March 14, 2013—Overall customer satisfaction with service at dealer facilities has increased, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Customer Service Index Study.
The study found customer satisfaction at 797 points on a 1,000-point scale, up from 787 in 2012.
Additionally, overall satisfaction with dealer service facilities averaged 44 index points higher than satisfaction with independent service facilities, according to the study.
The study found that owners visited a dealer service department an average of 2.6 times per year, and 77 percent of those vehicle owners indicated that their most recent dealer service visit was for maintenance.
Overall satisfaction among owners who took their vehicle to a dealership for maintenance work averaged 806, compared with 768 among those who took their vehicle in for repair work.
Among owners who visited an independent service station, overall satisfaction averaged 754 for maintenance work and 750 for repairs, according to the study.
The study also found a correlation between service satisfaction and loyalty; 79 percent of vehicle owners indicate they “definitely will” return to their dealership for maintenance and repair covered under their vehicle’s warranty, while 64 percent said they “definitely will” return to the dealership for service work after the warranty expires.
The study examined satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit a service department for maintenance or repair work. The CSI rankings were then based on five measures—service quality, service initiation, service advisor, service facility and vehicle pick-up—to determine overall satisfaction with dealer service.
