The study, now in its third year, examines overall customer satisfaction with the sales and delivery process at dealerships. The six factors contributing to overall satisfaction are (in order of importance): the salesperson, paperwork, delivery process, delivery timing, deal and dealer facility.
Following Toyota in the rankings are Nissan, Ford and Mitsubishi, respectively. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi experienced significant improvements over 2002, increasing 17 and 16 points, respectively.
The industry as a whole improved by six points over 2002. The paperwork, delivery process, dealer facility, and salesperson factor scores experienced significant increases, while the delivery timing and deal factors dropped slightly.
"The courtesy of sales personnel contributes to the improvement in paperwork and delivery process factors over 2002," said Hiroshi Hasegawa, manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "The improvement in the delivery process factor was due to better results in delivering vehicles clean and undamaged."
The study also finds 84 percent of customers indicate their vehicle was delivered at the promised time — down from 90 percent in 2002. In addition, the percentage of respondents who indicated there was a small selection of models in stock at the dealership increased by 10 percentage points over 2002. Commercial vehicle owners (including vans, MPVs, SUVs and pickups) are more likely than passenger car owners to indicate this problem. An increase in commercial vehicle sales over the past 18 months may be causing inventory problems and the subsequent delivery-timing problem.
"There is a direct relationship between overall dealer sales performance and dealership and brand loyalty and advocacy; as dealer performance improves, so too does the intent to service at, repurchase from, and recommend the authorized dealer and network," said Hasegawa. "This is especially important in the Philippines because the majority of new-vehicle buyers say they consider information from friends and relatives when deciding which vehicle to purchase."
The 2003 Philippines Sales Satisfaction Index Study includes responses from more than 1,400 owners who purchased their vehicles for personal uses between December 2002 and July 2003. J.D. Power Asia Pacific, established in 1990, conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in the automotive, information technology and finance industries. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internet at www.jdpower.co.jp. Media e-mail contact: hhasegawa@jdpower. com.sg Headquartered in Westlake Village, California, J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.