Lexus Places First in 2017 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study

[krew]

krew

The study examines owner satisfaction when visiting the dealership.

View the original article post

 

[Brooks2IS]

Like others have said before and will likely say again, I agree wholeheartedly. I have nothing but rave reviews for my Lexus dealer.

 

[RAL]

Visited our dealer, Lexus of Louisville, yesterday. As always, I was made to feel like family. Reflecting on my experiences with other dealers/brands ... there is no comparison. From its inception, Lexus has approached customer service with the goal of making each customer feel like an 'honored guest' of the family. And they do!

 

[farid]

are there any brand in the world better than lexus????????no no no...lexus is best of the best brand in the wolrd...lexus i love you...lexuuuuuuuuuuuus i love youuuuuuuuuuuu...

 

[PeterF]

I concur as well. I have nothing but praise for Lexus service. Tom Wood Lexus (indianapolis) is simply outstanding. They know me (well) and treat me like family. I know that it's a marketing and customer retention strategy, but it still feels great. They recently contacted me and invited me to take the new LC500h show-room model for a test drive the day it arrives there.

 

[Lexus Cohen]

I concur as well. I have nothing but praise for Lexus service. Tom Wood Lexus (indianapolis) is simply outstanding. They know me (well) and treat me like family. I know that it's a marketing and customer retention strategy, but it still feels great. They recently contacted me and invited me to take the new LC500h show-room model for a test drive the day it arrives there.

I like the sound of that!

 

[corradoMR2]

So I made the "mistake" in switching to a '17 A4 last November since I wanted to try Audi for the first time in my ownership life. Needless to say, my relationship with the car and Audi ended after only 6 weeks despite taking a depreciation hit. I was disappointed with the car somewhat, but more disappointing was the dealership experience. It felt no better than having purchased a mainstream VW and when it came for servicing (yes, I had some issues though "minor"), same disappointment - no one greeted me when I dropped off the car and I had to wait in a single-file line waiting for a service desk rep to finally serve me. When the car was ready, they called my name out loud behind their service desk among the crowded herd of customers. It's the little things that add up and when you pay a premium price for the car, you expect more personalized service.

P.S. See below pics of my first ever Audi (A4) delivery experience... in the rain, in the customer parking lot vs my Lexus delivery in their dedicated indoor delivery area. :innocent: No comparison! Special mention to @ErinParkLexus who has treated me and my family like royalty from the GM down to the service agent. Too many positive stories to write and share.

Lexus hands down #1 . :grinning::thumbsup:

 

[mmcartalk]

Kevin......hope you don't mind me modifying the thread, but I thought I'd post the entire survey, instead of just the luxury-brand part. I felt it would be interesting to see how Lexus and the luxury makes stacked up against the mass-market brands. GM, for example (and especially Buick), did surprisingly well....three out of the top four slots.

Lincoln, IMO, also did remarkably well, considering that they operate and service their vehicles out of Ford dealerships, not having any of their own. And it will be interesting to see where Genesis ranks next year, since they don't have dealerships of their own and operate out of Hyundai shops....they, of course, are still too new to have been included in this survey.


http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/jd-power-2017-us-customer-service-index-csi-study


Lexus, Buick Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Respective Segments

COSTA MESA, Calif.: 16 March 2017 — Quality of automotive service continues to show significant improvement and is driving an increase in overall customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study,SM released today.

Service quality scores account for the greatest improvement, rising to 809 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 782 in 2015, when the study was redesigned. The other four measures—service advisor, service initiation, service facility and vehicle pick-up—all show improvement from 2015 levels. Overall customer service is 816, up from 802 over the same period.

The study measures customer satisfaction with service at a franchised dealer or independent service facility for maintenance or repair work among owners and lessees of 1- to 5-year-old vehicles.

“The quality of work—doing the job right the first time—can noticeably affect customer satisfaction and loyalty, but it shouldn’t be viewed in a vacuum,” said Chris Sutton, vice president, U.S. automotive retail practice at J.D. Power. “Proactive communication with the customer, especially while the car is being serviced, is one element that has a direct influence on loyalty.”

The study shows that among customers who are contacted by phone, 55% say they “definitely will” return for paid service. When receiving text message updates, that loyalty factor jumps to 67%. Additionally, customers’ preference for communicating via text has increased 3-6% across all generational categories since 2015. More than four in 10 (41%) Gen Y1 and Gen X customers now cite this preference, as do 25% of Boomers and 10% of Pre-Boomers.

“It’s not surprising to see the preference for receiving updates through text messages continue to rise, but only 3% of customers indicate they receive text message updates,” Sutton said. “Correcting that disconnect by adding more text message capability should be a priority with a service operation.”

Additional key findings of the 2017 study include:

• Service advisor scores big: The highest level of satisfaction is in service advisor, with a score of 835. This is followed by service initiation (832); vehicle pick-up (810); service quality (809); and service facility (794).
• Technology affects satisfaction: Increases in the use of tablets by service advisors and online scheduling tend to increase customer satisfaction. Tablet usage increases to 24% from 17% in 2015, and online scheduling increases to 13% from 9% during the same period.
• Almost a clean sweep: Customers rate dealers higher than non-dealers in 15 of 16 attributes. The most noticeable advantages are amenities offered; comfort of waiting area; and cleanliness of dealership. Non-dealers rate higher in time required to complete vehicle service—but only by 0.06 points on a 10-point scale.
• The value of getting it right the first time: The vast majority (94%) of customers who take their vehicle in for service indicate that the dealer fixed it right the first time. However, among the 6% of customers indicating the service work was not completed right on the first visit, satisfaction drops to 639, which is 184 points lower than among those whose work was completed right the first time.
• Too much static: Dealers seem to have trouble servicing problems with radios. It’s unclear if the issue is vehicle- or service-related, but only 80% of customers who sought service for a radio reception problem indicate the dealer was able to fix it right the first time.

Lexus ranks highest in satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands, with a score of 874. Following in the luxury ranking are Audi (869); Lincoln (868); Porsche (867); and Cadillac (865).

Buick ranks highest in satisfaction with dealer service among mass market brands, with a score of 860. Following in mass market brands are MINI (850); GMC (837); Chevrolet (829); and Nissan (822).

About the Study
The 2017 U.S. CSI Study is based on responses from more than 70,000 owners and lessees of 2012 to 2016 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between October and December 2016.

For more information about the 2017 U.S. Customer Service Index Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-customer-service-index-study

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2017027.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. Those capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Media Relations Contact
Geno Effler; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com(link sends e-mail)

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-info

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1 J.D. Power defines the generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2004).

 

[mikeavelli]

Crazily enough, my results have been very mixed since moving to Miami. Atlanta was pretty amazing. Here its hit or miss with tons of misses. Out of respect for Lexus USA I won't go in detail publicly. One employee in particular talked to me in the rudest way that I can remember in the last 10 years of my life. I still can't believe it.

 

[mmcartalk]

Crazily enough, my results have been very mixed since moving to Miami. Atlanta was pretty amazing. Here its hit or miss with tons of misses. Out of respect for Lexus USA I won't go in detail publicly. One employee in particular talked to me in the rudest way that I can remember in the last 10 years of my life. I still can't believe it.

Although I don't live there, like you do, to actually see it for myself, from what have heard, Miami, in general, is simply a different culture than Atlanta. That also goes beyond just auto dealerships....to the general pace of life itself.

I learned a long time ago.....sometimes you are going to run into less-than-agreeable people. That's just a fact of life from time to time. While it is true that customers deserve respect and good service (often, you are paying good money for it), sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that affect dealer employees, just like with any other human being. Divorce, family problems, broken relationships, money problems, health problems, legal problems, difficult bosses....there are all kinds of things that can stress a person out from time to time, and cause suffering and less-than perfect service. While that's not always an excuse for rudeness, the way I look at it, I'm a firm believer in the Golden Rule...if I want others to give me a break, if and when I screw up, then I have to be willing to overlook the faults of others from time to time, even if they are acting like jerks. More often than not, that person is just having a bad day, and will be far more courteous the next time he or she sees you.

 

[RAL]

Crazily enough, my results have been very mixed since moving to Miami. Atlanta was pretty amazing. Here its hit or miss with tons of misses. Out of respect for Lexus USA I won't go in detail publicly. One employee in particular talked to me in the rudest way that I can remember in the last 10 years of my life. I still can't believe it.

You are a class act Mike and one of the nicest guys I know. Anyone who would treat you with disrespect is just way off base!

 

[mikeavelli]

You are a class act Mike and one of the nicest guys I know. Anyone who would treat you with disrespect is just way off base!

If I posted the texts and story you and everyone would be mind blown. Utterly mind blow. Thanks for the compliment.

Although I don't live there, like you do, to actually see it for myself, from what have heard, Miami, in general, is simply a different culture than Atlanta. That also goes beyond just auto dealerships....to the general pace of life itself.

I learned a long time ago.....sometimes you are going to run into less-than-agreeable people. That's just a fact of life from time to time. While it is true that customers deserve respect and good service (often, you are paying good money for it), sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that affect dealer employees, just like with any other human being. Divorce, family problems, broken relationships, money problems, health problems, legal problems, difficult bosses....there are all kinds of things that can stress a person out from time to time, and cause suffering and less-than perfect service. While that's not always an excuse for rudeness, the way I look at it, I'm a firm believer in the Golden Rule...if I want others to give me a break, if and when I screw up, then I have to be willing to overlook the faults of others from time to time, even if they are acting like jerks. More often than not, that person is just having a bad day, and will be far more courteous the next time he or she sees you.

Mike I think I know how to act lol. No that person was not having a bad day, they were acting like an out of control egotistical maniac. There was also two witnesses there and one of them with me said and I quote "in 30 years that is the rudest anyone has spoken to me".

Since my relationship status is "complicated" sometimes you get punched in the face but you keep moving forward (oh dear is that a Rocky quote lol).

 

[mmcartalk]

Mike I think I know how to act lol. No that person was not having a bad day, they were acting like an out of control egotistical maniac. There was also two witnesses there and one of them with me said and I quote "in 30 years that is the rudest anyone has spoken to me".

Since my relationship status is "complicated" sometimes you get punched in the face but you keep moving forward (oh dear is that a Rocky quote lol).

Well, OK...you were there. I wasn't. You were in more of a position to know.