Maruti tops JD Power service satisfaction ranking

Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker has once again topped the after sales customer service satisfaction ranking conducted by international research firm JD Power. This is the sixteenth consecutive year of the company beating others to top the ranking. Japanese car maker Honda's India arm has retained its second slot in the ranking.

Maruti has scored 906 on a scale of 1,000, performing well across all factors, notes JD Power. The company has shown greatest improvements in service initiation followed by service facility. Honda Cars India has scored 880 to come second while the third slot has two occupants: Hyundai Motor India and Tata Motors. Hyundai was at third slot last year too while Tata Motors has moved up one slot.

The study rates overall satisfaction in five areas: service quality, vehicle pick-up, service advisor, service facility and service initiation. The latest study is based on evaluations from 7,468 vehicle owners who visited an authorised dealership service centre for maintenance or repair work between the first 12 to 24 months of vehicle ownership.

The study finds that 85 percent of customers receive their vehicles back on the same day of service, up from 70 percent in 2014. Same-day delivery has a significant impact on satisfaction. Satisfaction among customers who receive their vehicle on the same day of service is 873, compared with 822 among those whose vehicle is not delivered on the same day.

"Vehicle manufacturers aren't just servicing cars today; they're going the extra mile to provide an after-sales experience that is truly memorable and satisfying for their customers", said JD Power executive director Mohit Arora. Arora added that with enhanced dealership facilities, better network reach and rigor in process implementation, dealerships have been able to effectively manage and deliver on customer expectations.