Toyota Ranks Highest In Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Study For A Third Consecutive Year

J.D. Power Asia Pacific Reports:

Toyota Ranks Highest in Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Study for a Third Consecutive Year
 

SINGAPORE: 29 August 2008 — Toyota ranks highest in satisfying buyers in Malaysia with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process for a third consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2008 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM released today.

The study, now in its sixth year, has been redesigned for 2008 and examines seven factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction with the sales experience. In order of importance, they are: delivery process; delivery timing; paperwork; dealer facility; salesperson; deal; and sales initiation. SSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale, where a higher overall SSI score indicates greater satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales and delivery process. Overall sales satisfaction in 2008 averages 778 points.

Among the six brands included in the study, Toyota ranks highest with an overall SSI score of 806 and performs particularly well in all seven factors. Perodua (789) and Nissan (787) follow Toyota in the rankings. Perodua performs particularly well in the salesperson and delivery process factors.

The study finds that customer perceptions regarding whether or not the salesperson spent an adequate amount of time with them during vehicle delivery have a strong impact on overall satisfaction. Overall satisfaction of customers who say that their salesperson did not spend enough time with them at delivery average 624—which is 154 points below the industry average. However, among customers who say that their salesperson spent sufficient time with them during delivery, satisfaction averages 786.  On average, customers report that salespersons spent 42 minutes with them at the time of delivery.

“Despite whether customers said that the amount of time the salesperson spent with them at vehicle delivery was adequate or not, the reported average number of minutes was the same for both groups of customers,” said Taku Kimoto, general manager for the Malaysia at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “This suggests that the thoroughness of explanations provided by the salesperson at the time of delivery is just as important as the actual number of minutes spent with customers. Most new-vehicle owners are keen to learn more about their vehicles, and appreciate the salesperson spending time with them at delivery. Salespersons who are considerate of customer time constraints, while still providing adequate vehicle information, can have a strong positive impact on satisfaction.”

Customers who experience a sales problem or pressure are considerably less satisfied with the sales and delivery process, compared with customers who do not experience these issues. When customers encounter problems—such as finding only a small selection of models in stock or the dealership having insufficient staff to handle customers—satisfaction averages 727, compared with an average of 793 when customers do not encounter any problems. In addition, when customers experience sales pressure from their dealer—for example, to purchase a vehicle without the desired options or to pay a higher price than they planned—satisfaction averages 739, compared with an average of 795 when customers report not experiencing sales pressure.

The study also finds that 71 percent of customers who say they are “delighted” (providing a rating of 10 on a 10-point scale) with the overall purchase experience state they “definitely would” recommend their dealer to others, compared with only 6 percent of customers who say they are “disappointed” (providing a rating of 1 to 5 on a 10-point scale). Similarly, 59 percent of customers who say they are “delighted” with the overall purchase experience also say they “definitely would” recommend their vehicle brand, compared with 12 percent of customers who say they are “disappointed.” 

“Especially in a hyper-competitive vehicle market such as Malaysia’s, retaining existing customers is key to sustaining future business success,” said Kimoto. “Therefore, providing customers with highly satisfying sales experiences can clearly lead to increased positive word of mouth and higher recommendation rates for both dealers and brands.”

The 2008 Malaysia Sales Satisfaction Index Study is based on evaluations gathered between March and June 2008 from more than 2,800 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between September 2007 and April 2008.

The SSI Study is one of three consumer-based vehicle studies that J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts in Malaysia. The 2008 Malaysia Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study, which measures customer satisfaction with authorized dealer after-sales service, was released in July 2008.  The 2008 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures problems experienced by new-vehicle owners in the first 90 days, is scheduled to be released in September 2008.

Report Exclusively Prepared By Arcis Communications For KDI

Please follow and like us: