As proof that it wasn’t a fluke, Mitsubishi did it again by coming in first in JD Power’s Malaysia Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study for the second year running, followed by Toyota and Mazda.
Average score has also increased by seven points from 754 to 761, with dealers putting in more effort to enhance customer service experience as new car sales flattens. The study also found that customers are much happier if they are notified when service is required, and also to be kept informed of the vehicle status during the service process.
Among the areas to be addressed include managing service turnaround time; satisfaction among customers who had their cars turned around in a shorter time span is higher (776 points) than those whose service took longer (748 points), however the proportion of customers who are not told when their vehicle would be ready has also increased (12% vs. 6% in 2018).
Other key findings include facilities that are improving with better amenities and complimentary services even if fewer customers elect to wait at the dealership, with those who choose to wait are more satisfied than those who returned later. Additionally, the use of digital channels to schedule appointments are also on the rise.
Note: The J.D. Power 2019 Malaysia Customer Service Index (Mass Market) StudySM is based on responses from 2,644 vehicle owners, who received delivery of their new vehicle between February 2016 and June 2018 and took their vehicle for service to an authorized dealer or service centre between February 2018 and June 2019.
The study was fielded from February through June 2019.Now in its 17th year, the study covers owners who bought their vehicle in the past 12-36 months and serviced it at least once in the past 12 months at an authorised service centre. The study measures overall service satisfaction among owners who took their vehicle to an authorised service centre by examining dealership performance in five factors (in order of importance): service quality (25%); vehicle pick-up (21%); service initiation (20%); service facility (17%); and service advisor (16%). Overall satisfaction for the industry averages 761 points.
