ASH8

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2577C8001315CE


Japanese brands top JD Power’s first vehicle service survey in Australia

MAZDA has emerged as the standout
performer in the first survey of aftersales
customer service satisfaction conducted in
Australia by respected global marketing
information company JD Power.
The booming Japanese brand was the
only vehicle brand to score more than
800 out of a maximum 1000 points in JD
Power’s inaugural Australian vehicle service
satisfaction survey.

Mazda (806 points), Toyota (800),
Honda (798) and Subaru (790) were the
only brands to place above the industry
average of 786 points.

The results are based on responses from
more than 4550 owners of 25 different
makes who had their vehicles serviced at
authorised service centres between July
2009 and August 2010.

JD Power Asia Pacific’s 2010 Australia
Customer Service Index (CSI) Study
measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction
with the aftersales service process
by examining authorised dealership
performance in five factors.
In order of weighting, they are: service
quality (25 per cent), vehicle pick-up (20
per cent), service advisor (20 per cent),
service initiation (18 per cent) and service
facility (17 per cent).

While some volume-selling Japanese
brands starred, the study also found that
nearly one in 10 new-vehicle owners in
Australia said repair and maintenance
service was not completed correctly the first
time. Overall, nine per cent of respondents
said their dealer failed to service their car
properly the first time.

When it came to repair work, a surprising
19 per cent said their vehicle was not fixed
correctly.

JD Power Asia Pacific’s Singapore based
executive director Mohit Arora
said that having repair or maintenance
work performed correctly the first time
has a significant impact on a customer’s
satisfaction with dealer services.
Satisfaction among customers whose
service work was not performed correctly the
first time was 186 points lower, on average,
than that of customers whose service was
done right the first time, said JD Power

“New-vehicle owners in Australia hold
dealerships to high standards for service
quality,” said Mr Arora. “Service quality
is a key component of the overall service
satisfaction, and providing high-quality
service may help dealerships strengthen
perceptions of the value they provide.
“Customers in Australia are particularly
sensitive to problems experienced at vehicle
delivery. The initial quality of a vehicle has
significant influence on customer perceptions
of the brand and dealership throughout the
ownership period.”

Mazda, which was also named by JD
Power as the most satisfying brand among
Australian new-vehicle owners for the
second consecutive year in 2009, was
rated the highest of 12 brands ranked in the
aftersales study after performing particularly
well in the service initiation and service
advisor factors.

Mazda Australia has focused on customer
(and dealer) satisfaction since the days
of previous managing director Malcolm
Gough, when the brand had a dearth of
exciting new models. The market share of
the Australian subsidiary, which Mazda
Motor Corporation says conducts “industry best
practice”, is the second-largest in the
Mazda world behind Israel.

“Mazda demonstrates strong performance
in each of the factors that drive satisfaction,
as well as in several key activities that have
a positive effect on satisfaction,” said Mr
Arora. “These activities include providing
post-service communications such as
explanations of work and charges, and
having vehicles ready when promised.”

In contrast, brands deemed to have delivered
below-average aftersales service included
Ford (785 points), Nissan and Volkswagen
(780), Mitsubishi (777), Hyundai (774),
Holden (768), Kia (747) and Suzuki (743).

A number of other brands were included
in the study but not ranked due to their small
sample size, including Audi, BMW, Citroen,
Chrysler, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus,
Mercedes, Peugeot, Renault, Saab and Volvo.
According to JD Power, service satisfaction
levels have a strong impact on customer
advocacy and loyalty rates, with about 87 per
cent of highly satisfied customers (those with
service satisfaction scores averaging above
899) saying they “definitely would” revisit
their dealership for paid service work.
Conversely, only 10 per cent of dissatisfied
customers (those with satisfaction scores
averaging 700 and lower) said the same.
Similarly, while 60 per cent of highly
satisfied customers said they “definitely
would” repurchase their vehicle brand, only
21 per cent of highly dissatisfied customers
said the same.

The JD Power study found that one in
10 service customers in Australia reported
having experienced at least one problem
with their new vehicle at delivery.
Among those customers, satisfaction with
dealer service averages 56 points below the
industry average, while 47 per cent of those
customers said they were “disappointed”
with the operating costs of their vehicle.
Some 60 per cent of those surveyed said
the convenience of its location was the main
reason for choosing an authorised dealer for
their most recent service visit.

Other popular reasons were because they
bought their vehicle there (49 per cent),
reliability of service (46 per cent), qualified
mechanics (42 per cent), warranty (39 per
cent), authorised parts (39 per cent), speedy
service (33 per cent), past experience (32
per cent), open on convenient days/hours
(25 per cent), competitive/good price
(19 per cent), free service (nine per cent),
recommendations from family/friends
(seven per cent) and that they knew someone
at the dealership (four per cent).

In terms of vehicle problems at delivery,
Ford topped the JD Power survey with 18 per
cent of respondents claiming they had an issue,
followed by Kia (15 per cent), Holden (14 per
cent), Volkswagen (12 per cent), Mitsubishi
(10 per cent), Hyundai, Nissan and Subaru
(nine per cent), Honda, Suzuki and Toyota
(seven per cent) and Mazda (six per cent).

Ninety-five per cent of Honda and Toyota
owners surveyed said work on their vehicle
was completed correctly the first time, followed
by Mazda and Hyundai (93 per cent), Nissan,
Subaru and Suzuki (92 per cent), Kia and
Mitsubishi (90 per cent), Ford (89 per cent),
Holden and Volkswagen (88 per cent).

Source..GoAuto

ASH8

NOW...Lets see.., that is Mazda won, JD Powers first Survey in Germany, and now Australia...

What does that tell you??

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

That Mr. JD loves his Mazda



Reading the article, the biggest thing that jumps out at me is how many big brands were not ranked due to sample size. It puts the entire results under suspicion imo.

ASH8

The market share of those brands are so small here they 'fly under the radar' so to speak..
Apart from Audi, BMW and MB, the others would not even make 0.4% of the market here..at a guess..

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Well, I guess it makes sense. My 8's engine has lasted longer than my Corolla's engine did.


Mazda is clearly more reliable than Toyota.

ASH8

It goes to show just HOW BAD the US (N American) Mazda Dealer network is..

And I do not subscribe to the Mazda brand as being Low Rent or like a KIA or Hyundai.

Koreans car are OK, but they just do not compare with Mazda's chassis and suspension dynamics..
ALL Mazda's are great to drive and stop..

I am not the only one who thinks so.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I think one of the bigger issues with Mazda's dealer network over here is the hiring base.

It's hard for me to articulate exactly what I mean. Whether service advisors, technicians, or higher, they are all shared between the various manufacturers, and there seems to be little motivation or desire for anyone to stick with one brand and truly learn it, the customers, and the cars. I don't know if it is the same elsewhere in the world, but it doesn't seem like it.

Cars are appliances to most of the US population, and that doesn't really change when you get to the people that work on cars for a living. Granted, there are exceptions as always, but there are plenty of advisors and techs which have the EXACT same mentality about working on cars as HVAC mechanics feel about working on a home's central air system. Or a dishwasher repair man. Etc...


They enjoy wrenching on something mechanical, but they still fail to truly appreciate the cars they work on, and what more they can become.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

It's explained in the old book "Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance": No matter what you do, take the time to be good at it. In other words, there are people who have a job as a mechanic, and there are (increasingly fewer) people who are mechanics. In the USA (and coming to all countries in turn) the rewards go to the players in quick-and-easy money, whether Wall Street "bankers", or the neighborhood drug dealer, making hard-working normal people feel like chumps. How much of that $80/hr service rate we pay goes to the guy doing the work? If it's $20, he's doing well; most places it's less.

Had to laugh though, my home HVAC guy is an HVAC guy. Working with him to put in my new system, he kept a running monologue on about every aspect of the technology and the business. First time it got cold, he "happened to be in the neighborhood" and just stopped in to see how it was doing. When it got really cold (-10 deg C), he called again to check up. Same thing when it got really hot. You can guess where my repeat business is going (plus that of my neighbors).

ASH8

Well said Hi and RIWWP..

I am old school, as a Mazda Parts Manager I gave First Class Service, I had over 6000 different line items in stock, from heads to hoods and trunks, grilles and tail lights, and most of everything in between, for all Mazda models.

All my customers continued to come back, why, because I had the parts in stock and because my staff were enthusiastic and stayed with me for many many years, so I must have been a reasonable boss...in fact one followed me to my next private venture in Retailing Records (music).

To me "service" is everything, generally I don't mind paying more as long as I get the service I think I am entitled to, the service I gave to my customers.

Some businesses just do not get it, and to be efficient it is not that hard, do it right the first time, saves you time, money and grief.

Any multi franchise car dealership is a compromise, most of Australia's metro Mazda dealers are sole Mazda, with stand alone Showroom, Service and Parts, Mazda Australia insists this if you have a multi franchise business...if you won't do it you don't get the contract to sell new Mazda's.

All showrooms must be Mazda corporate looking.

Multi franchise Service and Parts departments just do not work.
1. You are asking too much of the staff.
2. How do you develop customer brand loyalty?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

+1

After seeing the difference in the knowledge level of the techs between the dealers that are multi-franchise and stand-alone, I will not bring my cars to a multi-franchise again.

Granted, I do all my own work, it's enjoyable and I learn a bunch, in addition to saving money, but at least when I do have to deal with a dealer, I'd prefer a dealer that they stand a decent chance of knowing what they are talking about, than hoping there is a chance that they might have even seen my make and model at the other end of the bay.

MattMPS

for me this is a BIG problem for Mazda because is a small cap...they don't have a lineup of a lot of models like VW, or Toyota &Co.....if your needs are changin' with big Brand you'll find the right car for you...

they need to satisfy a customer who likes "special" cars, different to many others...points are
-"fun to drive" factor
-innovative design

IMHO.

bse50

Not having a lot of models is what helped a small cap like mazda survive to the economy while toyota, honda and a bunch of other car makers had problems keeping the plants working though!
Unfortunately Mazda Europe works exactly like MNAO and we could only wish we had a japanese or australian like service dept

MattMPS

in Germany or UK things are better than Italy....Austria for example is the best market (in terms of % of penetration) for Mazda Motor Europe since many years...Austrians love Mazda!

alfy28

That the Mayans prediction of the world ending in 2012 is in fact true.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Of course it's true!

It's the projected release date of the Turboed 16X powered Mazdaspeed RX-8! If that doesn't bring the world to an end, nothing will!!!

ASH8

Mazda Europe ARE getting much better...to where they were a few decades ago, they are doing OK.

Mazda UK are the stand out there, they have been one of the great improver's.

MNAO is just a TOTAL JOKE...PERIOD.

ALL executives should be booted out, Big Jim included (CEO), and Jeremy Barnes...He is TERRIBLE in Publicity.

These guys treat Mazda too much like a "good time to have fun" company....For themselves...IMO

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

The service writer at my local multi-franchise dealer actually told me that his mechanics (except for one) hated working on rotaries! Not surprisingly, I've also never seen a new RX-8 on display, nor is there any reference to it in wall advertising and so on. It's doubtful however whether in this location or any other, that Mazda could or would, pull the franchise and award it to a single-brand dealer.

zoom44

and what do their mechanics have to work on? they never crack the engine open at the dealer. so the only thing the mechanics work on is all of the other systems which are identical to all of the other cars they work on. transmisson cooling exhaust, lighting , safety , brakes and suspension etc. what the hell are "they" complaining about?

seriously go ask the service writer "what exactly dont they like about "working on rotaries"?

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Oh their "rotary guy" has done engine and upper manifold replacements. He also told me the 5W-20 was required because the thicker oils couldn't get into all the 'nooks and crannies' that the rotary has. One problem for the rest of them is that they are all porkers - the one time they worked on it there, the door frames were covered with handprints when I got it back 'cause they were hanging off the door for support just to get in.

I'll not do any confrontations until my warranty is up in 2014; gotta play the nice guy until then.

ASH8

Only 5W20...

Australian owners handbooks for S1 and S2, says virtually ALL the Viscosity varieties can be used on the Renny 2 and Renny 1 down under.

PhillipM

Came first you mean, it's a survey, not a competition