Which automotive brand offers the best aftersales service?

Japanese and Korean brands have featured strongly in an Australian customer survey for automotive aftersales care.

Poor experiences at the dealership can have far-reaching consequences for automotive brands. However, the latest JD Power survey, based on responses of 4646 Australian owners who purchased their vehicle between 2012 and 2017, suggests dealer performance is improving.

Using five key metrics – service quality, vehicle pick-up, service advisor, service initiation and service facility – the JD Power Australia Customer Service Index (CSI) rates manufacturers on a 1000 point scale. This year, the industry average jumped 48 points.

Mazda consolidated its position at the top of the charts, finishing with 835 points, a one-point increase on 2016.

Hyundai jumped three places to second overall, finishing with 831 points, a 34-point increase, while Kia sealed third with 829 points (up 17 points) as it continues a strong 2017.

Mitsubishi was a surprise packet. It experienced the biggest improvement of 25 points, leaping from ninth to fourth overall (825 points). Subaru maintained a strong presence in the survey, finishing fifth (824 points, up eight points).

Meantime, Ford and Holden were locked in a tie for sixth with 823 points, both up 22 points, coinciding with ramped up aftersales care in the wake of their respective manufacturing closures in Australia.

Ford’s efforts to offer its customers a loan car while their own vehicle was serviced was seen as increasingly important satisfaction tool, JD Power said, and is a facility now required by 31 per cent of consumers. Equally important was the intervention of capped price servicing; 70 per cent of respondents paid what they expected for servicing in the latest study.

Elsewhere, Toyota also finished on 823 points after experiencing the only downturn in this year’s survey. It previously held second overall, behind Mazda.

Toyota’s decline positions it just above the industry average of 822 points. From there the CSI study lists Honda (817, up 11 points), Nissan (809, up 17 points) Volkswagen (798, up nine points), Suzuki (797, up 19 points) and Jeep (781, up 17 points).

Mazda’s triumph marks its fifth win in the survey in eight years. The JD Power CSI survey also reaffirm’s Hyundai and Kia’s rise to power locally, following on from their one-two in the recent Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) survey, which concentrates on the buying process.

JD Power said the trigger for the higher industry average stemmed from improvements in customer experience, a 48-point jump overall. However, communication with customers remains a bone of contention for many: less than half of respondents said their dealer made contact after the service was complete to ensure everything was to their satisfaction.

“With more than 50 automotive brands to choose from, customer loyalty has become even more crucial in this increasingly competitive industry,” JD Power senior country manager Loi Truong said.

“It is vital to contact every customer after their visit to the service centre, regardless of the nature of their visit, and let them know that their feedback is valued.

“With most brands offering consistent and high levels of service quality, building on the relationship with each customer is becoming an even more crucial component of the vehicle ownership journey.”