Audi and Volkswagen nailing it in South Africa
The Ipsos Awards are back with the annual quality survey and this time it involves customer satisfaction when it comes to purchasing and servicing. With 25 years of market research experience and 23 000 interviews conducted it’s safe to say that the results are pretty accurate even though some manufacturers were not involved.
The Ipsos Awards survey is completely voluntary and people are selected at random. The people contacted have had their car serviced within 35 days and are contacted telephonically. These interviews were completed during 2015.
Some background to the survey:
The manufacturers involved in the survey include Audi, Volkswagen, Lexus, Honda, Chevrolet, Peugeot, Citroen, Nissan, Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Isuzu, Renault, Toyota and Volvo.
The purchasing experience is rated according to things such as the dealer keeping his/her promises, having the vehicle delivered as specified, ensuring an exciting handover, and keeping the buyer updated on the progress of the transaction.
When it comes to the servicing experience, aspects such as explanation of the work and invoice, the provision of transport to the next destination (a courtesy car or a lift), ensuring any problems are fixed the first time round and having the vehicle ready on time are measured.
So, which manufacturers are getting it right?
Audi and Volkswagen customers are the happiest when it comes to their purchasing experiences, both getting a gold award. Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Opel and Toyota received silver awards when it comes to purchasing.
Audi took gold for its servicing experience, while Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Lexus, Nissan and Toyota took a silver award.
When it comes to consistent excellence, Audi also received a platinum award for sustained customer satisfaction having received gold for the past four years in both purchasing and servicing experience. Volkswagen was rewarded a platinum award for sustained customer satisfaction in vehicle purchasing as well as for the light commercial vehicle purchasing experience.
On a side note, the Western Cape and Easter Cape are the most satisfied customers, the Norther Cape customers are rather disgruntled.
For all of the results visit the Ipsos website.