Vehicle quality improves by 40% in South Africa
19 October 2004
Vehicle quality a key driver of customer loyalty and advocacy.
SOUTH AFRICA — The quality of vehicles available in South Africa has improved by 40% since 1998, according to the latest product quality research results released by Synovate.
Synovate is one of the largest research companies in the world. The company employs over 360 people in South Africa and conducts the largest competitive customer satisfaction survey in the country's automotive market.
These results form part of Synovate's Competitive Customer Satisfaction Index (CCSI), and are based on interviews conducted with approximately 55 000 vehicle owners on an annual basis. Part of this survey includes a Product Quality measurement, which is commonly known as PP100 or Problems per 100 Vehicles.
"The product quality research has been conducted for more than ten years and the results are used extensively by local manufacturers to identify and correct product problems," said Albert McLean, managing director of Synovate Sub-Saharan Africa. "It is therefore recognised as the benchmark survey of customer experiences with the quality of their vehicles in the South African automotive market."
"On average the number of problems per 100 vehicles in South Africa has improved by 100 problems since 1998. This reflects the notable effort that the manufacturers have dedicated to ensuring the highest levels of product quality," said McLean. "Certainly, the export contracts that are enjoyed by some manufacturers have played a role in improving quality, but it is evident that quality standards have improved across the board."
"These improvements are mirrored by the overall improvements that have been seen in customer satisfaction with both the sales and service transactions at a dealership level over the same period of time. This demonstrates quite clearly that product quality is a key driver of customer satisfaction," said McLean.
In terms of actual scores, the top products score between 50 problems per 100 vehicles and 70 problems per 100 vehicles, which competes exceptionally well with international standards.
"Our vehicle quality in South Africa, in general, is right up there with the very best," said McLean. "And we are building some of the best quality vehicles in the world. This is evidenced by the fact that BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen and Toyota are building cars for export into some very sophisticated and competitive markets. If our quality was not up to scratch, these contracts would not have been awarded."
Few people will deny the heady thrill of the first few months of owning a new car. It is the smell, the feeling, the drive, the knobs and buttons, but more than anything it is the overall sense of pride and achievement that makes the experience so special.
And then a squeak, a rattle, a vibration, a breakdown. Suddenly everything changes. The feeling of trust is gone. You start to doubt the most important thing about your car: Reliability.
"Vehicle manufacturers know all of these things and this is why they have continued to give high priority to product quality," said McLean. "Some of the most sophisticated quality systems in the world have come out of the automotive production environment and every phase of the manufacturing process is monitored in the finest detail."
Quality audits at plant level are one thing, but how does this affect the customer?
"Customer perceptions of product quality are even more important than what the engineers think and these perceptions need to be measured, scientifically, objectively and in a language that the customer understands. This is exactly the reasoning behind the Synovate PP100 product quality research."
A number of segments have been compiled to ensure that similar types of vehicles are compared with one another, and also separate Passenger and Light Commercial Vehicles.
Download the 'Vehicle Quality in South Africa's report (PDF 155Kb)
Contact(s) for this press release
|
John Surrey
Director - Marketing & Communications |
|
|
Synovate |
Tel: +357 22 366 233 |
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 staff across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.
About Synovate South Africa (Formerly Proactive Insight)
Proactive Insight is the primary supplier of customer research to the South African market, offering the highest levels of marketing research experience and expertise. The company is ISO9001:2000 certified. More information is available at www.proactive.co.za