Mazda Philippines scores highest in the J.D. Power 2019 Philippines Customer Service Index Study besting 10 other brands. The Japanese carmaker scored 824 out of 1,000 points. Nissan landed in second at 814 while Hyundai finished third at 811.

The study which measures customer satisfaction with servicing and vehicle-return process was based on responses from 2,384 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between January 2016 and April 2018, and took their vehicle for service to an authorized dealer or service center between January 2018 and April 2019.

The study measures overall satisfaction among vehicle owners who visited an authorized service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 36 months of ownership based on five factors (in order of importance): service quality (28 percent); service initiation (20 percent); service facility (20 percent); vehicle pick-up (17 percent); and service advisor (16 percent).

Unfortunately, overall customer satisfaction among vehicle owners in the Philippines still decreased with the Industry Average dropping to 803 points in 2019 compared to 812 in 2018.

The study finds that customer wait times have increased compared with 2018. More than one-third (35 percent) of customers experience wait times of more than 30 minutes to handover their vehicle for service, an increase of 11 percentage points from 2018. Satisfaction among these customers is lower than those who experienced a shorter hand-over time (787 vs. 812, respectively).

“This situation is not new to the industry, the time spent by customers to drop off a vehicle for service is a key contributor towards their overall satisfaction,” said Sigfred M. Doloroso, Country Manager for the Philippines, J.D. Power. “However, this is an issue that can be mitigated through the efficient use of a proper appointment system. Dealers need to actively encourage the scheduling of appointments and ensure they consistently deliver not only a more personalized service to after-sales customers but also a faster turnaround from drop-off to pick-up.”

Findings from the study also show that the service process is slower, with 69 percent customers indicating that service took three hours or more to finish, an increase of 11 percentage points from 2018. Furthermore, 72 percent of customers indicate that paperwork completion took more than 10 minutes during the vehicle pick-up. Customers who spent more than 10 minutes doing paperwork are less satisfied than those who experienced a faster paperwork process (793 vs. 831, respectively).

Following are additional key findings of the 2019 study:

• Encourage appointment setting: Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of customers scheduled an appointment for their vehicle service, which is 10 percentage points lower than in 2018. Customer satisfaction is higher when customers make an appointment vs. when they do not (807 vs. 793, respectively). Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of customers indicate a preference in making appointments over the phone.
• Promote quick / express service: Only 39 percent of customers were offered the option of an express service, a drop of 16 percentage points from 2018. Notably, among customers who made service appointments, satisfaction is 23 points higher when they were offered express service than when they weren’t (820 vs. 797, respectively).  
• Keeping customers in the know from the start: More than half (59 percent) of customers were informed of the time needed for service during drop-off, a decline of 13 percentage points from 2018. Satisfaction is 31 points higher when customers are informed earlier, compared to when informed later (815 vs. 784, respectively).