Study Says Most Loyal Customers are Those Who Have Complaints Resolved

Study Says Most Loyal Customers are Those Who Have Complaints Resolved

–Auto buyers who complain about their vehicle quality or dealership experience and are happy with the way the dealership handles their complaints are more than 1.5 times as likely to be loyal to the dealership than non-complainers when purchasing their next vehicle,” according to a new study by Maritz Automotive Research Group.

The Maritz study found that the majority of people who complained to their dealership about their vehicle or dealership experience were not satisfied with the way their complaint was resolved. However, when customersê complaints were resolved well, 60 percent returned to the dealership when replacing their vehicle. This compares to approximately 38 percent of non-complainers and only 30 percent of people who complained and were unsatisfied with the complaint resolution, returning to the dealership to purchase or lease a replacement vehicle. When looking at repurchasing or leasing the same make/brand of vehicle (regardless of the dealership), a similar relationship between complaint resolution and loyalty was found.

Said Maritzês David Ensing: –The ability of the dealership to satisfactorily resolve customersê complaints represents a key moment of truth for the consumer and a large opportunity for dealers. Dealerships are the face of the auto manufacturer. Dealerships and vehicle manufacturers need to work together to quickly and painlessly handle legitimate customer complaints. It turns out that, if handled well, complainers can be the most loyal customers.”

The five-year tracking study, –Customer Complaints: An Opportunity to Increase or Decrease Customer Loyalty” is an analysis of 3,104 new vehicle buyers and lessees who responded to Maritzê 1998 New Vehicle Customer Survey and who were again surveyed in 2003. A summary of the findings is available online at http://research.report.jul04.mr-2.us/feature2.phtml.