AMONG the 10 auto brands evaluated in the J.D. Power 2018 Philippines Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, Honda ranked highest in after-sales customer satisfaction with an overall score of 823. According to the study released on Aug, 28, Honda “performed particularly well” in service initiation, service advisor, and service facility factors. This is the second year straight that Honda topped the CSI.
Following Honda were Nissan, with a score of 822, and Mitsubishi, which scored 816. Toyota, Isuzu, Ford, Suzuki, Chevrolet, Kia, and Hyundai completed the list.
J.D. Power said the availability of an express service was a key driver of customer satisfaction, particularly for customers who visit a dealer for routine maintenance. This year, the proportion of customers who were offered express service during their most recent visit rose to 55% from 17% in 2017, with 44% among them able to get their vehicle back within two hours. Overall satisfaction among these customers is higher than among those who did not select express service — or 820 points against 793 points, respectively, on a 1,000-point scale.
“With an increasingly fast-paced lifestyle, customers in the Philippines are time sensitive,” said Sigfred M. Doloroso, country manager for the Philippines at J.D. Power. “Given the decline in new-vehicle sales this year, dealerships have been trying to maximize their service revenue and improve capacity utilization. The retention of existing customers through systematic service reminders, notifications for due service, faster service turnaround and improved customer experience is the key to business viability.”
The 2018 CSI measured customer satisfaction with the servicing and vehicle-return processes. The study is based on the responses of 2,455 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between February 2015 and May 2017, and who took their vehicle for service to an authorized dealer or service center between August 2017 and May this year.
