Christian Brothers Automotive Corp., Take 5 and Les Schwab Tire Centers Rank Highest in Respective Segments
TROY, Mich.: 14 Jan. 2021 — Saying hello and acknowledging customers upon arrival at an aftermarket service facility can significantly improve customer satisfaction scores, specifically those for full-service maintenance and repair, quick oil changes and tire replacement. Satisfaction scores decline when customers wait more than three minutes before they’re acknowledged, according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) StudySM fueled by SurveyMonkey, which was released today.
“One of every 10 customers waits more than five minutes before speaking with someone at a service facility,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Seeing as how the pandemic has affected service volume, it’s really important to do a great job with the customers who do come through the door. Not being acknowledged can make customers feel that their time isn’t valued. Aftermarket service providers need to ensure someone is available to greet customers when they arrive, even if it’s just to say, ‘hello.’ Otherwise, they run the risk of losing out on return business.”
The study, now in its second year following its debut in 2019, measures customer satisfaction with aftermarket service facilities, providing a numerical index ranking of the highest-performing U.S. aftermarket service facilities. Performance in three segments—full-service maintenance and repair; quick oil change; and tire replacement—is based on the combined scores for seven measures that comprise the vehicle owner service experience. These measures are ease of scheduling/getting vehicle in for service; service advisor performance; service advisor courtesy; service facility; time to complete service; fairness of charges; and quality of work.
In all three segments, customers indicate they were very often greeted immediately: 42% of the time for full-service maintenance and repair; 53% of the time for quick oil change; and 34% of the time for tire replacement. However, among customers in each segment who say they waited three minutes or more—which ranges from 27% to 39%—satisfaction scores decline as much as 219 points (on a 1,000-point scale).
Following are key findings of the 2021 study:
“Even with many Americans having reduced their travel because of the pandemic, many still require automotive service, and their service expectations remain high,” said Timothy Gravelle, senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey. “This research confirms that quality work done promptly, explained clearly, for a fair price, and delivered with excellent customer service is what leads to customer satisfaction among American drivers.”
Christian Brothers Automotive Corp. ranks highest in satisfaction for full-service maintenance and repair with a score of 869. Big O Tires (778) ranks second and Goodyear Tire & Auto Service (775) ranks third.
Take 5 ranks highest in satisfaction for quick oil change, with a score of 810. Valvoline Instant Oil Change (784) ranks second and Kwik Kar (775) ranks third.
Les Schwab Tire Centers ranks highest in satisfaction for tire replacement with a score of 820. Discount Tire ranks second (792) and Costco (780) ranks third.
The 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) Study is based on responses from 8,148 vehicle owners. Survey data collection was conducted online between July and October 2020. Survey respondents were initially selected from the more than two million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day, and from the SurveyMonkey Audience market research panel. Respondents were then screened for having aftermarket service performed in the past 12 months.
For more information about the 2021 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-aftermarket-service-index-asi-study.
See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2021003.
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.
SurveyMonkey (NASDAQ: SVMK) is a leader in agile software solutions for customer experience, market research, and survey feedback. The company’s platform empowers over 17 million active users to analyze and act on feedback from employees, customers, website and app users, and market research respondents. SurveyMonkey’s products, enterprise solutions, and integrations enable more than 335,000 organizations to deliver better customer experiences, increase employee retention and unlock growth and innovation. Ultimately, SurveyMonkey's vision is to raise the bar for human experiences by amplifying individual voices.
Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, J.D. Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
Shane Smith; East Coast; 424-903-3665; ssmith@pacificcommunicationsgroup.com
Sandra Gharib, SurveyMonkey; sandrag@surveymonkey.com
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