BMW tops customer satisfaction list

BMW tops customer satisfaction list

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

German automaker BMW tops the list of automakers this year in
providing "authorized dealer aftersales service" to customers in
Indonesia, outranking U.S. automaker General Motors and Japanese
automaker Toyota, according to a recent study.

BMW scored 760 out of a maximum 1,000 points in the 2003
Indonesia Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study conducted by
Singapore-based marketing firm JD Power Asia Pacific.

The company regained the leading position it had occupied in
2001.

The study, which was made available to The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday, said BMW's achievement was driven by consistent
improvement last year in the seven factors that determine service
satisfaction.

The seven factors are: in-service experience, service quality,
problems experienced, user-friendly service, service advisor,
service initiation and service delivery.

The study is based on feedback from 2,308 vehicle owners, who
purchased their vehicles between September 2001 and May 2002, and
their evaluations of service after 12 to 18 months of ownership.

General Motors ranks second on the list with 754 points and
Toyota is on the third place with 750 points.

General Motors posted the largest year-to-year improvement
among all makers in the study.

An overwhelming 84 percent of vehicle owners said that
authorized dealers were providing better services than they had
in the past.

The study also showed that more vehicle owners prefer
dealership service facilities rather than aftermarket facilities,
for the convenience of locations and qualified mechanics.

"In order to compete with aftermarket facilities, dealers must
differentiate themselves in terms of quality and services,"
Gerrit Kuyntjes, general manager of JD Power Asia Pacific said.

"The dealer's ability to fix problems on the first visit is a
key aspect in promoting customer loyalty," he added.

The percentage of customers indicating they would return to
dealers for service increased from 17 percent in 2002 to 44
percent this year, the study noted.

The Indonesian CSI study confirms that dealership service
facilities that are able to provide a service experience
exceeding customer expectations will produce the highest rate of
customer loyalty and facility advocacy.