Maruti features top in JD Power customer satisfaction index

Chennai: Maruti Udyog (MUL), India’s largest car manufacturer, gets the top rank in customer satisfaction with automotive dealer service for the third consecutive year, according to the JD Power Asia Pacific 2002 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) study.

The annual study, now in its sixth year, identifies five factors - problems experienced, service advisor, service performance, service timing and facility appearance - which measure customer satisfaction with dealership service in India.

“MUL further consolidates its industry-leading service performance observed over the past two years in this study,” says JD Power Asia Pacific senior analyst and account director Sanjay Ralhan.

“The impressive 2002 CSI performance demonstrated by MUL is a consequence of sustained, cross-organisational focus on delivering a positive ownership experience and is driven by industry-best scores on four out of the five factors that determine service satisfaction,” he adds.

According to the study, the quality of a vehicle has a significant impact on a dealership’s ability to offer a satisfying service experience. “Fixing the vehicle right on the first visit and doing so in a timely manner is the foundation of the service / repair experience,” says Ralhan.

“MUL dealers are among the most consistent in meeting customer expectations on fixing problems right on the first visit and service timeliness. Consequently, one in four Maruti owners (26 per cent) rate their service experience to be even better than expected, compared to just 18 per cent for the industry,” he adds.

Fiat and General Motors continue to place at the lower end of the rankings, but show important gains in CSI compared to 2001. The 2002 India CSI study is based on evaluations from 3,181 owners of personal-use vehicles surveyed at 12 to 18 months of vehicle ownership (that is, customers who purchased their vehicles between January through September 2001).