2009 Synovate Quality Awards announced


25 五月 2009

JOHANNESBURG — Global market research firm Synovate has announced the 2009 Synovate Quality Awards for Sales and Service Satisfaction in the automotive industry. These awards recognise service excellence, and are considered the highest accolade for customer service in the South African motor industry.

Richard Rice, Global Motoresearch Sales and Marketing Director, said, "The number of Gold Awards for Sales in both the Passenger Vehicle and Light Commercial Vehicle segments is really incredible this year, and the manufacturers have unquestionably done a fantastic job in keeping new customers happy." Synovate's focus going forward though is to ensure that the results for satisfaction with service reach levels as high as those for sales."

The 2008 Synovate Quality Awards are based on interviews with customers who purchased or serviced a vehicle between January and December of 2008 as part of the largest survey of South African vehicle owners. Recognition is given to the outstanding achievers in the following four categories:

Rice said, "Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota have really outdone themselves in this year's Quality Awards, getting Gold Awards for both Sales and Service. This is testament to the fact that these manufacturers are working hard at the relationship with their customer as a whole, from the first point of contact throughout all service encounters afterwards."


Awards at a glance:

Customer Satisfaction when purchasing a Passenger Vehicle

Gold: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, MINI, Land Rover, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi
Silver: Opel, Renault, Mazda, Ford, Fiat
Bronze: Peugeot, Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge


Customer Satisfaction when servicing a Passenger Vehicle

Gold: Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota
Silver: Audi, Chevrolet, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Volkswagen, Opel
Bronze: Ford, Land Rover, Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge, Mini, Renault


Customer Satisfaction when purchasing a Light Commercial Vehicle

Gold: Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Opel
Silver: Mazda, Ford, Fiat


Customer Satisfaction when servicing a Light Commercial Vehicle

Gold: Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Isuzu
Silver: Mazda, Opel, Ford
Bronze: Fiat


The category of Customer Satisfaction when purchasing a Passenger Vehicle consists of 11 Gold Award winners this year. BMW tops the ranking with a score of 93.0%, compared to last year's winning score of 93.9%. BMW is followed by Mercedes-Benz (92.7%), Nissan (92.6%) and Toyota (92.2%) Other Gold Award winners include Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, MINI, Land Rover, Chevrolet and Mitsubishi. "To the benefit of the consumer most customers expect to enjoy a gold quality experience" says Roger Gibbs newly appointed Head of Motoresearch Clients Services in South Africa.

"Most customers expect to enjoy a gold quality experience," says Roger Gibbs, newly appointed Head of Clients Services for Synovate Motoresearch in South Africa.

The average score for this category in 2008 is 91.4%. "Manufacturers are perfecting the sales process," says Gibbs. "Especially in times of decreased sales, manufacturers are doing everything they can to ensure customers are happy when buying a car from their dealerships and this is definitely one of the ways of securing repeat business and loyalty to their brand. Scores are very competitive and there are shifts in the rankings each year."

The industry average for Customer Satisfaction when purchasing a Light Commercial Vehicle has stabilised at over 90% - this year at 90.2%. The top spot goes to Nissan for the second year in a row with a high average score of 91.7%. Toyota and Mitsubishi follow with 91.4% and 90.5% respectively. Isuzu earns the fourth Gold Award in this category with 90.3%, followed by Opel with 89.8%.

Gibbs commented on the high scores in this category, saying that, "Historically, satisfaction with sales in the Light Commercial Vehicle category maintained lower levels than in the Passenger Vehicle category. It is great to see that Light Commercial Vehicle owners are receiving the same high standard of service as Passenger Vehicle owners.

The top achiever in Customer Satisfaction when servicing a Passenger Vehicle is Nissan with 85.5%. Mitsubishi and Toyota also earn Gold Awards with 84.6% and 83.8% respectively.

"The service process is a relatively complex one and is generally a grudge purchase for consumers, and this is why we find lower scores in these categories," states Gibbs. "Regarding satisfaction with the service, respondents are asked about their experience with arriving at the dealership, being booked in on time, being kept in the loop about progress on their vehicle and having their vehicle fixed right the first time, amongst a host of many other aspects. We have identified some softer issues that have surfaced as influencers in determining satisfaction with this process and are starting to monitor these as way to ensure that the service process reaches the levels of satisfaction that the sales process has reached."

Nevertheless, the industry average for servicing has increased over the years. This year, the industry score for servicing passenger vehicles stands at 80.3% - maintaining the record high average it reached last year.

The average satisfaction score for servicing a Light Commercial Vehicle has reached a record high at 82.2% this year. Typically Light Commercial Vehicle servicing yields a higher satisfaction score than Passenger Vehicles because, with less electrically operated items, these are easier to service.

First place in this category goes to Toyota for the second consecutive year with a score of 84.2%. Following closely behind is Mitsubishi with 83.8%, Nissan with 83.8% and Isuzu with 82.2%.

"There is no question that manufacturers are working extra hard to ensure their customers are happy and that they are building reputations for themselves as being customer-focused and eager to please. Whilst this ranking is based on sales and services processes that happened last year, we can expect these scores to increase due to the competitive market that 2009 has brought," concludes Gibbs.


Download Synovate Quality Awards 2009 charts (PDF 569Kb)


More about the survey

These rankings are based on Synovate's Competitive Customer Satisfaction Index (CCSI) which has been conducted in South Africa for the past 18 years. The survey was conducted over a 12 month period between January and December 2008 and is part of a study that measures the perceptions of more than 55 000 passenger and light commercial vehicles.

The questionnaire covers all elements of both the sales and service process, from the appearance and staff at the dealership itself to the financing or pricing aspects of the sale or service as well as the post-sale or post-service follow up. Complaint resolution is also a key part of the questionnaire for customers who do report problems. Not all aspects of the sales or service process are as important as the next and Synovate weighs the results based on importance to the consumer. This allows manufacturers and dealers to identify exactly which aspects to concentrate their efforts on.

The results are endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and reflects their intention to encourage competitive performance in the automotive industry. The endorsement also demonstrates the dti's confidence in the research methodology and the reliability and validity of the results.

Not all the brands are included in the survey for various reasons. This could be because the manufacturer chooses not to participate or because the sample that has been achieved is too small. Another reason some manufacturers are not included is due to their length of participation. A full year of participation is required before a brand can be included in the rankings.

The study covers approximately 90% of passenger car and light commercial vehicles in the South African automotive market, making it the industry benchmark.

Find more information about Synovate South Africa by visiting www.synovate.com/southafrica.


Contact(s) for this press release


Kate Slade
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About Synovate

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 6,400 staff across 62 countries.

For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.