Toyota leads in sales satisfaction

E-kereta | December 1, 2006 | 1 Comment

Toyota has been identified as the brand with the most satisfied customers with regards to the new-vehicle sales and delivery process in Malaysia, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2006 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study released today.

According to the study, the industry average dropped 15 points to stand at 752 (out of a possible 1,000 points). Reversing a 22-point improvement in 2005, the national brand segment (comprising Inokom, Naza, Perodua and Proton) declined by 26 points to average 741. In contrast, the non-national segment nearly recovered the 13 points lost in 2005 with a 10-point improvement for 2006.

First-ranked Toyota was one of only two makes in the market to increase satisfaction levels, improving 13 points with a score of 784. Toyota improved across all six factors of the SSI, recording the highest ratings on all but one.

The study, now in its fourth year, is conducted independently by J.D. Power Asia Pacific annually and measures customer satisfaction with the sales and delivery process in the Malaysian new-vehicle market. As a barometer of overall satisfaction, SSI covers six different areas of the sales experience. They are (in order of importance): delivery process, delivery timing, salesperson, dealer facility, paperwork and deal.

The study has found that satisfaction is eroded if even one problem is experienced by customers during the purchase experience. For customers citing two or more problems, SSI scores drop124 points below average. “Small selection of model in stock�? was the most frequently encountered problem, reported by 17% of customers at industry level. Additionally, the study found that satisfaction falls among customers who experience any form of sales pressure.

“Toyota is highly successful at minimizing problems and pressures a customer might experience during the sales process, which translates into high satisfaction levels,�? said Gerrit Kuyntjes, General Manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific’s Singapore office. “Assuring customers are satisfied with the sales process is extremely important, as there is a high correlation between the customer’s purchase experience and future loyalty and advocacy intentions.�?

The study found that more than half of highly satisfied customers (those registering SSI scores exceeding 840) say they “definitely would�? use the same purchase dealer for service, compared to one in five for dissatisfied customers (SSI scores below 702).Toyota recorded the highest percentage of customers who indicated they “definitely would�? recommend the dealer and make, purchase again from the same dealer and repurchase the make in the future.

Second-ranked Nissan receives the highest ratings for the dealer facility factor, which covers dealership convenience, layout, vehicle selection and sales environment. Honda and Kia tied at 758 to rank third. The market’s most-improved brand, Kia, gained 39 points from 2005, recording considerable gains across all six factors, particularly for delivery timing and delivery process.

The study showed that the industry’s mean time of vehicle delivery had increased by 10.9 days from 2005, while the proportion of customers reporting that the vehicle was delivered at the promised time had increased marginally by two percentage points.

“Regardless of wait-times, the dealer’s ability to set realistic expectations for customers as to when they can receive delivery of their new vehicle is crucial,�? said Kuyntjes. “Satisfaction falls 45 points below the industry average when the vehicle was not delivered as promised.�?

The 2006 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index Study was based on evaluations from more than 2,700 new-vehicle owners at two to six months of ownership and included owners who purchased their vehicles between December 2005 and June 2006.

The SSI Study is one of three consumer-based studies that J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts in Malaysia. The 2006 Malaysia Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study, which measures customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service, was released in June 2006. The 2006 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures problems experienced by new-vehicle owners, is scheduled to be released in December 2006.