2024-03-29 11:07:08
While customer satisfaction with the dealership service experience has rebounded this year, dealerships continue to deal with parts and labor shortages that are causing longer wait times for appointments.
According to the JD Power 2024 US Customer Service Index (CSI) study, overall satisfaction with customer service improves five points to 851 (on a 1,000-point scale).
“It’s encouraging to see an improvement in service satisfaction but, unfortunately, capacity and wait time issues have gotten progressively worse since the pandemic and show no immediate signs of improving,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of auto retail at JD Power.
“Excluding Tesla owners, the service experience for BEV owners is disappointing. As BEV sales continue to grow and the industry moves out of the early adoption phase, the typical owner will not be as willing to tolerate less than stellar service and ownership experience.
On the manufacturers’ side, a higher rate of BEV recalls is also contributing to an inconsistent experience. “This is an area that automakers and dealers need to address now to help make the transition to electrification as seamless as possible for owners in the future.”
Contributing to the poor service experience of non-Tesla BEV owners is a notable lack of trust in service dealers to perform complex repairs and provide helpful guidance.
Overall dealer trust among non-Tesla BEV owners is 5.62 (on a 7-point scale), but increases to 6.00 among gasoline-powered vehicle owners and to 5.74 among owners of plug-in hybrids (PHEV).
The study, now in its 44th year, has grown to include emerging features such as valet service, mobile vehicle service, and online payment options/smartphone apps to measure the effect these processes have on the service experience.
The study measures satisfaction with service at franchise dealerships or following-sales service facilities for maintenance or repair work among owners and lessees of vehicles from one to three years old.
It also provides a numerical index ranking of the top-performing automobile brands sold in the United States, which is based on the combined scores of five measures including vehicle owner service experience.
These measures are (in order of importance): service quality; service advisor; vehicle collection; service facility; and service initiation. In 2023, model segment classifications were added to the study to differentiate between the service needs of cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans.
The following are the key findings of the 2024 study:
Appointment wait times for mass-market vehicles continue to increase: On average, mass-market vehicle owners wait 5.2 days for a dealer appointment, up from 4.8 days in 2023, while owners of premium vehicles wait 5.4 days, a little better than a year. back.
Wait times in both segments remain significantly higher compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Customers want immediate service appointments: Longer wait times at dealerships are leading more customers to visit following-sales service facilities.
Among customers in the mass market segment, 35% now choose following-sales service due to the ability to be seen immediately, surpassing cheaper costs (34%) as a reason for choosing such service. It is also notable that 55% of customers choose following-sales service due to the convenience of its location.
Technology improves the service experience: The use of technology is an important part of improving the service experience. Customers are four times more likely to indicate that they would like to receive service updates via text message (68%) than via a phone call (16%).
Additionally, when service advisors provide photos or videos to support the results of a multipoint inspection (MPI), customer satisfaction with their advisor improves 31 points than when no photos or videos are shared (911 vs. 880).
The amount spent per dealership visit continues to rise: Over the past two years, the average amount spent on a recent dealership service visit has increased 30% for owners of both premium and mass-market vehicles.
Owners of premium vehicles pay an average of $380, up $66 from 2023, while owners of mass-market vehicles pay $140, a year-over-year increase of $15.
Among customers whose service is not covered by a warranty or maintenance contract, these increases can be attributed to inflation and higher parts and labor costs.
Non-Tesla BEV owners are the least satisfied of all: The experience of non-Tesla BEV owners is a little more than twice as common as that of gasoline-powered vehicle owners.
Compounding the problem, overall service satisfaction with recall work is 782 among these affected owners, 50 points lower than among gasoline vehicle owners (832).
In fact, non-Tesla BEV owners have the lowest satisfaction with recalled jobs in all other major vehicle categories, including diesels (831), hybrids (827), and PHEVs (821).
Highest ranking brands and segments
Lexus ranks highest in dealer service satisfaction among premium brands for the third year in a row, with a score of 897. Porsche (894) is second and Cadillac (883) is third.
Buick ranks highest in dealer service satisfaction among mass-market brands with a score of 887. MINI (884) ranks second and Subaru (877) ranks third.
MINI (877) occupies the highest position in the mass car segment, followed by Subaru (874) and Mazda (867).
Buick ranks highest among mass-market SUVs/minivans with a score of 887. Mitsubishi (877) and Subaru (877) each take second place in a tie.
Porsche (902) occupies the highest position in the premium vehicle segment, followed by Infiniti (900) and Lexus (892).
Lexus ranks highest in the premium SUV segment for the second year in a row, with a score of 898. Porsche (889) is second and Cadillac (882) is third.
Nissan ranks highest in the truck segment for the second year in a row, with a score of 873. Chevrolet (856) takes second place and Toyota (855) takes third place.
The 2024 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) study is based on responses from 64,781 verified registered owners and vehicle losses from model years 2021 through 2023.
JD Power says it goes to great lengths to ensure respondents are true owners of the brand they represent. The study was carried out from August to December 2023.
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