Toyota has come up tops in J.D Power's Asia Pacific Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service among mass market brands in Malaysia for 2014. Note that this means that you will not see Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and those that are obscenely priced. And dear readers note that Volkswagen IS a mass market brand under this survey - I told you earlier that it seems that Malaysians think too highly of the brand.
Anyway, you can tell that Toyota and Nissan come up tops with Isuzu, Mazda and Honda rounding up the top 5 automotive brands whose customers are bloody satisfied with how they and their cars are taken care of during servicing as well as the handling of problems.
JD Power interviewed about 2,610 responses / people in this survey. How conclusive this survey is subjective as if you note that Proton and Perodua alone sell over 200,000 vehicles. Surveys like this are both good and bad. I personally know that a Toyota service center compared to a Nissan service center in terms of outlay as well as the basic amenities are light years apart. For example, Toyota, Honda, Mazda operates an industry standard service centers throughout the Klang Valley and Nissan has only one fabulous center (located in Petaling Jaya) and lots of small centers that are based in shop lots that remind me of those small private owned workshops instead of a fantastic 3S center. It would seem that customers who buy Nissans do not really care if their cars are serviced in centers that look like they are based under a tree or from 1980 compared to those running a Honda or a Toyota.
Of course, the survey includes Service Quality, Vehicle Pick Up, Service Facility, Service Advisor and Service Initiation. So what I harped on above is only one point of the survey. But actually, this is still subjective as it would depend on how one perceives a brand. How would you perceive a Volkswagen over a Nissan? Or a Honda over a Toyota? What do you expect when you go into a service center? Do you expect a red carpet treatment or do you settle for sending you car and heading to the nearest mamak stall located under a tree close to the center? Do you also feel that your car deserves more than what the dealer is giving? There are so many questions that would need be answered.
I personally do not ask for much when I send in my mum's Suzuki Alto for servicing. I like it that the one in Petaling Jaya has a couch, TV, some magazines and newspaper and unlimited flow of vending machine quality coffee or tea. I find it a bonus when I send in my Mercedes Benz C180 and get to eat nasi lemak, cinnamon rolls, the use of a Mac for surfing, a service advisor who approaches you instead of picking up a number and going to the desk to explain what you want like Suzuki. There are more stuff you could ask the concierge service at Mercedes Benz but that is besides the point. What else is there aside from Service Quality, Facility, Vehicle Pick up?
One must also add the fact is vehicle reliability here in Malaysia. I also noticed that sometimes my friends who happen to work in the service centers usually give the best service they can. But sometimes it is the car which is shitty. Take for example a car with a faulty gearbox or a fault that the center cannot settle on the first time around. I can bet you a Ringgit that if you interviewed that fella he'd say that the service was shitty. And we Malaysians looooove to complain. We love to complain so much that we are actually one of the highest complainers in the world. That is a fact. Go look up on it elsewhere.
And furthermore, does it make sense that everyone keeps buying Perodua even though their service centers or service experience are supposedly bad? Do you hear tons of people complain like the ones that do if their Volkswagen is shitty? It is down to expectation of the brand these people have bought. This is the reason we hear one brand gets the stick and one gets all the beautiful praises. Honestly, how bad can the experience be in a Perodua service center? What do you expect from a brand that sells by the hundreds daily? Do you think service centers would be empty and relaxed? Think again before ticking the forms.
Again, if you like keeping your warranty for your Nissan intact and you went to some of their service centers you'd realise that Nissan service centers are still in the 1980s. But their customers must have a fantastically lower expectation compared to those elsewhere. Why do I say this? Its simple. I've been to most service centers of most of the brands you see here and this has made me (and a friend of mine) realise that expectation plays are very large part in these sort of surveys.
So anyway, according to the survey, you may want to opt for a Toyota or a Nissan if you want the best service experience you can find in Malaysia. But if you want a nice performance oriented car at a mass market price (the GT 86 does not count as it is bloody expensive here), you still need to look at Honda, Mazda, Proton and even Volkswagen. Prepare to pay more for some of their servicing and also do not expect any red carpet treatment most of the time from some of these brands.
NEWS RELEASE:J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports:
Well-Informed Customers in Malaysia Have High Expectations for Customer Service
Toyota Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service among Mass Market Brands in Malaysia
SINGAPORE: — Customers in Malaysia are expecting better service when they take their vehicles in for service or repairs, and authorized service centers are not meeting those expectations, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2014 Malaysia
Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM released today.
The study, now in its 12th year, measures overall service satisfaction among owners who took their vehicle
to an authorized service center for service maintenance and/ or repair work during the first 12 to 24
months of ownership. For the first time, the 2014 study examines service satisfaction exclusively on the
mass market segment.
The study evaluates new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the service experience by examining dealership
performance in five factors: service quality (38%); vehicle pick-up (20%); service initiation (14%); service
advisor (14%); and service facility (14%). Satisfaction among mass market brands averages 754 index
points (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2014, which is a 3-point decline from 2013.
The study identifies 22 service standards that enhance the overall customer service experience. In 2014,
customers expect a minimum of 19 of those 22 standards to be met in order to have a positive service
experience. In comparison, customer expectations in 2013 were for service centers to meet 17 of the 22
service standards. On average, authorized service centers are implementing 18.1 standards per service visit
in 2014.
“Customers have higher expectations, so it’s vital that the automakers’ service centers strive to not only
meet, but also to exceed those expectations to deliver a satisfying experience for their customers,” said
Rajaswaran Tharmalingam, country head, Malaysia, J.D. Power Asia Pacific. “Brands need to focus on the
entire service process—from helping customers secure service appointments, to providing top-quality
services, to faster service turnaround times, to having friendly and knowledgeable service advisors—all of
which contribute to overall customer satisfaction.”
The study also finds there are additional services some service centers provide that also improve customer
satisfaction, such as washing and vacuuming vehicles at the completion of the service and making follow-up
phone calls to customers after service is performed. Currently, only 14 percent of mass market customers
indicate their service center delivered on both of these services, among whom satisfaction is 797,
compared with 729 among customers whose service center did not deliver on both those standards.
KEY FINDINGS
Overall satisfaction in the mass market segment averages 754 index points in 2014, which is a 3-
point decline from 2013. Satisfaction for the Malaysian national brands within the mass market
segment averages 744 points, down 5 points from 2013.
Among the 22 service standards, mass market brands exhibit a double-digit percentage-point
increase in service/ repair forms provided prior to service and cost estimates given before service
is conducted, compared with 2013.
Among mass market owners who are highly satisfied with their service experience at a dealership
(service satisfaction scores averaging 824 or higher), 53 percent say they “definitely would” revisit
their service dealer for post-warranty service, compared with 37 percent in 2013.
Study Rankings
Toyota ranks highest in overall customer service satisfaction among mass market brands, with a score of
777. Toyota performs particularly well in the service facility factor. Nissan ranks second with a score of 776,
while Isuzu and Mazda rank third in a tie at 775 each.
The 2014 Malaysia Customer Service Index Study is based on responses from 2,610 new-vehicle owners in
the mass market segment who purchased their vehicle between February 2012 and May 2013 and took
their vehicle for service to an authorized service center between August 2013 and May 2014. The study
was fielded between February and May 2014.
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