J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports: Luxury Vehicle Owners More Satisfied With the Service Centre Experience in Australia than Owners of Mass Market Vehicles

SYDNEY, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Satisfaction with authorised service centres is higher among luxury vehicle owners than among mass market vehicle owners in Australia, according to the J.D. Power 2014 Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM - Luxury Market released today.

The study measures overall satisfaction with the vehicle service experience at authorised service centres by examining five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality (25%); vehicle pick-up (20%); service advisor (20%); service initiation (18%); and service facility (17%). Overall satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction.

Overall customer satisfaction with the after-sales service experience at authorised service centres in the luxury segment is 803 in 2014, which is 13 points higher than satisfaction in the mass market segment. Luxury brand authorised service centres perform particularly well in ease of driving in and out of the facility, convenience of parking and cleanliness.

Overall satisfaction among luxury vehicle owners age 35 years and younger is 27 index points lower than the segment average. Of the five factors measured in the study, satisfaction among younger owners (35- years old and younger) is lowest with service initiation and service advisor.

"Older owners (36-years old and older) of luxury car are more satisfied than younger owners with their experience at authorised service centres," said Loi Truong, senior country manager of Australia at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "With the proportion of luxury vehicle owners under age 36, it is critical that service centres provide the service attention needed to satisfy these younger customers."

Truong also notes that service advisors play a key role in differentiating the luxury market service experience from that of the mass market by being courteous, responsive and taking the time to explain the work being carried out on the vehicle.

KEY FINDINGS

• Luxury vehicle owners who are highly satisfied (satisfaction scores of 918 or higher) are almost four times more likely to recommend the same brand to family and friends than those who are highly dissatisfied (scores of 714 or lower). Additionally, highly satisfied customers are more than 15 times more likely to revisit their service dealer for post-warranty service than customers with lower satisfaction.
• The study identifies 16 service attributes that enhance the overall customer service experience. Twenty percent of customers indicate their dealer implemented 15 or more service attributes. When 15 or more service attributes are met, overall satisfaction improves to 883, which is 80 points higher than luxury market average. If fewer than 10 service attributes are met, overall satisfaction drops 80 points below luxury market average.
• Cleanliness of dealership rated the highest of the 16 service attributes, followed by courtesy of the service advisor then helpfulness of the staff at pick-up.

Rankings

Mercedes-Benz ranks highest among luxury market brands in customer satisfaction with dealer service with a score of 833. Mercedes-Benz performs particularly well in all five factors.

The 2014 Australia Customer Service Index Study for luxury is a part of the annual CSI study, which covers both mass market and luxury brands from a total of 4,696 vehicle owners. The luxury study is based on evaluations from 383 vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between August 2009 and September 2014 and visited an authorised dealership service centre for maintenance or repair work between August 2013 and September 2014.

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