recommend using a dealer for service or sales, as well as their loyalty intentions toward a particular brand or model. That’s the conclusion of the 2018 J.D. Power customer service satisfaction study. The good news: Overall satisfaction with service in 2018 improved 12 index points from 2017.
The study measures customer satisfaction with service at franchised dealers and independent service facilities for maintenance or repair work among owners and lessees of 1- to 3-year-old vehicles.
The study also found:
- Customers prefer online service scheduling capability. Nor surprisingly, Generation Y customers (those born from 1977 to 1994) have adopted internet scheduling at a much faster rate than older customers.
- White glove valet service improves loyalty among premium brand customers. Catering to luxury customers with home or office vehicle pickup and delivery services substantially increases intended loyalty to return for future services, with 68 percent of these customers saying they “definitely will” return to their dealership.
- Promotions, coupons and word of mouth attract young customers. The most common reasons customers choose their dealer for service are previous experience and convenient location, but younger customers are more likely to rely on recommendations from friends or relatives.