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THAILAND - Satisfaction with after-sales service at authorised service centres is particularly higher among customers who have an appointment rather than among those who drop by at a service centre unannounced, according to the JD Power Asia-Pacific 2012 Thailand Customer Service Index Study.
The study measures new-vehicle-owner satisfaction with after sales service by examining dealership performance in five areas: service initiation; service advisers; service facility; vehicle pick-up; and service quality. Dealership service performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale.
According to the study, 30 per cent of service customers scheduled a visit in advance by making an appointment via the telephone instead of dropping by at a time convenient to them, a 7-percentage-point increase from 2011. The overall satisfaction among customers with an appointment was 866, which is 28 points higher than those turning up without an appointment. The gap in satisfaction scores - between having a scheduled appointment and not having one - is the largest since the inception of the study in 2000.
"Authorized service centres in Thailand are encouraging their customers to schedule their routine maintenance service visits in advance and then reminding them prior to the appointment," said JD Power Asia-Pacific senior manager Loic Pean. "Nearly one-half of customers indicate that they knew it was time for maintenance/repairs thanks to a reminder from the service centre, twice as high than last year. At the same time, dealer processes are being adapted to serve customers with appointments better and faster, which results in increased customer satisfaction and operational efficiency for service centres - a win-win situation."
Overall customer satisfaction averages 846 in 2012, a 19-point improvement from 2011. Across the industry, satisfaction has increased year over year in all factors, particularly in service initiation (+26 points) and service facility (+24). Service facility is the only factor in which all makes achieve an increase in satisfaction.
 
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