Report - Maruti Suzuki tops Customer Service Index Study for the 14th year!

JD Power Asia Pacific have released the findings of their study titled "2013 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study".

In a nutshell, the study says that though the number of workshops have increased, their establishment in key locations where vehicle owners live/work is not aligned to the customer needs.

The study also measured satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit an authorized service center for repair/service between the first 12 to 24 months of ownership. Five factors were studied here and customers tend to give a lot of importance to Service Quality, it was found. Vehicle Pick-up is the next priority, while Service Facility and Service Advisor have equal importance.

In terms of customer satisfaction, Maruti Suzuki ranks first (for the 14th year in a row!) with 876 points, while Hyundai and Honda trail with 833 and 825 points respectively.

The 2013 India Customer Service Index Study is based on responses from 7,477 vehicle owners. The study was fielded from May to August 2013 and includes owners who purchased their vehicle between May 2011 and August 2012.

Mohit Arora, executive director, J.D. Power Asia Pacific, said -

While there has been service network expansion by all automakers during the past five years, the locations of these establishments are not sufficiently meeting customer needs in many cases either due to real estate availability, cost and local regulations. Since vehicle servicing is seen as an essential errand, any steps taken to enhance customer convenience are likely to be appreciated.