Now in its tenth year, the study examines seven factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction with the sales experience. In order of importance, they are: delivery process, salesperson, dealer facility, sales initiation, paperwork, delivery timing and deal. SSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale, where a higher overall SSI score indicates greater satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process.
Among the nine brands examined in the 2009 study, Isuzu ranks highest with an overall SSI score of 879 and performs particularly well in the area of delivery timing. Following Isuzu in the rankings are Toyota (877) and Mazda (876). Toyota performs particularly well in the dealer facility and paperwork factors, while Mazda performs well in sales initiation and deal.
Among customers who are highly satisfied (with satisfaction scores averaging above 875), 70 percent say they “definitely will” recommend the dealer from whom they purchased their vehicle, while among less-satisfied customers, only 40 percent say the same. A similar pattern emerges regarding customer intent to repurchase from the same dealer. Among highly satisfied customers, repurchase intent averages 60 percent—compared with just 33 percent among customers with lower levels of satisfaction.
“Achieving high levels of customer satisfaction has a dramatic impact on a dealer’s ability to generate positive word of mouth and sales leads and to increase shopper traffic,” said Lo?c Pean, country manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Bangkok.
The study finds that overall satisfaction averages 875 points in 2009—down four points from 2008. Compared with 2008, satisfaction with sales initiation has increased considerably—by 13 points. However, satisfaction levels for the remaining six factors have decreased by five to ten points.
The study also finds that the incidence of problems encountered during the sales process has declined in 2009, compared with 2008. The greatest improvement is for dealers having a sufficient array of vehicles in stock to choose from and dealers having enough staff to handle customers. In addition, customers reported experiencing less sales pressure, compared with 2008, and a larger percentage of customers said their salesperson spent time talking only to them, which highlights the extra care and attention that dealers are paying to prospective buyers.
“Improvement in the sales initiation factor may be partly attributed to greater availability of sales personnel due to reduced demand,” said Pean. “In particular, customers expressed greater satisfaction with product demonstrations and the explanation of vehicle features.”
While overall satisfaction among passenger car and utility vehicle owners has increased in 2009, compared with 2008, satisfaction among owners of pickup trucks has declined notably. Satisfaction among pickup owners has decreased in six factors, with the greatest decline occurring in the paperwork factor.
“Buyers of pickup trucks typically rely more heavily on financing solutions than do vehicle buyers in other segments and also tend to present a higher risk profile to finance providers,” said Pean. “Tighter control and scrutiny by finance providers in order to reduce financing risk—which is a consequence of the economic crisis—may have increased the difficulty of completing the paperwork process, which would translate into lower satisfaction scores in this area.”
Pickup trucks comprised approximately 46 percent of market share in Thailand during the first half of 2009, down from approximately 61 percent in 2007. The study finds that more buyers of pickup trucks in 2009 considered used vehicles, compared with 2008 (18% vs. 13%, respectively) and negotiated the purchase price of their vehicle (55% in 2009 vs. 43% in 2008).
“It appears that pickup truck buyers are seeking less expensive and/or used vehicles in 2009, which is likely due to the challenging economic environment,” said Pean. “In addition, compact cars are steadily gaining share in the automotive market in Thailand. Cost-conscious consumers are seeking less expensive and more fuel- and cost-efficient vehicles.”
The 2009 Thailand SSI Study is based on responses from 3,083 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between August 2008 and March 2009. The study was fielded from February to May 2009.
About J.D. Power Asia Pacific
J.D. Power Asia Pacific has offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok that conduct customer satisfaction research and provide performance analytics services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries. Together, the five offices bring the language of customer satisfaction to consumers and businesses in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internet at www.jdpower.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
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